This Futuristic Home Elevator is a Washington First
Who needs stairs? Joan Krajewski’s pneumatic elevator takes home design to a new level.
By Max Rose September 22, 2017
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
Innovative problem solving is nothing new for Joan Krajewski, a general manager of safety, compliance and sustainability for Microsoft. This year, Krajewski was faced with a unique challenge in her Denny-Blaine home: adjusting her three-story space to accommodate guests with restricted mobility and her own on-the-road lifestyle, which often includes carrying heavy luggage up and down the stairs.
An elevator was the clear answer. Krajewski contacted H2D Architecture and Design (Edmonds, 23023 Edmonds Way; 206.542.3734) to explore alternatives to a hydraulic model. H2D’s solution? A pneumatic vacuum elevator, the first full-size model in Washington, according to Mobility Concepts (Fife, 1017 54th Ave. E; 888.227.6375), the company that installed the elevator.
Without the need for cables or pistons, the pneumatic elevator—installed in two days during a remodel by GT Residential Contracting (Edmonds, 7025 182nd Place SW; 206.769.4128)—fit conveniently into an existing closet space. Zipping right through the home’s center, the elevator has a transparent polycarbonate casing that allows natural light to seep in as it travels between floors. The elevator also consumes minimal energy during ascent, and zero energy during descent.
It’s a popular feature with visitors, Krajewski says. “I get a lot of big smiles and comments like ‘Beam me up, Scotty!’”
Follow Us
Your Land, Your Legacy: A New Way to Build at Suncadia
For those who believe that where you live should reflect how you live and how you’ll be remembered Suncadia invites a deeper kind of ownership. It’s an opportunity to create a home that is entirely your own, on some of the most desirable homesites in the Cascades, while benefiting from the ease, support, and long-term…
Settling In, Not Just Moving In: How Seattle Newcomers Find Their Footing
Photos courtesy of Royalty Moving & Storage Seattle. Explore: Seattle Relocation Resources Moving to Seattle is rarely just about transporting belongings from one address to another. For many newcomers, it marks the beginning of learning a city that operates on its own terms, shaped by distinct neighborhoods, changing weather, and an unspoken culture that locals…
Coasting Into Calm
After purchasing a weather-worn, ant-infested cabin on an Oregon beach, a Seattle couple hires a regional team to transform it into a stylish weekend retreat.
When architect Andrew Montgomery first pulled up to his clients’ house in Arch Cape, Oregon, there were logs in the driveway, courtesy of the sizable swells that come with the coast’s king tides. At just 28 feet above sea level and as close as you can get to the water without being on the beach,…
Blueprints for Building Community
After tragedy struck a local restaurateur family, one of their daughters stepped in to complete the design for her brother’s unfinished home.
Although he was just 35 when a heart attack took his life, Khoa Pham’s imprint on Seattle’s international district was such that the city quickly designated April 21 as a memorial day in his honor. With his rescue pitbull, Pinky, by his side, Pham cut a colorful figure through Little Saigon and became well known…