--- title: "Ectypos Architecture — Architects & Building Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/ectypos-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635918399 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1635918399.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Ectypos Architecture" category: ["Architects"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/73d32fb100731029_2956-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "4212 W. Mercer Way, Mercer Island, Washington 98040, United States" latitude: 47.5602 longitude: -122.2281 phone: "(206) 232-9147" website: https://www.ectypos.com/ rating: 5 review_count: 8 best_of_houzz_awards: 5 followers: 149 last_updated: 2026-08-15 --- # Ectypos Architecture Original Houzz profile: [Ectypos Architecture](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/ectypos-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635918399) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Architects - **Location:** Mercer Island, WA - **Serves:** Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Newcastle, Klahanie, Hobart, Eastgate, Boulevard Park, Maple Heights-Lake Desire, Clyde Hill, Medina, Beacon Hill, Yarrow Point, Beaux Arts Village, Hunts Point, Ballard, Fairmount Park, Gatewood - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (8 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 5 awards (2013–2017), for Service, Design. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 25,000 Ideabook Saves At Ectypos Architecture, we design contemporary residential—and adaptable live/work—spaces that enhance the lives of our clients. To reach that goal, we depend on collaboration. Our first step is to listen carefully to a client’s objectives. This is the case be it new custom home design or a significant home remodel. Our design perspective translates to smaller houses that live large—and large houses that never overwhelm. At Ectypos, we a have a strong commitment to doing more with less. In all cases, an energy efficient envelope is a core goal. So is maximizing the use of natural light and ventilation. We look to minimize impact to a site’s existing native landscape whenever possible. We’re also skilled at making challenging building sites work to our client’s advantage. We select and utilize the most appropriate construction techniques and technologies for the program, site, and budget. Founded in 2001, Ectypos listens to its national and international clients’ creative dreams as closely today as it did the day the studio opened. ### Services Provided - Architectural Design - Building Design - New Home Construction - Sustainable Design - Energy-Efficient Homes - Green Building - Universal Design - Contemporary Architecture - Custom Homes - Infill - Modern Architecture - Steep Slopes - Territorial Design - Timeless Design - Urban Infill ### Areas Served - Seattle - Bellevue - Kirkland - Redmond - Issaquah - Mercer Island - Union Hill-Novelty Hill - Newcastle - Klahanie - Hobart - Eastgate - Boulevard Park - Maple Heights-Lake Desire - Clyde Hill - Medina - Beacon Hill - Yarrow Point - Beaux Arts Village - Hunts Point - Ballard - Fairmount Park - Gatewood ### Typical Job Cost $750,000 - 5 million Cost depends on size and scope of project ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Ectypos Architecture | | Address | 4212 W. Mercer Way, Mercer Island, Washington 98040, United States | | Phone | (206) 232-9147 | | Website | https://www.ectypos.com/ | | License Number | Architectural License \#7785 | | Followers on Houzz | 149 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/StudioEctypos - LinkedIn — http://www.linkedin.com/in/studioectypos - Blog — http://www.studioectypos.com ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Ectypos Architecture](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/ectypos-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635918399) - **Website:** https://www.ectypos.com/ - **Phone:** (206) 232-9147 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - 2012 King County Earth Hero; E. Lewis Dales Traveling Fellowship - **Best of Houzz:** 5 awards (2013–2017), for Service, Design. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 8 reviews** ### All 8 reviews **★★★★★ — Bykonen Carter Quinn, Dec. 2016** > Bykonen Carter Quinn is a structural engineering firm located is Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, We offer structural engineering services to architects, We offer structural engineering solutions for any scale of residential and Commercial projects. We have had the privilege to be able to work with Studio Ectypos for many years. Lucia Pirzio-Biroli and Michele Marquardi are very creative. They are very innovative in their design making the most of the structural system. I highly recommend Studio Ectypos for any scale architectural design project. **Comment from Ectypos Architecture:** > Thanks Tom. We appreciate your