Design Detailings: ASLA fall expo and conference Oct. 8

Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects hosts its fall expo and conference on Oct. 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Speakers include Virginia Anderson, director of Seattle Center, and national ASLA manager of state government affairs Julia Lent. For more information, call (206) 443-9484 or e-mail info@wasla.org, or visit www.wasla.org.

Sparling engineers earn PE licenses

Hankin

Hanson

Seattle-based Sparling announced Jeff Hankin and Brett Hanson recently earned professional engineering licenses. Hankin is principal of an electrical design studio and directs design at health care facilities in Gig Harbor, Bend and Redmond, Ore. Hanson is a member of Hankin's studio and is working on St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way.

Sparling is an electrical engineering and technology consulting firm with offices in Seattle and Portland.

Time for a name change?

Natick, Mass.-based research and consulting firm ZweigWhite says mergers and acquisitions are on the rise in the A/E industry, but firms are uncertain as to whether names should be retained. ZweigWhite merger and acquisitions consultant Steve Gido said changing the acquired firm's name risks losing some clients' goodwill, but could also strengthen the combined firm's common identity.

Gido suggests an acquired firm's name could work as a speciality service. If name changing is to be done, it should happen immediately after closing a deal. There should be a transition period allocated of six to 12 months, Gido said.

ZweigWhite hosts "Pathway to Principal," a two-day workshop at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco on Sept. 22 and 23. CEOs will lead a panel discussion on the traits they look for in future leaders. For more information, call (508) 651-1559 or e-mail info@zweigwhite.com.

Elzbieta Zielinska gets LEED

Weber + Thompson, a Seattle-based, full-service architecture, interior design and planning firm, announced Elzbieta Zielinska has passed the LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, exam. Zielinska works on sustainable design education through the Green Resource Group.

Weber + Thompson is working on Blakely Hall, a community center pursuing a LEED rating, in Issaquah Highlands for Port Blakely Communities.

BRH president LEED accredited

Bush, Roed & Hitchings announced president and principal civil engineer Ron Goldy, president and principal completed the LEED accreditation examination. Goldy leads mixed-use, retail, housing, office and industrial projects. The company provides civil engineering and land surveying services throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Habitat builds 16 homes in Tacoma

Habitat for Humanity recently completed its largest project in Tacoma, 16 houses at 3319 Jane Russell's Way, off 34th & Tyler in Tacoma. All homes are built by volunteers.. Landscaping was done by the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals.

Vacancy on advisory committee

The Washington State Department of Transportation seeks an individual interested in improving walking and bicycling conditions to join the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The committee advises on bicycle and pedestrian transportation facilities and programs .

Terms are for three years. To apply, send cover letter and resume by Sept. 10 to Barbara Briggs, Northwest Region WSDOT, 15700 Dayton Avenue North, P.O. Box 330310, Seattle, WA 98133-9710.

Design Detailings: ASCE photo contest

The American Society of Civil Engineers is seeking entries for a photography contest, "Postcards from the Edge."

Photos of America's overburdened and aging infrastructure, such as traffic congestion or flooding will be shown to national and municipal leaders as part of ASCE's report on the country's infrastructure. Prizes will be awarded.

www.asce.org/reportcard/index.cfm?reaction=postcards. ASCE represents more than 133,000 civil engineers worldwide.

JPC Architects

JPC Architects moved its offices on Monday. The new address is at 601 108th Ave. N.E., Suite 2250, Bellevue, WA 98004. The old address was 355 110th Ave. N.E., Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004. Telephone is same: (425) 641-9200.

RoseWater Engineering LEED

RoseWater Engineering announced project manager Mike De Lilla and project engineer Patty Buchanan earned U.S. Green Building Council LEED accreditation.

De Lilla specializes in site civil design for public buildings and residential projects. He worked on the site civil design of Ballard library. Buchanan is working on utilities design and EIS support for the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Sept. 9 talk: marketing for A/E/C firms

A presentation on marketing and brand identity for A/E/C firms will take place Sept. 9 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the Red Lion River Inn, 700 North Division Street in Spokane. Bill LaMarche, principal of Kirkland-based LaMarche Consulting Group, will speak at the Marketing Associates of Spokane's monthly meeting on strategic marketing and brand identity. Cost is $15 for members, $25 non-members. Reserve by Sept. 6. For more information, contact MAS Vice President Jamie Miller at (509) 927-7747 or visit www.maspokane.org.

Design Detailings: Public Art 4Culture

Public Art 4Culture is calling for artists for portable works and a project at Burien Transit Center. Artists are sought for site-specific work, master plans, facility art plans and collaborations.

For more information, call Greg Bell at (206) 296-8674 or visit www.4culture.org/publicart/calls/index.htm. Deadline is Sept. 24.

ASCE seeks input on design revisions

The Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers will take public comment this fall on revisions to three design standards: minimum design loads for buildings and other structures (ASCE-7), flood-resistant design and construction (ASCE-24) and calculation methods for structural fire protection (ASCE-29). ASCE-29 is a joint effort between the SEI and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

The public comment period is one of the final stages of the consensus standards development process.

To participate in the Web-based balloting, contact Eileen Boeing, ASCE standards coordinator, at eboeing@asce.org. Founded in 1996, the Structural Engineering Institute represents more than 20,000 structural engineers. ASCE, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002, represents more than 133,000 civil engineers worldwide.

AIA Seattle Honor Awards entries due

Washington architects can submit recent work to the AIA Seattle Honor Awards competition. This year's theme is "Reflections," and entries should consider how designs reflect evolving forms of community.

A review of entries and awards presentation is set for Nov. 8 at McCaw Hall, Seattle Center.

The jury is: architect Ming Fung, of Hodgetts + Fung in Los Angeles, Mehrdad Yazdani of Cannon Design in Los Angeles, and Carlos Jimenez of Houston-based Jimenez Studio and a professor of architecture at Rice University School of Architecture. Architectural journalist John Morris Dixon will moderate.

Submittal specifications will be available Sept. 9. Submissions are due Oct. 22. For more information, visit www.aiaseattle.org/news_040601_honorawards04preview.htm.

Corps thanks OAC for saving money

The U.S. Department of Defense recently recognized Olympic Associates Co. for value engineering work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District last year.

Olympic's Peter Jobs has worked on more than 1,000 value engineering studies. Jobs has helped develop and manage projects with construction value over $15 billion.

Seattle-based Olympic has done studies for the Corps for more than three decades and helped develop a design charrette used by many of its districts. The company says that as a result, the Alaska district has saved more than $65 million in the last four years. Olympic works with U.S. military, education, transportation, wastewater and manufacturing clients.

Reid Middleton gets LEED

Julian Dodge, a senior civil engineer at Reid Middleton in Everett, was recently named a LEED accredited professional. Dodge is working on project management and project engineering for public and private sector clients. Reid Middleton's clients include cities, counties and agencies. The company has offices in Anchorage and Portland.

Design Detailings: Seattle Architectural Foundation tours

The Seattle Architectural Foundation has announced its August and September schedule for architectural walking tours. On Saturday, there will be a tour of Art + Architecture, in which participants can learn about Seattle's "1 percent for art" program. On the same day there will be a tour of mansions on Capitol Hill, in the Harvard and Belmont historic district.

A historic theatre tour and an art deco tour will both be held on Aug. 28 in Seattle. On Sept. 4 the foundation hosts a tour of local skyscrapers and on Sept. 25, it leads an archiectural tour of the International District. For times and information, visit www.seattlearchitectural.org.

Viaduct debate today at Town Hall

A debate on options for the Alaskan Way Viaduct called "A Highway-Free Waterfront: Why Not?" will be held Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall in Seattle. Advocates will argue for removing the viaduct and dispersing traffic to other corridors, as well as for alternative transit.

