Recently, AXIS Architecture + Design welcomed Megan Kim to the firm’s Seattle studio as its newest Senior Project Architect. Bringing nearly two decades of experience in market-rate housing, affordable housing, senior living, and mixed-use developments across the Pacific Northwest, Megan joins the firm with a design-oriented approach focused on translating client vision into thoughtful, context-sensitive architectural solutions.

Prior to joining AXIS, Megan spent nearly ten years designing complex Pacific Northwest housing projects through entitlement and permitting. From compact urban housing in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood to amenity-driven senior living communities throughout the region, Megan’s experience reflects a strong understanding of how architecture can respond to both market demands and community context by balancing density, livability, neighborhood integration, and evolving municipal design requirements.

Already collaborating with Principal Architect Rory Carroll on a hotel renovation project in San Francisco, Megan’s arrival underscores AXIS’ continued investment in multidisciplinary design leadership across hospitality and housing.

Welcome Megan!

This article appeared in the Spring 2026 edition of the Praxis newsletter.

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AXIS is excited to announce the groundbreaking of our newest hospitality project now underway in Seattle: the Candlewood Suites hotel on Jefferson Street. AXIS is serving as the Architect of Record and Design Architect on the project on behalf of clients Perfect Wealth Investment LLC. Construction expertise is being provided by Synergy Construction Inc.

Located directly across from the Swedish Hospital Cherry Hill Campus, the seven-story hotel is designed to provide comfortable, extended-stay accommodations in one of Seattle’s most active medical and residential districts. The project will include 37 guestrooms, with some featuring private patios, as well as a rooftop deck with a BBQ station, and a fitness room for guests.  Designed by AXIS’ Seattle studio, the hotel will offer convenient access to nearby medical facilities and transit, and will deliver a welcoming and practical long-stay lodging option for visitors to the Cherry Hill neighborhood.

The article appeared in the Winter 2026 edition of the Praxis newsletter.

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AXIS is pleased to announce that Christopher C. Coates, AIA, NCARB, has joined the firm as Associate Principal and Project Director. A recognized expert in California multi-family residential and affordable housing design and development, Christopher brings more than 20 years of experience delivering complex housing projects across Southern California to the team, and includes in his expertise unique experience in navigating the regulatory, financial, and entitlement frameworks that shape housing production in Los Angeles.

Over the course of his career, Christopher has worked extensively across a wide range of residential typologies, including affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, student housing, senior living communities, and market-rate developments. His design approach emphasizes the integration of sustainability and innovation within housing solutions, and includes experience with both wood and steel modular construction systems. Additionally, Christopher’s portfolio includes Passive House design and an expert understanding of its engineering standards. Christopher has also led adaptive reuse and ground-up residential developments utilizing HUD financing, positioning him at the intersection of design excellence and development feasibility.

In addition to his architectural design expertise, Christopher is highly experienced in the policy and financing mechanisms that enable housing delivery in California. He has advised development teams on navigating state and local Density Bonus laws and the 4% and 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) process – critical tools for advancing affordable housing production in high-cost urban markets. As well, Christopher is an active advocate and volunteer giving back to the industry through a number of organizations and boards committed to advancing housing accessibility and affordability. He is an affiliate and proponent of the ULI Los Angeles Housing Council and its mandate of informing and educating housing industry leaders on housing development solutions and best practices, and also sits as a Board Member on the Westside Urban Forum, activating its mission to bring together forward-thinking housing development stakeholders to improve the urban environment.

In his new role, Christopher will further strengthen AXIS’ growing portfolio of multi-family and affordable housing work, and will support the firm’s continued commitment to advancing high-quality residential design and housing opportunities across Southern California and the Los Angeles region.

Welcome Christopher!

This article was included in the Winter 2026 edition of The Praxis newsletter.

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In this first edition of our Praxis newsletter for 2026, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the milestones and achievements that defined the past year. We extend our sincere thanks to our clients, collaborators, and industry partners whose trust and partnership made 2025 such a meaningful and productive year for the AXIS team.

The post 2025 Year in Review appeared first on AXIS Architecture.

Late last year, one of AXIS’ most recent upscale boutique soft-branded hotel conversion and renovation projects, the Martis Valley Lodge, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, quietly celebrated its completion and grand opening. A boutique mountain retreat located in Truckee, California, the project saw AXIS serve as AOR and assist in transforming a former Hampton Inn into a new 109-room contemporary lodge-style hospitality destination authentically inspired by the natural beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Contributing to the activation of lead design firm and interior designers Atwater Inc. Studio’s creative direction for the property, the project repositioned the property from a conventional select service hotel into a distinctive boutique lodge. Heavily inspired by the changing seasons of the Sierra Nevada and the sports-focused sensibilities that define the Lake Tahoe region, guest spaces and public areas are designed to reflect the rhythms of mountain life. From winter skiing to summer hiking and lake activities, spaces are pragmatically designed to serve as a basecamp for year-round exploration.

See a fulsome project description and additional project photography in our online project portfolio.

This article appeared in the Winter 2026 edition of The Praxis newsletter.

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Designed by AXIS’ San Francisco studio, the project will deliver 26 residential units over six stories, and includes over 2,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space. Expertly activating California’s State Density Bonus, AXIS’ design includes three rent restricted affordable housing units. Capping the development, a sixth-floor rooftop communal amenity deck will offer views of North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf, as well as the surrounding Telegraph and Russian Hill neighborhoods.

Watch our blog for updates on this much needed housing project, as well as for additional commentary on AXIS’ experience achieving approval success with SB 423.

This article appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of The Praxis newsletter.

The post AXIS’ Powell Street Multi-Family Residential and Affordable Housing Project in San Francisco’s Chinatown Gains City Approval appeared first on AXIS Architecture.

This year, the keynote panel – including Head of Planning at California Forever Gabe Metcalf, Chief of Infrastructure for Climate and Mobility at the City and County of San Francisco Alicia John-Baptiste, Executive Director at Abundant Housing LA Azeen Khanmalek, and KQED housing reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi as moderator – was particularly keen to examine and applaud the recent initiatives undertaken by San Francisco’s new Mayor, Daniel Lurie. With issues of homelessness, community safety, and stifling bureaucracy impacting the accessibility of affordable housing in the Bay Area, Mayor Lurie’s profound initiatives to make safe and revitalize San Francisco’s downtown core, his commitment to increase funding for services to stabilize vulnerable members of the community through his “Breaking the Cycle” initiative, and his commitment to expedite the creation of much-needed affordable housing through streamlined permitting by way of his “Family Zoning Plan”, were each debated with hopeful anticipation. Indeed, Mayor Lurie’s first six months in office have yielded some encouraging results.

As active members of HAC, and as avid supporters of its mandate and efforts to address housing affordability in California, we’re pleased to support HAC’s endorsement of Mayor Lurie’s recent efforts. With progressive and ambitious effort, California’s housing crisis does not need to be inevitable – it can be addressed.

To read a summary of HAC’s legislative strategy, including its analysis of Mayor Lurie’s policy initiatives, visit the HAC blog: https://housingactioncoalition.org/news/2025-legislative-strategy

Photos courtesy of Scott Chernis Photography.

This article appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of the Praxis newsletter.

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A rendering of the new-build multi-family residential housing project Alexan Shoreline, designed by Seattle architects AXIS Architecture + Design.

Designed by AXIS’ Seattle studio on behalf of Trammell Crow Residential, Alexan Shoreline East is a new-build multi-family residential development that blends contemporary style with sustainability. Rising elegantly to eight stories, this multi-family marvel offers a diverse array of 299 apartments – from cozy studios to spacious three-bedroom homes. Tentatively, a portion of the development’s units are earmarked as affordable housing.

Concrete being poured at the new-build multi-family residential housing project Alexan Shoreline, an apartment designed by Seattle multi-family residential architects AXIS Architecture + Design.

On a recent site walk, members of AXIS’ Seattle office watched the project’s concrete pour in action, including for its bioretention planters ingeniously designed by AXIS to aid in stormwater management and to add significant landscaping texture to the common outdoor amenities. In those outdoor spaces, the amenities come alive with two inviting courtyards and a rooftop deck complete with a sheltered kitchen. Adjacently, a generous clubroom offers spaces to gather, play, and cook in an indoor kitchen. The ground level caters to various needs – from fitness enthusiasts to pet lovers – featuring a gym, study rooms, a communal workspace, an outdoor pet zone, and a dedicated dog wash. To add a personal touch, select units feature private patios or balconies. Keeping with AXIS’ commitment to sustainability, Alexan Shoreline East aims for LEED Platinum certification, including provisions for 30 EV chargers.

Visit AXIS’ multi-family residential design portfolio on our website for more project imagery of the Alexan Shoreline East.

The post Introducing Alexan Shoreline East, AXIS’ Latest Multi-Family Residential Design Project in Seattle appeared first on AXIS Architecture.

As we featured earlier this month in the first edition of our Praxis newsletter for 2025, we’re proud to take a moment to celebrate all we accomplished in 2024. Our sincere thanks to all of our clients and industry partners for making 2024 such a success.

The post 2024 in Review appeared first on AXIS Architecture.

This year, AXIS Architecture + Design is proud to be listed as the 98^th largest multi-family residential architecture firm based off of the company’s multi-family residential, apartment, and affordable housing architectural design work.

The AXIS Architecture + Design team would like to thank our clients and industry partners for helping us achieve this milestone.

See Building Design + Construction’s list of the Top 200 Multi-Family Residential Architecture Firms here: https://www.bdcnetwork.com/home/news/55246700/top-200-multifamily-architecture-firms-for-2024-bdc-giants-400-report

This article appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of The Praxis newsletter.

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