Place of Hidden Waters

Puyallup, Washington

Culturally Rooted, Energy-Efficient Tribal Housing

The Puyallup Tribal Housing Authority developed the Longhouse (Place of Hidden Waters) in Tacoma, WA as a culturally significant and energy-efficient affordable housing project. Inspired by the traditional shed-roofed Coast Salish longhouse, the design incorporates a modern townhouse courtyard layout while honoring community heritage. The project includes two 10-unit super-insulated townhome clusters, a major renovation and addition to an existing gymnasium, a sweat lodge enclosure with a fire pit, and a landscaped 5-acre wildlife park. A key goal was to create low-energy, low-cost homes that could serve as a model for future tribal housing developments in the region.

Ecotope provided full mechanical and plumbing design for both phases of the project. Phase I employs a central geothermal heat pump system that delivers radiant floor heating, cooling, and domestic hot water across one of the housing clusters. In Phase II, Ecotope designed a system using variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and ductless heat pumps for space heating, paired with a right-sized heat pump water heater—the first application of VRF-based domestic hot water in the Pacific Northwest. Each home is designed for future solar PV integration, and first-year energy costs for space and water heating averaged just $17 per unit per month, highlighting the long-term affordability of the all-electric, high-efficiency systems.

Learn more about the project here:

• Best Practices in Tribal Housing: Case Studies. Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative