A Local Architect With a Big Heart

Dennis DePape has his long hair pulled back in a ponytail hanging down his back a few inches. He’s a vibrant, passionate man with an artistic flare, a businessman and a philanthropist. His glass sculptures fill his office at, DePape Associates Architecture, where he spends most of his time.

He opened his business in 1988 and moved it to its Lake Forest Park office in 2001. He wanted to be the local architect and bring his full wealth and experience to a city he already admired.

“You really notice the difference when you drive into LFP because of what people have done and are doing to preserve the trees, “ he states.

Most of the houses and buildings are set amongst large coniferous trees. The houses look like they were built with the landscape in mind

“I want houses to look like they belong at that site representing the personalities that live there,” he states.    

He’s not an architect that builds simply to build.  He jokes about home additions that seem to just fall from the sky.

His projects all have a particular purpose.  He strives to express a client’s personality in his work while also integrating the building into a particular place so it fits and looks natural to the eye.

There is a very common architectural term called ‘PlaceMaking’ that DePape calls upon in his work. He describes the idea in a very simple way,

“Humans  have a way of modifying things and making it a place,” he said.

The idea behind ‘Place Making’ is to design a place that people will recognize and feel it belongs. The buildings need to make people feel comfortable.

He feels it’s the architect’s job to communicate well so that the client’s thoughts and ideas are transformed into a physical place that represents the clients personality.

One way he is able to accomplish this goal is using a computer program called CAD Architect that allows his clients to see a 3D model of the design from the very beginning all the way through to the end. A client gets to move through the project step by step. 

With this technology an architect can easily add extra windows and see how they appear at all angles, or remove the roof and see the entire upper level of the house from a bird’s eye view.  If the building is amongst dense forest or built into a hillside, the architect can add those elements also.

Everything can be demonstrated from the very beginning of the design process. Clients know exactly what they are getting and understand why something they desired doesn’t work.

The CAD technology has been around for about 18 years but only available for small firms like DePape for about 10 years. DePape is one of the few architects left that was trained to draft with a pencil but is fluent with the new technology.

He believes his training in both allows him to better communicate with his clients. Having multiple skills really only helps the client to be more involved in the process.

“If a client participates in the process they always go away with so much more then they imagined they could have,” DePape states. 

DePape does not only do residential building and remodeling he also works a lot with non profit organization to give back to his community.

His passion to give back as an architect really began when he volunteered for the PeaceCorps back in the early 1980s.  One thing he did there was design residential housing in Central America where it rained for months and was also very hot for long periods of time.  He learned a lot about how climate affects buildings and how important it is to pay attention to the forces that can’t be controlled.

He’s currently working on a project for the highly discussed and debated Nickelsville camp.  He’s designing a simple shelter in South Seattle that he hopes can be a permanent encampment for homeless people.  The structure is 8 feet by 12 feet and uses all the materials very wisely and practically for homeless to stay out of the weather.

“We have all been given different skills and I think for our community to be healthy each person needs to find a way to make a contribution to our community,” he said.

The shelter at Nickelsville is just one contribution he’s made. He has also been working with ITFH since 2001 to help provide local solutions that end homelessness and create affordable housing for those in need.

Plus he works with ARCH, A Regional Coalition for Housing. His job there is to help “evaluate project proposals that include low income housing.”

He continues to give and serve his community and hopes he can be an example for younger architects just starting their business.

He has mentored some in the past and believes that mentoring is the best realm for a new architect to learn and grow.

He’s always kept his business small, no more then six employees.  He feels this allows a sort of small town atmosphere where everyone knows what’s going on in each project. A lot of new employees learn on the job by just being around and aware of every design process. 

DePape considers himself more of a guider and a teacher then a boss and he feels the same way towards his clients. He provides tools and his knowledge so that he can design exactly what is in his client’s heart.

He says proudly that after a completion of a project the clients told him, “You couldn’t have designed this with out us.”