| The good times are continuing for design firms in the Northwest as the economy continues to spur new development throughout the region. The design glut has gotten to the point that one of the biggest problems facing some firms is how to handle all the work coming through their doors.
The Bellevue Art Museum will be one of many new architectural jewels added to the Puget Sound upon it's completion next year.
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As well, technology continues to shape the design industry. A story by NBBJ's Dace Campbell and Richard Dallam examines some of the ways technology has improved communication with their clients and project partners. And in "A journey for the 21st century", Hunter Fulghum of Sparling discusses how the coming century will shape design.
You'll find stories examining the business side of design as well, with Project management essentials and "Mergers with a conscience", a story that looks at the merger of GeoSciences and Gifford Consultants and why it was a positive move for both firms.
In the DJC's annual survey, some of the area's leading design firms share with our readers how the past year has treated them and what they see happening in the coming year.
You'll also find stories about a variety of other key issues, including the role Forensic history and archaeology plays in redevelopment projects, the role engineers will play in the restoration of the Northwest salmon population and the impact reliability-based engineering is having on design work.
We hope you find these and the other stories in the 1999 A&E Perspectives special feature of interest.
- Clair Enlow
A&E Perspectives editor
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C O N T E N T S
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A journey for the 21st century
Guest writer Hunter Fulghum predicts and outlines the evolution of the internet design from a two-dimensional information source that is at best overwhelming and at worst chaotic to a three-dimensional information landscape that more closely resembles the model of the physical world and the type of design issues facing architects each day.
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A museum for the electronic age
The new Bellevue Art Museum, designed by Steven Holl Architects of New York in association with Sclater Partners, Seattle, may represent the future for visual arts institutions - street wise, interactive and wired.
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Design tools for a new millennium
If you pressed for an honest answer, you might get most architects to admit that they find it nearly impossible to accurately portray the vision in their heads and keep clients completely up to date. And that seems okay, because obviously architects have been able to design good buildings for their clients, anyway - or is it?
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Thriving on chaos
In today's real estate marketplace there are no standardized design answers. Globalization is the driver; chaotic change is the result.
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Indoor weather makers
The new wave of visitor and cultural arts centers such as the International Glass Museum, Experience Music Project and the Pacific Northwest Aquarium are pushing the envelope of flexible mechanical design.
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Delving the depths of downtown Seattle
It seems fitting that the city known for a colossal earthwork endeavor called the Denny Regrade is continuing the tradition of large-scale excavation in one of the nation's biggest explosions of digging deep holes in a downtown environment.
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Hazarding a guess
What's the scientific likelihood of a steep slope crumbling onto the highway below? Encountering boulders when you're excavating a tunnel? Or having soils settle beneath your brand new skyscraper? Uncertainties like these are now being addressed in a methodical manner with reliability-based engineering.
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Coming to terms with Seattle's fault
The old axiom that "the only thing constant about life is change" could have been said about the evolution of seismic design practices in Seattle.
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On the fast track to a long future
Clients are more knowledgeable about design than ever before. They have a greater understanding of what they want their project to achieve. And they are using architecture as an extension of their values and as a tool to define or contribute to the culture of their organization.
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A sanctuary for salmon
Years of development, logging and farming have created inhospitable environments for salmon species in some western Washington's waterways. The combination of rising water temperatures, more frequent flooding, blocked access, pollution and increased levels of sedimentation have spelled disaster for some of the salmon that used to fill our rivers and streams.
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Whodunnit, and when?
In most site developments, any problems that may arise over concerns of archaeological resources can be avoided with advance planning by qualified personnel.
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Density and demand
Some recent developments on the Eastside show us that multi-family housing can win in the marketplace and in the neighborhood.
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The good times are challenging, but they're not killing us
In the Northwest and the rest of the continental United States, architects enjoy unprecedented market vitality and professional prestige.
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Fools rush in
Here's a pair of observations culled from some 25 years in the design industry: 1. There are many fools who think they want to be company owners. 2. There are very few fools who become owners ... and succeed.
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1999 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture
Five public projects and two private residences were recognized for design excellence in the AIA Seattle 1999 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, Seattle Chapter.
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Project management essentials
In today's heated economy and complex design world, project management has never been more essential to success. It's even more important for the small projects than the large ones.
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Holding ground on the waterfront
"Necessity is the mother of invention." This old adage rings true in the area of seismic design and strengthening provisions for maritime or waterfront facilities. To the surprise of the uninitiated, there are currently no formal or prescriptive seismic design and strengthening provisions for marine structures in the United States.
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Mergers with a conscience
A merger where nobody is fired, nobody quits, and morale actually goes up? Yes, it's possible.
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Where there's mold, there's misery
Is that musty smell in the kitchen telling you your home's beautiful, modern exterior is not doing a very good job keeping Seattle's weather outside where it belongs?
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1999 Design Firm survey
Hear the latest in industry trends and news from some of the area's leading architecture and engineering firms.
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![[1999 A&E Perspectives]](design99.gif)