From Bland to Bold: Remodeling a Midcentury Home with Shipping Containers

Mercer Island, WA, United States

Project Status: Built

Year: 2020

Size: 3000 sqft – 5000 sqft

Wyss Family Container House – Paul Michael Davis Architects PLLC was approached by Balthasar and Steph Wyss with the desire to remodel their bland midcentury split level house in a unique and unconventional way, utilizing shipping containers in the design. The Wysses were drawn to the industrial aesthetic of the steel boxes and the opportunity to incorporate a piece of Seattle’s history as a port city into their home. In addition to adding an interesting design element, they also needed additional space for their three young boys to play. While there are many successful examples of homes made from repurposed shipping containers, few consider the context of the surrounding home. Paul Michael Davis Architects explored the idea of a large stack of containers with glass details, but ultimately determined that it would not be a suitable fit for the suburban setting of the Wyss’ home.

Architizer chatted with Paul Michael Davis from Paul Michael Davis Architects PLLC to learn more about this project.

Architizer: What inspired the initial concept for your design?

Paul Michael Davis: We settled on the design concept of treating the containers as precious, art-like objects, rather than a utilitarian module.

Our intervention became a container for the containers. The form is a simple, long shed roofed volume mirroring an existing bedroom wing on the east side of the house, creating an informal courtyard. We also added a small area to the back of the house for a more functional dining room, and a series of decks stepping down from the house to the backyard.

A second shipping container in the backyard functions as a multi purpose building–gym, home office, or play room. We also added new landscaping and performed some deferred maintenance on the existing house.

This project won in the 10th Annual A+Awards! What do you believe are the standout components that made your project win?

We were very honored to be alongside such amazing architecture in the A+ Awards.

I think this project resonates because it is relatable. The existing house is familiar, even ubiquitous. The shipping containers are also commonplace, but from a very different context. We didn’t have the budget for elaborate details or fancy materials, but in the end, that turned out to be a blessing. The conventional character of the project is part of its strength.

The juxtaposition of two very familiar structures from very different contexts is what gives the design its strength. The architecture we put around the shipping container needed to be neutral.

What was the greatest design challenge you faced during the project, and how did you navigate it?

It was hard for us to let the design be quiet. We did endless iterations, and faced numerous budget and code hurdles. For most of the process, we tried with all our might to design a more expressive “container” for the shipping container “artwork”. Ultimately, these schemes would have competed with the industrial object and the existing house. The constraints forced us to the right solution: a simple blank box with a roof that related to the existing context. This allowed the juxtaposition of the shipping container to shine.

How did the context of your project — environmental, social or cultural — influence your design?

We were very concerned with the relationship between our addition and the existing house and the surrounding neighborhood, which is also a very familiar suburban streetscape.

But our clients brought the larger, more meaningful context to the project. Coming to Seattle from Basel, Balthasar’s perspective on the city as a global center of trade and natural resources was special–having grown up there, I took these aspects the Puget Sound region for granted. It was also a unique take on the place: Seattle is surrounded by a spectacular natural environment to which talented architects have responded for generations. But its place as a contemporary global hub hadn’t been explored much.

What drove the selection of materials used in the project?

Neutrality. We looked a lot at art galleries in Los Angeles and their often inexpensive, neutral materiality. That helped serve as a response to the inexpensive, neutral split level. But it also made our project a blank box to house the shipping container and elevate it from a utilitarian box to an art like feature.

What is your favorite detail in the project and why?

The enormous sliding door made from three container doors welded together. We didn’t need all of the doors because we converted the indoor container into a mud room and bathroom, and the doors have an awesome industrial character. Salvaging these for the sliding door was another way of repurposing and elevating something banal.

In what ways did you collaborate with others, and were there any team members or skills that were essential in bringing this Award winning project to life?

Our contractors, Dick McDonald and Roger Reynolds with Karlstrom Associates were essential members of the team, and helped us solve endless unconventional challenges.

Team members

ArchTiffany Chow, Project Designer, Paul Michael Davis Architects PLLC

Consultants

Architect: Paul Michael Davis; Tiffany Chow, Project Designer Landscape: Scott Hallquist, Performance Landscape Company Shipping ITS ConGlobal Containers: Structural: Mark Leingang & Civil, TransOlympic Engineering Inc. Contractor: Dick McDonald, Project Manager Roger Reynolds, Site Supervisor, Karlstrom Associates

For more on the Wyss Family Container House, please visit the in-depth project page on Architizer.