Should you start your own firm?

The AIA Seattle chapter is holding a workshop titled “Going Solo: Is Starting Your Own Business Right For You” at 9 a.m. June 18 in the Greater Seattle SCORE office at 2401 Fourth Ave. in Seattle.

SCORE is a nonprofit that helps small businesses start and grow. Representatives from the organization will help attendees explore whether entrepreneurship is right for them and guide them through the steps of launching a business.

Cost is $90 for members and government employees, $50 for associate members, and $190 for non-members.

Register at http://tiny.cc/i0oyfx for the workshop, which is part of the “Business of Design” series.

Class on branding for A/E/C companies

The Society for Marketing Professional Services Seattle chapter will hold a class on “Branding: How Do Your Clients See You?” from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 12 at Parsons Brinckerhoff's office at 999 Third Ave. in Seattle.

Presenters are Seattle Chapter fellows Carla Thompson of Johnston Training Group, Ted Sive of Ted Sive Consulting, Karleen Belmont of Pace Engineers, Bill Strong of Bill Strong Consulting and Victoria Cooper of Cooper Architects. Cost is $25 for members, $30 for member firms and $40 for non-members.

Register at http://tiny.cc/ql0kgx/.

Bill Christopher joins MKA owners

Christopher

Chief Financial Officer Bill Christopher has joined the board of directors and ownership group of Magnusson Klemencic Associates in Seattle. He has two decades of financial and risk management experience, with the last 14 years at MKA.

He won the 2014 CFO of the Year — Leadership Award from the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Christopher is a founder of Seattle A&E Financial Executives Group, a board member of ACE Mentor Program of Washington, United Way campaign coordinator for MKA, a member of Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants and a finance committee member at Explorer West Middle School.

MKA provides structural and civil engineering, with offices also in Chicago, Shanghai and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

OKA's [storefront] handbook for sale

Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects is selling on Amazon.com a self-published handbook about [storefront], an experimental venue the firm operated in Pioneer Square from 2011 to 2013.

[storefront] was a place for community collaborations, research and development, and artistic experiments. The handbook is a guide, with photos, to the 20 exhibitions held there. It is available for $12 at http://tiny.cc/vj69fx/.

23 graduate from new WSU program

The first 23 students in Washington State University's mechanical engineering program at WSU North Puget Sound in Everett just got their diplomas.

The program allows students to complete a WSU mechanical engineering degree while taking classes at Everett Community College as part of a state effort to increase the number of engineering and computer science graduates.

Last year, 50 students applied for 30 openings. This year 72 applied.

Class June 11 on design for aging

Architect Aaron D. Murphy will hold a free class on aging-in-place home design and modifications at 10 a.m. June 11 in Reid Real Estate's office at 9564 Silverdale Way in Silverdale.

Murphy owns Poulsbo-based ADM Architecture and is certified as an aging-in-place specialist.

R.S.V.P. by calling (360) 471-1944.

SMPS event looks at business development

Michelle Fitzpatrick will talk about the future of business development for architecture, engineering and construction firms at 11:30 a.m. June 17 at Harbor Club Seattle in Seattle.

The talk is sponsored by the national Society for Marketing Professional Services Foundation, a research and education arm of SMPS.

Fitzpatrick, a foundation trustee and past-president, will discuss the results of the foundation's research into how getting design commissions has changed since the Great Recession. The results are in the book “A/E/C Business Development — The Decade Ahead.”

Fitzpatrick has 33 years of experience in AEC marketing. She oversees Marketivity, a Portland-based marketing and strategic planning consulting firm.

Cost is $50 for members, $55 for member firms, and $65 for non-members. Register at http://tiny.cc/eq6yfx/.

Demand for design declines in April

Demand for design services fell nationwide in April, with the Northeast and Midwest most affected, according to the American Institute of Architects, The Architecture Billings Index, produced by AIA, was 49.6 in April, up slightly from 48.8 in March.

Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.

AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said in a press release that despite the decline in demand over the last couple of months, “a healthy figure for design contracts” indicates there should be improved billings in the near future.

The South scored the highest at 57.5. The West scored 48.9, the Midwest 47, and the Northeast 42.9.

King Street Station rehab wins award

King Street Station in Seattle received the Valerie Sivinski award for rehabilitation from the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

The transformation returned the 1906 train station to its original condition, and earned LEED platinum certification for energy efficiency.

ZGF Architects designed the renovation and Sellen Construction was the contractor.

Sivinski was a Tacoma-area preservationist and a longtime board member of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

‘Hidden Treasures' SAF tour June 28

Seattle Architecture Foundation is offering a tour at 10 a.m. June 28 of some of downtown's hidden treasures: public parks, plazas and open spaces, many of which are owned by private developers.

The two-hour tour will include Freeway Park, IDX Tower Plaza, Harbor Steps and SAM's hillclimb.

Meet at City Centre, 1420 Fifth Ave. Cost is $15, or $25 on the tour day. Register at http://tiny.cc/nan6fx/.

YGH honored as green workplace

Yost Grube Hall Architecture said it has been awarded gold certification under Portland's Sustainability at Work program, which helps businesses advance green initiatives in the workplace.