comments. Of course the recommendation goes both ways. **★★★★★ — Thomas Jacobson Construction, Inc, Nov. 2016** > Lucia and Michele are creative, thoughtful, and organized architects. My company has had the pleasure of collaborating with them and we found their drawings to be very well detailed and their response time to any questions that we had very fast. The project we worked on together required some creative solutions due to the site and also had some unique permitting requirements, both of which they navigated easily. Our customer was thrilled with Studio Ectypos' design and the outcome of her project and loved working with Lucia and Michele. I have given them a strong recommendation to other prospective customers and will certainly continue to do so! **Comment from Ectypos Architecture:** > Thank you Thomas. Likewise it is a huge pleasure working with you. Your attention to detail, quality workmanship, ethos and respect for the architect are the excellent qualities we look for in contractors. **★★★★★ — Alan Reed, Sept. 2016** > We selected Studio Ectypos for our project which is still in development, and we are happy that we did. We evaluated several other options before selecting Lucia and Michele. > > We needed a firm that is equally comfortable with creating practical, cost-effective space, combined with the soul of a designer who loves to create beautiful things. When constructed, our designed house will be a major asset for our overall church property, and will provide flexible, satisfying clergy residence for years to come. > > Beyond design, Studio Ecotypes has also helped us with working through many of the details of engineering and permitting. When we are ready to break ground we will do so knowing the important details have been considered up front, thanks to Lucia and Michele. **Comment from Ectypos Architecture:** > Hi Alan, > Thank you so much. We love working with you guys. > Lucia **★★★★★ — casamini, Sept. 2016** > Custom build know-how supercharged with European design smarts -- best describes what Lucia and Michele brought to our ground up project. > > Our custom build began with challenging site constraints, incredible vistas to be reaped, in a traditionally minded community. This combination demanded professionals that knew their art, and more importantly are ready to work through unknowns as pioneers do. We are not traditionalist, and sought a home that paired with our lifestyle. We found that willingness to push design envelopes, defend design principles and apply construction practicality in our partnership with Michele and Lucia. Through this partnership, we arrived at a home that exceeded our original vision. As more than just architects, Lucia and Michele were the voices of guidance through-out this project; and hopefully many more. **Comment from Ectypos Architecture:** > Thank you Colin and Ming, > This project has been great to work on from so many perspectives. We appreciate your willingness to reach beyond what is the "norm" and look forward to more reaching in the future with you. > Lucia **★★★★★ — 3201189, Nov. 2012** > My husband and I hired Studio Ectypos after viewing other projects they had done. We worked with both Lucia and Michele and have the highest regard for their skill/talent/creativity as architects. > We started thinking we would rehab the older home. The original one story house was so poorly built that we decided to use the basement/foundation and build two stories above. Lucia and Michele were flexible and helpful as the project moved forward. > Their design work is flawless. Our home fits into the older Seattle neighborhood and accommodates our lifestyle. It was amazing to five Michele and/or Lucia an idea and see it resonate into a structure. **★★★★★ — 4everhouse, Nov. 2012** > Lucia Pirzio-Biroli and Michele Marquardi at Studio Ectypos created the design, plans, and spec for the renovation of our 100 year-old house in Sydney, Australia. They kept the original footprint of the house almost completely intact yet at the same time opened the space up from within to reveal a light, airy, and environmentally sustainable home -- the perfect house for us. > > They were always very responsive to our ideas, stayed within budget, and met deadlines in a professional manner. And fortunately, they were tireless when it came to dealing with obstructions from our local council! **★★★★★ — bobkaren, Nov. 2012** > Studio Ectypos designed our home in Bellevue, Washington. The design, advice and supervision that Lucia and Michele provided was outstanding. Our relationship remained very positive through the whole experience, even when our ideas differed from what professional architects might recommend. > > We've been in the house six years we don't think there is anything we would change about it. > > Under "How much did the project cost?", our answer is for the total construction cost of our new home, not the Studio Ectypos fees. **★★★★★ — Lisa Koutek, Aug. 2012** > Michele Marquardi has a great eye for NW Modern. He has been very patient with us as we switched direction during planning. He is very easy to work with. ## Selected projects - [ChiaroScuro](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/chiaroscuro-pj-vj~93428) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 13 - Description: A livework space for an interior designer and modern abstract painter. The house terraces down the hill open to views, light and breezes. All rooms have natural light and fresh air on multiple sides. The materials are simple and exposed. - [The Thicket](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/the-thicket-pj-vj~93502) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 10 - Description: This house on a tight corner urban lot in a older stately Seattle neighborhood was for a renowned landscape architect and a community activist. The existing, musty, dark, one story ranch was torn down to its foundations replaced by a house that was flooded with light. It is a flowing series of light filled rooms enclosed by a dense "thicket" of ever changing vegetation that announces the seasons, years, times of day. - [La Loggia](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/la-loggia-pj-vj~109949) - Location: Albuquerque, NM - Photos: 15 - Description: This home, sited on a flat arid acre between Albuquerque and the Rio Grande with spectacular views of the Sandia Mountain Range, is influenced by the strong socio-climatic traditions prevalent in this region: orientation to the sun and wind; techniques for rain water collection; thick wall construction for relief from the dramatic dessert temperature swings; and urban form in a series of courtyards filtering from public to private spaces and fluidity between inside and outside. The adobe traditi… - [Kiora](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kiora-pj-vj~613781) - Location: Waverton, Australia - Photos: 22 - Description: The client's "forever house", Kiora is a contraction of the Maori greeting "Kia Ora" meaning "be healthy and well." The building is one house in a line of identical historically significant brick bungalows built at the beginning of the last century in North Sydney. All work to the original building was strictly limited by the local Council. The client said "I want to come into this house through time to today. Like Alice into the rabbit hole." It needed to be contemporary, but also flow into the… - [Firmitas](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/firmitas-pj-vj~93376) - Location: Mercer Island, WA - Photos: 16 - Description: A single family live-work space designed to fit into a 50 year old botanical garden. The house is modeled on rural complexes which utilize the courtyard as an extension of the interior space year round. This is the first of three phases which will eventually complete the courtyard. It has a compact footprint, exceeds insulating and other envelope requirements for a tight super energy efficient home. It is elegant and simple. - [The Metal Staircase](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/the-metal-staircase-pj-vj~1081876) - Location: Mercer Island, WA - Photos: 6 - Description: Studio Ectypos was privileged to design and execute this project for a client. Taking the interior space and creating a unique staircase that maintained the open space of this area of the house. Using a membrane mesh for the steps helped to maintain the space and create a great visual experience both from the inside and out. [See all 6 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/architects-and-building-designers/ectypos-architecture-pfvwus-pf~1635918399) ## Community Q&A **Q: What kind of wood are the cabinets? What company makes them** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Believe it or not these are Ikea cabinets that were highly customized on installation. The are a mahogany. **Q: What is the color of stain on the wood floors? and what kind of wood?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: It is a clear finish on grade 3 oak.. **Q: stucco** *(in Photo Questions)* what color of stucco is this? This is beautiful thanks A: No but you could hire us to do yours. **Q: How wide are the shaker stiles and rails?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: The cabinets were a standard style from Ikea that was being used in Australia at the time. **Q: Love your modern interpretation of NM style!!!** *(in Photo Questions)* What are the outdoor lights? A: The owner added those after construction was complete. **Q: What is the paint color** *(in Photo Questions)* Hi. What is the white paint color maker and number? A: Hi Denise, I'm not sure the exact number. The Owner had the contractor put up multiple samples before selecting the final number and hue. We specify Sherwin Williams, eggshell, latex with back rolling. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-15.*