Design Detailings: Library seeks A/E teams for 5 projects

The Seattle Public Library is seeking architect and engineering teams to provide design services for five neighborhood library projects. Architect/engineering teams are being sought for expansions of the existing North East, Rainier Beach, Columbia City and Douglass-Truth libraries, as well as for the design of interior space at the new International District library, which will be located in a mixed-use project.

Interested firms can get more information from the Library's Web site at www.spl.org or by calling the capital program office at (206) 386-4164.

Proposals of qualification must be delivered by 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12.

Moon Creek reclamation discussed

Bruno Ridolfi, principal engineer with Ridolfi Engineers in Seattle, will offer a technical presentation about his firm's rehabilitation of a portion of Moon Creek, a Coeur D'Alene waterway polluted by years of mining.

The talk will be held at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Rock Salt Steakhouse in Seattle. The cost, which includes lunch, is $20 for members of the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington, $25 for nonmembers and $15 for retired engineers. Fax reservations to (206) 224-0815. For more information, call the CECW at (206) 623-5936.

New home for Gig Harbor Historical Society

The Gig Harbor Peninsula Historical Society and Museum has selected a design-build team consisting of Wade Perrow Construction, Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, BOE Architects and AHBL Engineering to work on the design development of the society's new Heritage Center. The estimated cost of the project is $7 million.

The historical society purchased 4.3 acres in downtown Gig Harbor for the new center and recently completed a facility master plan outlining program requirements.

"Our goal is to create a permanent home for the society and museum, so that we can continue our work preserving and interpreting local history," said historical society executive director Chris Erlich. A main feature of the facility will be the 65-foot fishing vessel Shenandoah accompanied by exhibits about the history of fishing on Puget Sound.

Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen of Seattle is the lead designer. The firm has been involved in several major museum projects in the area, including the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, the Frye Art Museum and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. They have also been involved in plans for the Tacoma Art Museum, the Henry Art Gallery and the Bellevue Art Museum.

Hart Crowser lands big DOT contract

Hart Crowser, an environmental and engineering firm based in Seattle, was chosen out of 14 submittals as the on-call geotechnical services consultant for the Washington State Department of Transportation. The $300,000, two-year contract includes complete geotechnical services at the scoping and conceptual levels.

The firm's Portland office also added two multiyear Oregon DOT contracts -- one focusing on natural resources and the other emphasizing hazardous wastes and materials environmental services.

Engineers learn how to add value

"Adding value: Leveraging engineering services through decision support," is the topic of an upcoming dinner meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineer and the American Society for Engineering Management. David Ginsberg, managing director of mining for Agra Simons' enterprise services division, is the keynote speaker for the event, which will be held from 6-9 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the Rock Salt Steakhouse in Seattle. The cost is $23. Call reservations into Shannon & Wilson at (206) 695-6670 or e-mail lkd@sshanwil.com.

ECS on the move

ECS Engineering, which has grown from two to 19 employees over the last five years, is moving to accommodate its expansion. The new office address is 18311 Bothell Everett Highway., Suite 260, Mill Creek, WA 98012. The firm's new telephone is (425) 402-6029, and the new fax is (425) 483-3989. The post office box number is unchanged, and the Web site www.ecs-engineering.com remains the same.

UW seminar on project management

A daylong seminar about effective project management for architects, engineers and other building industry professionals will be held Monday, Dec. 11.

Hugh Hochberg, partner with The Coxe Group, is the presenter for the class, which will take place at The Mountaineers Building, 300 Third Ave. W. The cost is $300, which includes tuition, handouts and lunch.

The University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning is offering the seminar. Registration information is posted on the Web site www.caup.washington.edu/cpe/.

Affordable housing advocates honored

Six affordable housing advocates were honored with a "Friend of Housing" award, presented by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, which develops and administers financing programs that promote home ownership, encourage community development and help produce affordable housing throughout the state. The commission is a public agency but is not funded with tax dollars.

Among the recipients of this year's awards were:

• Siobhan Ring of the Tenants Union Statewide Advocate, for her advocacy for the rights of low-income, disabled and elderly tenants of Washington state

• Jack Gallagher, vice president of finance at Fannie Mae, for developing specialized financial investment products to expand affordable housing opportunities

• The Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing in Yakima, for working to see that farmworkers have access to safe, decent and affordable housing

• Don Hines, assistant director of the Tacoma Economic Development Department, for his advocacy for the creation and preservation of quality, affordable housing for Tacoma's low-income residents

• Washington Trust Bank of Spokane for providing homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income, first-time homebuyers

• Majken Ryherd, chief of staff for state Rep. Frank Chopp, for her achievements in passing housing legislation

Design Detailings: Collins Woerman new name for CNA

In a move to underscore new ownership and a new direction for CNA Architecture, principals Mark Woerman and Arlan Collins have changed the firm's name to Collins Woerman. The two partners bought the Bellevue-based company's outstanding stock in January from parent company CNA Companies, a consulting engineering and information technology firm. The buyout involved their purchase of shares from CNA owner Larry Cook.

When Collins and Woerman joined CNA Architecture and Engineering in 1988, the firm employed only two architects, and architecture was largely an ancillary function to the specialty engineering company. Today, Collins Woerman has about 90 employees, designing major projects in the Puget Sound region, such as Sammamish Park Place in Issaquah and Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue. The firm is designing several projects in Seattle, including a proposed six-story office and retail building on a site at the southeast corner of Westlake and Republican that Vulcan Northwest owns; a five-story research and development laboratory at Fairview Avenue North and Mercer Street for Interpac; and a six-story office complex on Fifth and Bell for Touchstone Corp.

Prior to joining CNA, Collins and Woerman were architects with NBBJ, one of the largest architecture firms in Seattle.

AIA Honor Awards

The Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is holding its annual Honor Awards presentation on Monday, Nov. 11, at Benaroya Hall. The awards ceremony culminates Architecture Week, which runs through Nov. 13. To purchase tickets for the awards ceremony, go to http://www.aiaseattle.org/2000awards/ticketinfo.htm. The cost is $18 through Nov. 10; thereafter the cost is $22. Students with valid ID pay $10.

Submittals in the completed, not yet built and conceptual categories can be viewed online at http://www.aiaseattle.org/2000awards/submittals.htm .

For a full listing of events for Architecture Week, go to the Web site http://www.aiaseattle.org/ARCHWEEK.html.

Models in the digital age

"Ideas in form: architectural models in the digital age," a free exhibit about the use of physical and digital models in current architectural practice, runs through Sunday, Nov. 19. Alec Vassiliadis, model maker for NBBJ, will lecture on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit is being shown at the Rainier Square Conference Center, 1333 Fifth Ave., third floor. For more information, call (206) 667-9186 or go to http://www.seattlearchitectural.org/ideasinform.

Trans-Lake Washington project

Rob Fellows of the Washington State Department of Transportation on Wednesday will provide an update of the Trans-Lake Washington project, which is analyzing transportation options along the heavily congested state Route 520 corridor.

The talk, sponsored by the Seattle section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Washington Institute of Transportation Engineers, will take place over dinner at the Ballard Yankee Grill, 5300 24th N.W. in Seattle. The cost is $20. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (206) 632-2667.

SMPS takes on global management

Examining the challenges of working with foreign offices and the adventures of working abroad are the topics for the Society for Marketing Professional Services' (SMPS) next luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, Nov.16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Washington Athletic Club. The Seattle SMPS chapter will host Nancy Mueller, a professional speaker and training consultant with International Adaptations. Mueller's experience includes teaching in Egypt, presenting communication skills workshops in Canada, consulting in Europe, and traveling in Brazil, Hong Kong and China.

The cost of the event is $30 for SMPS members, $35 for member firms, and $40 for nonmembers. Visit the SMPS Seattle Web site at www.smpsseattle.org for more details, or contact Marcie Lohr of Abacus Engineered Systems at (206) 583-8237. The reservation deadline is Monday, Nov. 13.

CECW extends awards deadline

The Consulting Engineers Council of Washington (CECW) has extended the deadline for submission of projects in its annual Engineering Excellence awards program. The new deadline to send the application and $300 entry fee is Wednesday, Nov. 15. Applications are available by calling Paula at the CECW at (206) 623-5936 or going to the Web site www.cecw.org.

Clark County looks at growth

Clark County is holding a forum on Thursday to review the county's comprehensive growth management plan. The event, called "Citizen Speak II," will be held from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at Clark County Fairgrounds, Community Center Building, 17420 N.E. Delfel Rd. in Ridgefield. For more information, call the county's Community Development Department at (360) 397-2375, Ext. 4993.

Sea-Tac seeks artists

The Port of Seattle is seeking Northwest artists to design large-scale artworks at two of its new satellite transit stations. Six artists will be paid $4,000 to develop proposals and two will receive $75,000 commissions. The submission deadline is Monday, Nov 13. The project is open to established or emerging Northwest artists, working in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Alaska or British Columbia. For more information, contact Jolene Culler, arts program manager, at (206) 439-6624 or Michelle Harris, arts program coordinator, at (206) 433-5291.

Lecture on Meiji design

"Meiji revisited: a look at Western architecture in 19th Century Japan," will be presented by historian and author Dallas Finn on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Seattle Asian Art Museum, located in Volunteer Park.

Sponsored by Historic Seattle and the Asian art council of the Seattle Art Museum, the lecture focuses on the Meiji period (1868-1912) of architecture in Japan when Western design ideas were incorporated into Japanese public and private buildings. The cost is $15 for SAM and Historic Seattle members, $10 for the general public and $5 for students. Call (206) 622-6952 for additional information.

Design Detailings: Rethinking brand strategy

As part of Architecture Week 2000, the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Engineers and the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 8 are hosting a discussion, "The Flame: Rethinking Brand Strategy, Your Business and the Marketplace" by Tim Girvin, a Seattle-based strategic branding and design consultant.

According to the promotional flier for this talk, Girvin has patented a technique called "Brand Quest," to elicit the "personality and emotional content of brands to increase their presence and pull." Girvin, whose clients include Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, IBM, Apple, and Microsoft, will present success strategies and case studies in an interactive format. The event will be held from 6-9 p.m. at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle. The cost is $40 for reservations made by Nov. 1; thereafter, the cost is $45. To make reservations, call the CECW (206) 623-5936.

Johnpaul Jones to speak

On Monday, Nov. 6, Seattle architect Johnpaul Jones will talk about the conceptual and final design of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Jones & Jones Architects & Landscape Architects is the lead designer for the museum, which is under construction and scheduled to open in the winter of 2003.

The lecture, which is free, takes place at 6:30 pm in the auditorium of Architecture Hall at the University of Washington. For more information, call (206) 543-7679.

Spokane marketers tackle contracting woes

The Marketing Associates of Spokane (MAS) on Thursday, Nov. 16 is offering architecture, engineering and construction firms tips on winning contracts at Fairchild Air Force Base. "Breaking the Project Barrier at Fairchild Air Force Base" with Grant Furulie, the contracting officer for the base, will be held at noon at the RAM Restaurant, 908 N. Howard St., in Spokane. The cost is $13 for MAS members and $25 for nonmembers. The reservation deadline is Thursday, Nov. 2. For membership information, or to make a reservation, call MAS Vice President Marty Orchard at (509) 838-8681.

LMN plan receives APA/PAW award

The American Planning Association and Planning Association of Washington have given LMN Architects' "Destination Downtown: Light Rail Station Area Analysis for the City of Tacoma" an Honor Award in the category of transportation plans.

"Destination Downtown" assessed the development potential of transit station areas and identified desirable characteristics of new projects, recommending land use and transportation strategies for reshaping Tacoma's downtown.

Sound Transit provided funding to the city of Tacoma to conduct station area planning with the goal of identifying strategies that will foster transit-oriented developments around Tacoma LINK stations. This planning document involved a 14-month effort by Mark Hinshaw and Aninditra Mitra of LMN Architects, Leland Consulting Group, KJS Associates and the city of Tacoma.

Design Detailings: ASCE hosts talk on Three Gorges Dam

The Seattle section of the American Society of Civil Engineers tonight will discuss the Three Gorges Dam project in China, one of the world's largest civil engineering projects.

Keynote speaker Richard Miller, who is the director of roadway structures for the Seattle Transportation Department, will provide technical information and discuss what he sees as the benefits and impacts of The Three Gorges Dam project. Miller took part in an engineering exchange trip to China in November 1999.

The meeting will be held at the Ballard Yankee Grill, 5300 24th Ave. N.W. in Seattle, beginning with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $20. For more information, call (206) 632-2667.

BAM receives $50 K gift

Wells Fargo this week has given the Bellevue Art Museum a donation of $50,000 toward the outfitting of an interactive gallery in BAM's new home.The gift will help to underwrite the inaugural 18-month exhibit for the "Explore Gallery," which will offer tools to see, explore and understand the architecture of the new 36,000-square-foot museum.

Visitors to the interactive gallery will be able to take a virtual tour of the building, participate in a building activity and create a mini-film capturing their responses to the museum. The exhibit will be on view beginning Jan. 13 as the doors to the museum open to the public for the first time.

Architect Steven Holl of New York and local firm Sclater Partners designed the museum, which in addition to the gallery, will include 7,000 square feet of exhibition space, four classrooms, public gathering spaces, an artist-in-residence studio, a museum store and café. Sellen Construction is the general contractor. The museum, which broke ground in September 1999, replaces BAM's prior home at the Bellevue Square Mall.

The total cost of the new museum, including construction, land acquisition, an endowment fund and financing fees, is $23 million. The construction cost alone is $14 million.

Maya Lin to speak

Maya Lin, sculptor and designer of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Ala., will be giving a talk in association with the publication of her new book "Boundaries."

The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the University of Washington campus, Kane Hall, Room 130.

Lin's talk is sponsored by The University Book Store, Peace Trees and the Henry Art Gallery. Tickets are free but must be obtained in person at the University Book Store or Henry Gallery. For details, call the UW's event information line at (206) 545-9477, extension 443.

Library proposes more projects

With a slate of new library-building projects under way, the Seattle Public Library has agreed on a list of additional projects to recommend for funding under the Opportunity Fund, a $6 million pool of money that pays for new or unanticipated capital projects. The fund is part of the $196.4 million bond measure, approved by Seattle voters in 1998.

The library's funding requests are:

• $2.53 million for a 5,000-square-foot library in South Park

• $1.42 million for a 5,000-square-foot library in Sand Point

• $99,400 for a 400-square-foot Language Center pilot program inside the new Beacon Hill Library

• $1.62 million for an approximate 1,800-square-foot addition to the existing Magnolia Library

• $101,500 to relocate staff and public spaces in the existing Queen Anne Library in a pilot program to study efficient use of space in Carnegie libraries.

• $203,046 for a high-tech bookmobile

• $12,183 for a feasibility study to examine the need and possible locations for a new branch library in Mount Baker

The Library board of trustees has sent its recommendations to the Seattle City Council. The council's culture, arts and parks committee first will hear the recommendations. The full council has until Dec. 31 to pass a resolution allocating all or part of the Opportunity Fund.

LMN architect to lecture on urban design

Mark Hinshaw, the director of urban design for LMN Architects, is lecturing on the topic of urban homes and neighborhoods Monday, Oct. 16. The lecture, which is free, will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the University of Washington's Architecture Hall. For more information, call (206) 543-7679.

Hinshaw writes a regular column on architecture and urban design for The Seattle Times. He is also the author of "Citistate Seattle: Shaping a Modern Metropolis. "

Anatomy of a remodel

As part of the state's "Design Awareness Month," the Seattle Design Center is hosting several events in October, including a panel discussion about remodel projects on Thursday, Oct. 19.

Architect Tom Johnson, contractor Dave Bird and interior designer Barbara Kalis will talk about ways to collaborate successfully on remodeling jobs.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Seattle Design Center, 5701 Sixth Ave. S. Registration and check-in begin at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $75, which includes breakfast and a boxed lunch. For reservations or more information, call (800) 497-7997.

New artist picked for Greenwood Library

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees has selected Portland artist Fernanda D'Agostino to design artwork for the new Greenwood Library.

Her commissions include Tacoma Link Light Rail, the Weller Street pedestrian bridge in Seattle and the Hillsboro extension of Westside Light Rail in Portland.

D'Agostino's work will become part of the new 15,000-square-foot library, which is scheduled to open in 2002 on the site currently occupied by McDonald's at North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North. The $6.4 million library has an art budget of $59,212.

Glitzy graphics --- a must or a bust?

How do "glitzy graphics" in proposals or presentations affect decision-makers? The Marketing Associates of Spokane (MAS) will explore this topic at its October meeting at noon on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the RAM Restaurant, 908 N. Howard St. in Spokane.

The meeting will feature guest speakers Alisa Parks and Evelyn Clark, who handle marketing duties for Coffman Engineers' Seattle and Anchorage offices, respectively. The cost is $13 for MAS members and $15 for nonmembers. Reservations are required, and can be made by contacting MAS vice president Marty Orchard at (509) 838-8681.

Design Detailings: Honor Awards goes online

This year's AIA Seattle Honor Awards features a new procedure -- the competition, including all application and project submissions, will be conducted entirely over the Internet. See details on the Web site www.aiaseattle.org/2000awards.

The deadline for submitting entry applications is today. Project submissions must be turned in by Wednesday, Oct. 25.

The awards program is open to all architects in Washington. There are three awards categories: completed projects, built from January 1995 to November 2000; not-yet built; and conceptual explorations of this year's theme, which looks at international influences on regional design.

The Honor Awards Program culminates Architecture Week, which runs from Nov. 2 to Nov. 13.

For more information, call Walter Schacht, Honor Awards committee chair, at (206) 443-3448 or Marga Rose Hancock, AIA Seattle executive vice president at (206) 448-4938.

CECW looks at French Creek study

The Consulting Engineers Council of Washington (CECW) is hosting a technical presentation about engineering studies for the French Creek watershed in the city of Monroe. The talk will be held over lunch on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Rock Salt Steak House in Seattle.

Russ Gaston, project manager for Otak, a Northwest planning, engineering, and design firm, will lead the presentation. Otak performed preliminary engineering studies and restoration plans for the watershed, which is poised to experience increased residential and urban development.

The reservation deadline is Thursday, Oct. 19. The cost ranges from $15-$25 depending on membership status. For more information, call the CECW at (206) 623-5936.

Members sought for preservation board

An architect position is open on the city's Pioneer Square Preservation Board. The nine-member voluntary board reviews land use, new construction, changes of use, signage and street improvements within the Pioneer Square Preservation District. The board consists of two district property owners, one district retail business owners, two architects, one attorney, one historian or architectural historian, one human services representative and one member-at-large.

Board meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 9 a.m. In addition, the architects on the board must serve on an additional committee, which also meets twice a month.

Applicants must reside within the city of Seattle. Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest and resume by Tuesday, Oct. 23 to Alex Field, Administrator of boards and commissions, Mayor's Office, 600 Fourth Ave., 12th floor, Seattle, WA 98104. For more information, call Jennifer Meisner at (206) 684-0227.

Design Detailings: Seminar to offer tips on design/build

A seminar about design/build and other alternative contracting methods will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 10. The event will be held at the Best Western Bellevue Inn from 8 a.m. to noon.

Keynote speaker Ron Leaders, a principal with the law firm Buckley & Leaders, will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of design/build. Methods of incorporating portions of successful design/build techniques with traditional design/bid/build contracting will be discussed and evaluated in a group setting. Registration is $95, which includes a continental breakfast and course materials. Enrollment must be made by Tuesday, Oct. 3. For more information, call the event sponsor, the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington, at (206) 623-5936.

A/E firms and the Internet Oct. 12

"Expanding your practice with the Internet," a one-day seminar led by architect and author Jonathan Cohen, will be held at Seattle University on Thursday, Oct. 12.

The seminar is aimed at design firm principals, planners, building owners and service providers to the architecture/engineering/construction industry. Cohen has written a new book, "Communication and Design with the Internet: A Guide for Architects, Planners and Building Professionals," which can be previewed online at http://www.communication-design.net. The registration fee of $299 includes a copy of the book.

Topics to be covered in the seminar include:

• Understanding the Internet's impact on your business

• Designing and managing Web sites

• Using graphics, CAD, GIS, 3-D modeling and multimedia

• Communicating with clients, partners, regulatory agencies and the public

• Managing project workflow with intranets and extranets

• Using the Web as a participatory space for planning and design

• Networked design organizations and the project information manager

• E-Commerce in the building industry

For more information, go to the Web site: http://www.communication-design.net/seminars.html. Register by calling (888) 861-6084.

New licensing board members named

Gov. Gary Locke has appointed Ying Fay Chan to the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Chan is the founder and principal-in-charge of CES, a consulting firm in Olympia. His term ends on July 9, 2005.

The governor appointed Charles Warsinke to the Board of Registration for Landscape Architects. Warsinke is a registered landscape architect with more than 28 years of experience in design and planning, and is a principal with Susan Black and Associates, a Seattle firm. His term ends on Sept. 5, 2005.

These professional boards examine candidates for license or registration and investigate and hold hearings on violations of regulatory law, as well as recommend adoption of rules for administering the law.

Latest projects at Jensen/Fey

Jensen/Fey Architecture and Planning was recently awarded design for the expansion of the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle.

Located at 5140 40th Ave N.E., the new facility will provide 62 new units to meet the housing needs of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Ten of the units will be designed for patients undergoing marrow transplant procedures.

Other projects in progress at Jensen/Fey include: the 91-unit Education Hills Townhomes and a 5,000-square-foot network operations center both located in Redmond, and the design of a 11,000-square-foot single-family home on Lake Sammamish.

The firm is also working on two projects in Seattle's Denny Triangle: a 32-floor, mixed-use high rise at Eighth Avenue and Olive Way currently in design, and The SpringHill Suites by Marriott, a 234-room hotel now under construction.

A 21-person architecture, planning and interior design firm, Seattle-based Jensen/Fey is in its fifth year of business.

GeoEngineers opens Boise office

Redmond-based GeoEngineers recently opened its ninth office. Located in Boise, Idaho, the new office adds another state to the firm's geographic service area, which includes Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington.

The firm had long-standing ties with a local engineer -- a relationship that proved to be the right mix of technical skills, local knowledge and experience in Idaho. That individual, Dave O'Day, was brought on board immediately as the firm's principal-in-charge of the Boise operation. O'Day's experience includes 30 years on technical projects throughout the western United States, the last 20 years of which have been in Idaho.

To support the Boise office, the firm has transferred Doug Argo from Bellingham. The new office is working on erosion protection, retaining structures, wastewater facilities and geotechnical and geologic studies related to residential neighborhoods and new developments.

Callison principal named to NAIOP forum

The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) has named J. Mark Ludtka, a principal of Callison Architecture, to its national forum. NAIOP is a trade association made up of over 8,000 developers, owners, investors and related professionals. The national forums help members through networking and educational programs.

ASCE names civil engineering landmark

Volunteers for Outdoor Washington in Partnership and the U.S. Forest Service are dedicating a new trailhead in Wellington at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30.

The historic significance of the Iron Goat trail was first recognized in 1993 when the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) designated the Stevens Pass area as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The Stevens Pass area has posed fascinating and unique challenges to civil engineers and builders since 1892 when eight switchbacks were carved out of the mountain to create the first crossing. The First Cascade Tunnel was opened in 1900, eliminating the need to negotiate sharp corners and dangerous switchbacks. For the past century, the main line of the Burlington Northern Railroad passing through Stevens Pass has been and continues to be an essential Northwest transportation link.

The ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark process recognizes historically significant national civil engineering projects. Nominated projects have to be at least 50 years old. The program is designed to increase public appreciation of civil engineering.

New marketing association formed

A new organization has been formed for Spokane-area marketing directors and business development specialists in the architecture, engineering and construction industry.

Marketing Associates of Spokane (MAS) is seeking to expand its membership base and is inviting design professionals to take advantage of its training and continuing education opportunities. For more information, contact MAS president Jennifer Rappe at (509) 328-2994., e-mail rappe@spokane.coffman.com or vice president Marty Orchard at (509) 838-8681, e-mail morchard@integrus.net.

Chicago tries to save historic bungalows

Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago last week announced a plan to help preserve the city's historic bungalows. Under the program, anyone who wants to purchase or rehabilitate a city-designated historic bungalow can obtain a loan that only requires a 3 percent down payment, with no origination, appraisal or application fees.

"For many Chicagoans, a bungalow was the first house -- and the only -- house they ever owned. For those of us who were raised in them, bungalows will always occupy a special place in our hearts," said Daley at a news conference.

Anyone who rehabilitates a historic bungalow will be eligible for up to $3,000 in energy conservation grants, free architectural assistance and expedited services from the city's building and zoning departments.

The city defines a historic bungalow as a single-family, 1 1/2-story, rectangular brick residence with a low-pitched , overhanging roof, full basement and generous windows. They generally have a brick face with stone trim and were built between 1910 and 1940. There are about 80,000 such homes in Chicago.

Houston corrosion firm sold to Scottish buyer

Houston-based InterCorr International, a corrosion testing, research and technical services firm, has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Integriti Solutions, a major U.K.-based supplier of corrosion management software and equipment. The combined revenue of the two privately owned companies is more than $5 million.

Established in 1987 as Diagnostics and Measuring Services, Integriti Solutions bases its business on what was then a new method of corrosion measurement developed at the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology, the patents for which are held by Integriti and an online evaluation software system called Mentor.

InterCorr was established in Houston in 1982 to provide contract technical services for corrosion testing and research, materials evaluation, qualification, consulting and failure analysis to industries experiencing problems with corrosion.

The companies operate in the same vertical sectors, notably oil and gas production; refining; chemicals; pipelines; gas plants; power generation; pulp and paper; and petrochemicals.

The combined companies will employ 70 people and have offices in Houston, Calgary, London, Aberdeen and Dingwall, Scotland.

Survey critiques design/build

A new survey from management consulting and publishing firm Zweig White & Associates concludes there is no evidence that design/build will ever become the project delivery method of choice in the design and construction industries.

"Firms need to realize that design/build hasn't turned into the panacea it was believed it would become for the design and construction industries. It has its place in the industry, but we can all stop waiting for the time when every job will be completed using design/build, because it's not coming," said Mark Zweig, president and CEO of the firm.

In the 1997 edition of the survey, firms projected a median 80 percent increase in the percentage of gross revenue they would derive from design/build projects in the following three years. The 2000 edition of the survey, however, reported that firms anticipate a more moderate 25 percent increase in the percentage of gross revenue to be derived from design/build work in the next three years.

The survey said that sluggish expansion into public-sector work has been one obstacle to the industry's acceptance design/build. Many firms consider public-sector work the key to the future growth of design/build, but laws banning public projects from being performed using design/build still abound on the federal, state and municipal levels. The higher level of risk involved with design/build is another factor cited for reluctance to embrace this new contracting approach.

The 2000 Design/Build Survey is available from the publisher for $345, plus $4 shipping and handling. To order, contact Zweig White & Associates, P.O. Box 8325, One Apple Hill Drive, Natick, MA 01760, telephone (508) 651-1559, fax (508) 653-6522, or e-mail info@zweigwhite.com.

Design Detailings: Civil engineering expo Oct. 18-21

The American Society of Civil Engineers is inviting all civil engineers and interested individuals to "Passages to Century 21: A Civil Engineering Conference and Exposition," to be held Oct. 18-21 at the Washington State Convention Center.

This event will feature the installation of Robert Bein as ASCE national president, keynote speaker David Macaulay -- acclaimed author, illustrator and host of the new PBS mini-series "Building Big"-- and the state's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation.

For registration information, go to http://www.asce.org/conferences/convention00.

Registration fees vary based on the number of days attending conference. Full registration is $575 by Sept. 23 and $655 on-site conference day. Daily registration is $195 by Sept. 23 and $200 on site.

Harris Group re-engineers itself

The Harris Group, among the largest engineering firms based in the Pacific Northwest, is in the midst of major ownership and organizational changes, company officials said.

With nearly 500 employees, the Seattle-based firm is being restructured in five strategic business units: energy, forest industries, industrial manufacturing, microelectronics and telecommunications. The organization had served more than a dozen industries in the past. CEO Bob Harris said the company would maintain all six current offices under the new plan and assign staff at each office to appropriate business units.

The Harris Group is also in the midst of leadership and ownership changes. Now 64, Bob Harris plans to gradually step away while new company leaders take ownership. Leading this group is President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Thompson. Currently, there are 28 employee owners; the company will add more employee owners annually, based on merit.

Thompson says the biggest risk, and largest potential area of growth, is the new telecommunications business unit. He believes the phenomenal growth and maturation of the telecommunications industry provides a tremendous opportunity for the firm.

The firm was ranked the sixth fastest growing A/E/C firm in the country by The Zweig Letter, an industry publication.

Central Library arts planner replaced

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees has selected Jessica Cusick and Rick Lowe to be arts planners for the new $159 million Central Library in downtown Seattle.

Cusick and Lowe replace Nancy Spector, who withdrew as arts planner after she was asked to spearhead the Guggenheim Museum's new partnership with the Hermitage Museum in Russia. According to the Seattle Public Library, Spector considered doing both jobs, but decided the Central Library needed someone who could devote significant time to the project.

Cusick, who has a broad background in public art and urban design, runs a Los Angeles-based consulting firm that specializes in civic art and community development initiatives. While director of civic art and design for The Cultural Arts Council in Houston, she developed Houston Framework, a plan to identify civic art to improve Houston's environment. Lowe, founder of Project Row Houses in Houston, has for years actively explored the relationship between art and community.

The budget for the arts program is $900,000.

Library to hold SEPA hearing

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees will hold a hearing on new State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) procedures that will allow the library to act as lead agency for library actions. The hearing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Lee Auditorium, third floor.

The procedures include rules for: appointing a library official responsible for SEPA matters, sharing lead agency status and for managing environmental review of all library projects subject to SEPA.

The draft procedures are available on request from the Library Capital Program office, located at the Central Library, fifth floor. For more information, contact Faith Lumsden, who is the library's consultant in charge of drafting the procedures, at (360) 321-5474 or e-mail flumsden@whidbey.com.

Mithun changes name

Formerly known as Mithun Partners Inc. Architecture, Planning, Interior Design, the firm will now be known as Mithun Architects + Designers + Planners.

Mithun, which earlier this year moved its offices to Pier 56 on Seattle's downtown waterfront, said the new name and brand better reflect the collaboration of its 165 employees.

The Seattle-based firm's current slate of projects include the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center on Bainbridge Island and the Pacific Northwest Aquarium, which it is designing in association with Terry Farrell & Partners of London.

Design Detailings: Top 50 A/E firms ranked

The Zweig Letter, a design-industry newsletter, has released its annual ranking of the 50 fastest-growing U.S. architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms. Topping the list are industry giants URS of San Francisco and The IT Group of Pittsburgh.

But the list includes many smaller firms as well, including those who made the top five: The BL Companies of Meriden, Conn., and Mulvanny G2 Architects of Bellevue. Mulvanny G2's revenues grew from about $11 million in 1997 to $28 million 1999 -- an increase of 143 percent.

The Harris Group of Seattle was ranked sixth. From 1997 to 1999, the firm's revenues grew from $39 million to $76 million -- an increase of 95 percent.

The Hot Firm 2000 ranking is based on the change in gross revenue from fiscal year 1997 to fiscal year 1999. Only firms that were in business as of Jan. 1, 1997 were eligible for the 2000 list, and the firm's 1997 revenue must have been greater than or equal to $500,000. Following are the top five firms. The complete list is available for download at http://www.zweigwhite.com/hotfirm2000/top50.

• Rank: 1

Firm: URS

Headquarters: San Francisco

1997 Revenue: $407 million

1999 Revenue: $1.4 billion

•Rank: 2

Firm: The IT Group

Headquarters: Pittsburgh

1997 Revenue: $402 million

1999 Revenue: $1.3 billion

• Rank: 3

Firm: Entact

Headquarters: Chicago

1997 Revenue: $16.3 million

1999 Revenue: $48 million

• Rank: 4

Firm: BL Companies

Headquarters: Meriden, Conn.

1997 Revenue: $5.5 million

1999 Revenue: $20 million

• Rank: 5

Firm: Mulvanny G2 Architects

Headquarters: Bellevue

1997 Revenue: $11.4 million

1999 Revenue: $28 million

"Microtunneling," the topic of ASCE meeting

The Seattle section of the American Society of Civil Engineers will host a dinner talk tonight about new practices in "trenchless" technologies.

The meeting will be held at the Ballard Yankee Grill, 5300 24th Ave. N.W. in Seattle. The featured speaker will be Kim Staheli, principal with Bennett/Staheli Engineers and research civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Staheli will give a presentation on trenchless technologies, emphasizing microtunneling. The presentation will cover microtunneling construction methods, design considerations, lessons learned from previous projects, and comparisons of microtunneling with pipe jacking, directional drilling, and traditional tunneling.

The schedule includes a social hour at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., a business meeting at 7:30 p.m, and the program at 8 p.m.

For reservations, call (206) 632-2667.

Marketers to 'get down' at EMP

The next meeting of the Seattle chapter of the Society of Marketing Professionals will be held at the Experience Music Project on Friday, Sept. 22. The meeting at the rock 'n' roll museum will include installing the organization's new board of directors and presenting the coming year's goals and events.

The event begins with hors d'oeuvres and drinks at 4 p.m. in the EMP Liquid Lounge. Children under 18 and other family members are also invited. The cost is $30 for SMPS members; $25 for children under 18; and $40 for nonmembers. For more information, go to the Web site http://www.smpsseattle.org. Fax completed registration forms to Tosha Vandegrift at (425) 861-6050.

Artists sought for King County projects

The King County Public Art Program is seeking artists for two projects: an environmental laboratory on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle and the Overlake Transit Oriented Development in Redmond. The application deadline for both projects is Sept. 18.

The project budget for the environmental lab is $30,000. The county and Seattle architect The Miller/Hull Partnership are interested in commissioning an artist whose work can tell the story of the region's water quality and will contribute to the educational nature of the facility. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division is developing a 13,200-square-foot addition to the environmental lab, which provides services to the county's Department of Natural Resources. For more information, contact Cath Brunner at (206) 296-8680, e-mail: cath.brunner@metrokc.gov.

The art budget for the Transit Oriented Development is $125,000. King County and Hewitt Architects, a Seattle firm, are seeking an artist whose work will focus on the transit portion of the multi-use facility. Residents of the new 300-unit complex will receive bus passes as an amenity to encourage transit use. For more information, contact Barbara Luecke at (206) 296-4137, e-mail: barbara.luecke@metrokc.gov.

Boxwood wins prize for corporate identity program

Seattle architectural firm Boxwood was awarded first place in the corporate identity category of the Society for Marketing Professional Services' Marketing Communication Awards. The annual awards program recognizes outstanding marketing pieces created by architectural, engineering and construction firms nationwide.

Boxwood's corporate identity program was awarded for its consistency, creativity, flexibility and adherence to "green" criteria, including the choice of paper that is processed chlorine free and contains 100 percent post-consumer waste.

The award was presented at the SMPS National Conference in Austin earlier this month. The new firm name and identity, designed by graphic/Web site design firm Plow Creative in collaboration with Boxwood, was launched in April of this year.

AIA Honor Awards: Call for entries

The Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects is inviting all Washington architects to submit recently completed work, not-yet-built projects and conceptual work for review and recognition in the 2000 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture.

This competition will be conducted on the Internet; entrants will present their submittals electronically for posting and public viewing on the AIA Seattle Web site (www.aiaseattle.org) in advance of the jury discussion and awards presentation on Nov. 13.

Serving on this year's jury panel will be Craig Hodgetts of Hodgetts + Fung Design Associates, a Santa Monica firm; Joseph Valerio of Valerio Dewait Train, a Chicago firm; Marion Weiss of New York-based Weiss/Manfredi Architects; and moderator James Russell of Architectural Record.

The deadline for submission is Oct. 25. Contact AIA Seattle at (206) 448-4938 for more information.

Bellevue seeks citizen committee members

The city of Bellevue is seeking applicants interested in serving on a citizen advisory committee for the Downtown Bellevue Implementation Plan Update. The committee will help identify transportation and urban design solutions that meet downtown Bellevue's needs over a 20-year planning period. To request an application form, contact Emil King at (425) 452-7223 or e-mail eaking@ci.bellevue.wa.us. The deadline for submitting applications is Sept. 14. The Bellevue City Council will make appointments in early October.

Callison to design Eddie Bauer project

Callison Architecture has been selected to design a new office facility at Eddie Bauer's headquarters in Redmond. The $25 million, 130,000-square-foot project for the outdoor clothing retailer will be designed to "sensitively blend" in with the existing campus and wooded area, the Seattle-based architectural firm said.

Callison, which designed the original Eddie Bauer corporate campus, is providing planning, design and construction administration services for this project.

Transportation award goes to Shoreline

The city of Shoreline was one of two recipients of this year's Best Practices award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Shoreline was recognized for its predesign study of a multimodal project along the Aurora Avenue corridor. Another best practices award was presented to the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Wilbur Smith Associates, an engineering and planning firm. Based in Washington, D.C., ITE is an international organization of traffic engineers, transportation planners.

Library to hold SEPA hearing

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees will hold a hearing on new State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) procedures that will allow the library to act as lead agency for library actions. The hearing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Lee Auditorium, third floor.

The procedures include rules for: appointing a library official responsible for SEPA matters, sharing lead agency status and for managing environmental review of all library projects subject to SEPA.

The draft procedures are available on request from the Library Capital Program office, located at the Central Library, fifth floor. For more information, contact Faith Lumsden, who is the library's consultant in charge of drafting the procedures, at (360) 321-5474 or e-mail flumsden@whidbey.com.

Mithun changes name

Formerly known as Mithun Partners Inc. Architecture, Planning, Interior Design, the firm will now be known as Mithun Architects + Designers + Planners.

Mithun, which earlier this year moved its offices to Pier 56 on Seattle's downtown waterfront, said the new name and brand better reflect the collaboration of its 165 employees.

The Seattle-based firm's current slate of projects include the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center on Bainbridge Island and the Pacific Northwest Aquarium, which it is designing in association with Terry Farrell & Partners of London.