The program offers three levels of certification to offices, restaurants, retail and grocery establishments to recognize their impact on the environment and the community. Gold is the highest level.

YGH's sustainable practices include recycling and composting; limiting energy and water use; alternative transportation benefits and incentives; green cleaning products; recycled and sustainably produced office supplies; and educating staff on maintaining in-house green facilities.

Interface relocates Portland office

Interface Engineering moved its Portland office to the 16th floor of the First and Main Building at 100 S.W. Main St.

The mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering firm also has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Honolulu and Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Portland event on infrastructure

The Portland, San Francisco and Sacramento posts of the Society of American Military Engineers will hold an engineer training symposium Nov. 3 to 6 for people in infrastructure planning, design and construction.

The event will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Lloyd Center in Portland.

Keynote speakers include retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Gary A. Engle, Steven Stockton of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lorri Lee of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and Chris Taylor of the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange.

Representatives from the USACE will talk about the workload outlook, trends in funding, new programs and how to bid work for the Army Corps. Educational topics include fish passage, water resources, energy, riding the technology wave and critical infrastructure.

Register at http://tiny.cc/rb8eex/. For more information, contact Toni Leon at (503) 643-8710 or at same.pdx.enh2014@gmail.com.

June 10-11 event on future of cities

CityAge will hold a conference titled “The New American City” in Seattle June 10 and 11 at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle, following similar events in Kansas City and Philadelphia that attracted nearly 1,000 people to talk about the future of urban areas.

Speakers include Scott Wyatt of NBBJ, Ronald Bogle of the American Architectural Foundation, Ada Healey of Vulcan Real Estate, Greg Moore of Metro Vancouver and Ash Awad of McKinstry.

CityAge was founded in 2012 in Vancouver, B.C., to encourage new partnerships among the business, government and societal leaders who are shaping the 21st century.

The CityAge website says 80 percent of Americans live and work in urban areas. How we build — and rebuild — cities to help them attract business and investment is key to the country's economic future.

Register at http://cityage.org/seattle/. AIA members receive a $200 discount with promo code CITYAGE.

Hatch Mott buys engineering firm

Hatch Mott MacDonald said it acquired Coast & Harbor Engineering to continue expanding in coastal engineering and port markets.

Coast was founded in 2003 and has offices in Edmonds, New Orleans, San Francisco, Austin and Delray Beach, Florida. It focuses on protection and restoration of coastlines, port and harbor infrastructure, and navigation-related projects.

Hatch Mott MacDonald is an engineering firm that operates in North America. It works on transportation, tunnels, water supply, wastewater, pipelines, buildings and utilities projects. It said in a press release that Hurricane Sandy and other natural events have underscored the importance of coastal restoration and making infrastructure more resilient.

Join the Seattle landmarks board

The city of Seattle is accepting applications until June 2 to fill real estate and historian positions on the Landmarks Preservation Board.

The board reviews nominations, makes recommendations to the city council on designations, and reviews proposed alterations to landmark properties.

To apply, email a letter of interest and resume to Erin.Doherty@seattle.gov or send them to Erin Doherty, Landmark Preservation Board Coordinator, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, P.O. Box 94649, Seattle, WA 98124-4649. For more information, call Doherty at (206) 684-0380.

Tacoma wins award for preservation

The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation is honoring Tacoma for changing its municipal code involving repairs to neglected historic properties.

The city won the Achievement in Historic Preservation Award in the preservation planning category.

In 2013, it amended the code to define ongoing neglect of historic structures as a public nuisance. This allows the city to act earlier under state law.

The amendment is part of a broader effort by Tacoma to protect historic buildings. The city has also created an emergency fund for preventing deterioration, improved code enforcement and offers more incentives for rehabilitation and adaptive reuse.

Quake preparation workshop June 19

“Cascadia Region Earthquake Readiness Workshop: Transportation, Ports, and Energy” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 19 at Centralia College in Centralia.

The free workshop is sponsored by the Society of American Military Engineers, Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup and Washington's Centers of Excellence.

Professionals involved in emergency preparedness from Oregon and Washington and federal agencies will discuss how to respond after a magnitude 9.0 or greater earthquake.

Presentations will focus on critical port, transportation and energy functions. Participants will explore strategies for improving regional responses.

Registration is required, at http://tiny.cc/557hfx/.

Jim Shannon wins fisheries award

Jim Shannon, an associate fisheries biologist in Hart Crowser's Edmonds office, received the Award of Merit from the Washington-British Columbia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

Shannon was recognized for years of service to the chapter's executive committee and for chairing the annual 5 kilometer Spawning Run for five years. He has held various titles at the chapter, including president.

SAF tour June 21 of Pioneer Square

Seattle Architecture Foundation is offering a tour at 10 a.m. June 21 called “Pioneer Square: Seattle's First Neighborhood.”

Participants will take a journey through the city's early years and learn about Pioneer Square through stories of buildings, events and people that have shaped the neighborhood.

The two-hour tour begins in Occidental Mall. Cost is $15, or $20 on tour day. Register at http://tiny.cc/6yyoex/.