Speakers include urban planning specialist for Vancouver, B.C., Gordon Price and Clark Williams-Derry of Northwest Environmental Watch. Paige Miller, commisioner for the Port of Seattle, will also speak. Public affairs consultant Glenn Pascall will moderate. The forum is sponsored by the Transportation Choices Coalition, Northwest Environmental Watch and the Town Hall Center for Civic Life. Tickets are $5. For more information, visit http://www.townhallseattle.org.

Mazzetti & Associates buys CBG

San Francisco-based engineering company Mazzetti & Associates has acquired CBG, a Portland-based consulting and engineering firm. CBG's Bob Gulick, Tom Pride, Rodger Bekooy and Luc Normandin will continue to lead the office.

Mazzetti has health care, university and laboratory clients around the country. CBG works on mechanical and electrical design for Northwest hospitals, laboratories and higher education facilities. CBG is working on designs for a $70 million acute care project at Rouge Valley Medical Center and a $150 million patient care facility for Oregon Health & Science University.

Briggs honored for sustainable design

Josie Briggs, founder of Seattle sustainable interior architecture and design firm Studio Celadon, was named one of the nation's top 25 environmental champions by Interiors & Sources Magazine in last month's issue.

Briggs was selected for her efforts to bring sustainable design to Seattle's architecture and design community. She co-founded GreenWorld, an annual symposium on green design now run by the Northern Pacific chapter of the International Interior Design Association.

Design Detailings: Sweden, Denmark sustainability tour

International Sustainable Solutions will host its second sustainability study tour of Sweden and Denmark from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1. Trips have been coordinated with local government to make them relevant to Northwest cities.

Participants from the first tour have had met with city officials to share observations on sustainable design in Scandinavia. A forum for developers will be held this fall, organized by the Seattle's Department of Planning and Development, and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.

Representatives from the city of Seattle as well as developers, architects and engineers have signed up. Among the firms represented are Bode & Barrow, Mithun, Morrison Hershfield Corp., NBBJ, Milliken Development, Vulcan, Collins Woerman, SvR Design and Callison Architects. For more information, contact Patricia Chase at Patricia@i-sustain.com.

Allied Arts Garden Party

The Allied Arts Garden Party will be held Aug. 15 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the home of Robin Matisse in Ballard. The group works on enhancing culture and arts in Seattle. There will be hors d'oeuvres and wine at the fundraiser.

Allied Arts has worked on projects at Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. It is working to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with civic space.

Boxwood staff all in the LEED

Boxwood's 11 professional staff have all passed the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED exam. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design exam covers sustainable principles on site planning, water efficiency, energy conservation and materials selection.

Last year Boxwood completed the first LEED-registered full production winery in the country. It designed a $17.4 million training facility for the city of Seattle that is now under construction. The project will seek a silver-level LEED certification.

Design Detailings: OSKA selected ‘Best of Best'

Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects was on the "Best of the Best" list in the June issue of the upscale publication The Robb Report, and was the only architectural firm to make the list. The article featured Tom Kundig's National AIA award-winning Chicken Point cabin in northern Idaho, and a residence designed by Jim Olson in California.

Departures magazine, American Express' luxury publication, also included the firm in a group of architects for residential design in their May/June issue.

Kundig will speak at Washington, D.C.'s National Building Museum today, for the opening of the exhibition "Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete." He will be speaking about the Mission Hill Winery in British Columbia, which is featured in the exhibition.

ZZA's Garcia earns P.E. license

Zipper Zeman Associates announced Edwardo A. Garcia obtained his professional engineering license in the state of Washington. Garcia has over nine years of geotechnical engineering, material testing and construction monitoring experience in Washington and Arizona.

He has done subsurface explorations and construction monitoring for commercial, residential and health care facilities. Zipper Zeman provides geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, and engineering geology services. Its offices are in Lynnwood, Seattle, and Tacoma.

BCRA designer LEED accredited

Architects BCRA announced Jennifer Weddermann-Hay has completed the LEED accreditation examination. BCRA now has two LEED-certified architects. Weddermann-Hay joins BCRA's "Green Team," the firm's in-house sustainable design specialists.

A 1997 graduate of Southern California Institute of Architecture's master's program, Weddermann-Hay has architectural design experience, as well as a background in furniture design and metalwork. She is working on the Point Defiance Kids Zone team for BCRA.

Architects BCRA is a design and engineering firm. Recent projects include Albers Mill and the Point Defiance Zoo amphitheater.

Design Detailings: AIA Seattle's 110th birthday

AIA Seattle holds its 110th birthday party from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at The Henry Art Gallery on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. All AIA Seattle members are welcome and can visit the gallery's exhibit, "Santiago Calatrava: The Architect's Studio." To RSVP, call (206) 448-4938, e-mail aia@aiaseattle.org or visit http://www.aiaseattle.org.

Swenson Say Faget opens in Tacoma

Structural engineering company Swenson Say Faget opened a Tacoma office earlier this month at 932 Broadway. Phone (253) 284-9470. Fax (253) 284-9471. The firm also has an office in Seattle, at 2124 Third Ave. The Seattle phone number is (206) 443-6212. The Web site is http://www.swensonsayfaget.com.

MTC opens new Bellingham office

Materials Testing and Consulting has opened a branch office in Bellingham. The office is at 1208 Bay St., Bellingham, WA 98225. The phone is (360) 647-6061, and fax is (360) 647-8111. The Web site is http://www.mtc-inc.net. MTC also has offices in Burlington and Centralia.

The firm has been involved the St. Joseph Hospital expansion, Western Washington University Campus Services Facility and the WWU Student Recreation Center.

Otak architects LEED accredited

Otak announced that Nora Daley and Erik Dodge have earned accreditation by the U.S. Green Building Council after completing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design exam.

Daley and Dodge, registered landscape architects in Washington, are also completing the nine-month Sustainable Building Advisor Certificate Program.

Otak is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. The company is pursuing a LEED Silver rating for its King County Power Distribution headquarters project in Seattle. The new building will use at least 50 percent recycled content for its building materials, reduce design energy costs by 32 percent and provide a 30 percent reduction in water use. The landscape will not use a permanent irrigation system and provides 210 percent of the local zoning requirements for open space.

Call for entries in AIA awards

IA Seattle seeks design submissions for recently completed or unbuilt projects. In the completed category, eligible projects are built work completed from January 1999 to November of this year. Project teams must include a Washington-licensed architect. Artists, students and other design professionals may submit commissioned or conceptual designs for the unbuilt category.

Awards moderator John Morris Dixon is an architectural journalist and is writing a book on the course of modern architecture. Jury members are Ming Fung of Hodgetts + Fung in Los Angeles, Carlos Jimenez of Jimenez Studio in Houston and Mehrdad Yazdani of Cannon Design in Los Angeles.

Submission information will be available Sept. 9 on http://www.aiaseattle.org. Application deadline is Oct. 7. An awards presentation will be held on Nov. 8 at McCaw Hall, Seattle Center. For more information, call AIA Seattle at (206) 448-4938.

ASCE course on tunnels in October

The American Society of Civil Engineers will hold an introductory course on the design and construction of tunnels from Oct. 6 to 8 in Seattle. Construction and project managers, engineers and geotechnical engineering graduates are invited.

Tunnel construction in soft ground, pipe jacking, microtunnelling and safety are some of the items on the agenda. Seminar instructor David Abbott has more than 32 years of experience in design and construction of tunnels, including feasibility studies, conceptual and detailed engineering, equipment selection and operation management. For information call (800) 548-2723 or visit http://www.asce.org/conted.

Spokane wants to create a U District

The August meeting of the Marketing Associates of Spokane will feature Tom Reese, economic development advisor for the Office of the Mayor, who will be discussing Spokane's efforts to develop a University District plan. His presentation will cover the impact of the plan on the design and construction industry.

The city recently announced its intention to create Spokane's first University District, which would help recruit faculty, students, researchers and companies to the area.

Reese guides business and development assistance programs, brownfields redevelopment, sustainable development and workforce development. His projects include working to revitalize the Ninth & Perry District on the South Hill, and creating the Community Stewards Program. He is an adjunct professor at the Washington State University Interdisciplinary Design Institute.

The meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 12, from noon to 1:30 at the Red Lion River Inn, 700 N. Division St., in Spokane. The cost is $15 for MAS members and $25 for non-members, and includes lunch. Reservation deadline is Aug. 11. For information or reservations call Jamie Miller at (509) 927-7747 or visit the MAS Web site at http://www.maspokane.org.

Design Detailings: C. Felice merges with Colo. firm

C. Felice & Co., a Seattle-headquartered geotechnical consulting firm specializing in structural foundation engineering for bridges, merged with Lachel & Associates. Lachel is a geotechnics and underground structures firm based in Golden, Colo. The firm will now be called Lachel Felice & Associates. Dennis Lachel is chief executive officer and will be based in Golden. Conrad Felice will be president and based in Seattle.

Symposium on Japanese gardening

An international symposium on Japanese gardens takes place from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 at the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture. Japanese garden experts from Japan, Switzerland and the U.S. will lead a question and answer session. There will also be workshops and demonstrations. The Puget Sound Japanese Garden Society and the International Association of Japanese Gardens host the symposium.

For more information, call (206) 286-9644 or e-mail koichik@qwest.net.

Library, City Hall featured in tours

The Seattle Architectural Foundation leads a tour of downtown on July 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. The tour covers the Seattle Public Library and City Hall. Participants can learn about sustainable design and renewable resources that make the city's downtown buildings green.

The foundation will also host “Something to Talk About -- Cascade Neighborhood” on Aug. 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. Residential, business and retail interests have been competing in the neighborhood. Attendees can learn how the arrival of new housing and retail, Cornish College of the Arts and new biotech companies are changing the area. For more information, visit www.seattlearchitectural.org/WT_Discover.html.

Advance registration and payment are required. Cost is $20 per person.

Aug. 26 seminar: AIA contracts

Lorman Education Services presents a one-day seminar on AIA contracts in Washington. The seminar is for lawyers, architects, engineers and facilities managers, and will be held in Seattle on Aug. 26. Presenters are Short Cressman & Burgess' John P. Ahlers, Bruce A. Cohen, Paul R. Cressman, Jr. and Scott R. Sleight. Education credits can be earned. For more information, call (888) 678-5565 or visit www.lorman.com.

KJM to partner with Hummingbird firm

Bellevue-based KJM & Associates will partner with Hummingbird, a global provider of content management solutions. KJM will be a systems integrator of Hummingbird's enterprise products. Hummingbird's products are used for information management, business continuity, compliance and risk mitigation. KJM's e-business group specializes in customizing of electronic document management and imaging software.

Materials Testing opens in Bellingham

Materials Testing and Consulting is opening a branch office on Bay Street in Bellingham. MTC has been in business for 23 years and has seen steady growth in the last eight. The company has worked on hospital expansions, recreation centers and campus buildings, expanding its geotechnical services in recent years. The company also does materials testing, construction inspection and environmental consulting. MTC's corporate headquarters is in Burlington.

Design Detailings: SMPS honors six creative marketers

Kristine and Brian Nims of Architects BCRA produced a limited edition print using a hand-crank letterpress. The firm won two SMPS awards for the gift plaque.

Six firms won marketing communication awards from the Seattle Chapter of Society for Marketing Professional Services. Winners were recently announced at an awards ceremony hosted at the Columbia Tower Club.

Architects BCRA received the Best of Show and People's Choice awards for the Albers Mill groundbreaking gift plaque that was created on a hand-crank letterpress. The steel back of the plaque was cut by the same steel fabricator that worked on the Albers Mill. Each plaque featured hand thermography and was individually numbered. Albers team members were Kristine Nims, Randy Robbins, Jeff Brown, and Cathy Bachl.

Coughlin Porter Lundeen won an award for its environmentally friendly Think postcards, developed by Gayle Guadarrama, Carrie Moers and Lily Kim and Brick Tudor Studios. A special event achievement award for the company's brownbag for architects on the Nisqually earthquake's impact on Historic Buildings was also presented.

Janet Pritchard and Sally Cox of Perteet won a special publications award. Studio Lux, represented by Jonathan Foster, received an award for a brochure. Julian Rogers received a corporate identity award. Heather Ayres led a project that won an award in the Web site category for Quantum Consulting Engineers. A special client of the year award went to was presented by Frank Petrie of KPFF to Washington State Ferries, represented by Joel Colby.

Winners were selected by a panel of judges from National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the Oregon Chapter of SMPS and the Daily Journal of Commerce. SMPS has 5,500 members in more than 50 chapters across the country, working for architecture, engineering, planning, interior design, construction and other firms.

Landscape designers to hold Fall Expo Oct. 8

The Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects is gearing up for the 2004 Fall Expo Oct. 8 at Bell Harbor International Conference Center.

This year's theme is "Healthy Landscapes: Activity, Ecology, and Aesthetics." In addition to continuing education, there will be discussion of pursuing a practice act in Washington. The expo is designed for members of the landscape architecture community -- including architects, planners and other professionals -- to learn about vendors in the area, as well as trends in green construction. For more information, go to http://www.wasla.org.

Mithun green home wins Gold Nugget

A green home at Issaquah Highlands, developed by Port Blakely Communities, recently won the Pacific Coast Builders Conference's award as sustainable residential project of the year.

The home is a showcase of simple, eco-friendly design and product ideas. Architect Mithun and homebuilder Bennett Homes' demonstration project attracted 8,000 Puget Sound area residents during a nine-week run earlier this year.

The Gold Nugget awards are the premier event of the conference, a San Francisco trade show that attracts 25,000 building industry representatives. Awards recognize creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.

Port Blakely Communities works on green building projects across the country. The Puget Sound Energy Built Green Idea Home was a collaboration between Port Blakely Communities, the city of Issaquah and the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish counties. For more information, visit www.issaquahhighlands.com.

Design Detailings: NEBC rooftop mixer held July 15

The Northwest Environmental Business Council and Hart Crowser sponsor the 11th Annual Olympic Chapter Rooftop Mixer from 5:30 to 7:30. The event will introduce new members and offer a chance to network. It will be held at HartCrowser, 1910 Fairview Ave. E. Cost is $30 each for NEBC members and guests and $45 for non-members, and feature a semi-hosted bar and hors d'oeuvres. for more information, go to www.nebc.org.

Locke names Lee to architects board

Lee

Gov. Gary Locke has appointed MulvannyG2 Architecture CEO Jerry Quinn Lee to the Washington State Board of Registration for Architects for a term ending in 2010.

The Board of Registration for Architects examines and licenses architects within the state, investigates violation of state regulations relating to the practice of architecture and recommends rules and regulations for administering the licensing laws.

Locke selected Lee because of his leadership in the local architecture industry. Lee accompanied Locke on his last trade mission to China in 2003, helping boost the reputation of Washington State’s architectural services in China.

Lee has a bachelor of science from Portland State University and a bachelor of architecture from the University of Oregon. With 350 employees, MulvannyG2 Architecture is the 10th largest architectural firm in the U.S. as ranked by Building Design & Construction Magazine, and ranked one of the best companies to work for by Washington CEO magazine.

Clark County seeks award nominations

The Community Pride Design Award program in Clark County is search for applicants. The program recognizes outstanding and unique efforts in buildings, developments and civic improvements, completed in calendar year 2003 or the first half of 2004.

Nominations are due by Aug. 27. For forms and photos of 2003 winners, go to www.clark.wa.gov/commdev. for more information, call (360) 397-2375.

Mahlum's economizes school designs

Working with a budget-challenged school district, Mahlum Architects designed two new schools in Forest Grove. Ore., and a third that's under construction.

“The district wanted a statement about its commitment to quality education and the budget drove very simple, elegant solutions,” said Mathieu Jacobs, principal with Mahlum Architects.

Mahlum designed the schools, Tom McCall West 5-6, at a total cost of $9 million, and Fern Hill Elementary, at a total cost of $6.3 million. The schools were built simultaneously using the same design team and the same materials applied in different ways. The same team is now working on Tom McCall East 5-6.

Jacobs estimates the district saved $2 a square foot, compared to the cost of designing and building one school at a time using a totally new design. Barns that once accented the landscape influenced the designs of both schools in their size and position on the school sites. Both also feature large windows and skylights to capture natural daylight and take advantage of the natural beauty of the sites.

Design Detailings: Parametrix moves office to Bellevue

The Kirkland office of Parametrix has relocated to downtown Bellevue. Effective Monday, the new office will be in a 35,000-square-foot space on the 17th and 18th floors of the One Bellevue Center building at 411 108th Ave. N.E.

The new space accommodates nearly 150 employees. Parametrix has been in Kirkland for the past 12 years. The new space will help support growth and allow the firm to expand services to clients throughout the West, according to Parametrix. The phone number is (425) 458-6200, the fax is (425) 458-6363. The Web address is http://www.parametrix.com.

Freiheit & Ho designs Albertsons addition

Freiheit & Ho Architects has designed the remodeled Albertsons in Lakewood at 8611 Steilacoom Blvd. The 45,000-square-foot store will be expanded by approximately 5,000 square feet, which will use an adjacent vacant space and help revitalize the retail center.

The new features will include a new front façade, an entry vestibule and a new entry giving the renovated store an updated Northwest look and a greater visual presence. The interior will get a pharmacy and bakery.

Scheduled completion is September. The general contractor is Tri-way Construction; CSHQA is electrical engineer; McClure Engineering is mechanical engineer; and Protection Consultants, Inc. is fire protection engineer.

AIA index shows business is strong

U.S. architecture firms reported strong business conditions in May, according to the American Institute of Architects' monthly Architectural Billings Index. The ABI was 108 -- any index reading above 100 indicates growth in activity -- for the month, with 22 percent of firms reporting significantly stronger project activity and 14 percent reporting declines.

While this increase comes on top of already solid gains through the first four months of the year, the ABI dropped four points from April to May. The pace of billings growth has slowed in relation to previous months, but continues to increase at a healthy rate. Through the first five months of the year, the ABI has averaged more than 112, pointing to significant gains in construction activity throughout the remainder of 2004.

In addition to gains in billings, architecture firms reported steady increases in inquiries for new projects. Firms in all regions reported improvement in billings, with residential-focused firms reporting the most positive business conditions.

"While it is extremely encouraging that architectural billings and inquiries have increased every month so far this year, the rising prices and availability of construction materials has created some problems for the construction industry," said AIA chief economist Kermit Baker. "Architecture firms of all sizes and in all regions are also reporting problems with building commodities, with a higher share of firms in the West making this claim, possibly because of the strong demand in China and other Asian countries for these resources."

First Hill mansions are open for tours

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic Seattle offer monthly public tours of two historic Seattle homes -- the Stimson-Green Mansion (1901) and the H. H. Dearborn House (1907).

From 1 to 2:30 p.m. July 13 and Aug. 10, and from 5:30 to 7 p.m. July 26 and Aug. 23, the public will be able to tour the homes at the corner of Minor Avenue and Seneca Street on First Hill. The tours focus on the architectural character and interior design features of both homes, as well as the life and times of First Hill at the turn of the 20th century.

First Hill was the location of private clubs, important religious institutions and swank hotels. It was also the city's premier residential enclave from the 1890s through the first decades of the 1900s -- home to mayors, judges, industrialists, timber barons and art collectors.

Of the 40 or more large homes and gardens that once graced the neighborhood, only four remain. Two are closed to the public, but the residences built for C. D. Stimson and H. H. Dearborn -- which now house the respective offices of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic Seattle -- give Seattle residents a glimpse of the past.

Callison principal joins IIDA

Vanecko

The Chicago-based International Interior Design Association has invited Callison principal Andrea Vanecko to be a member. IIDA is a professional networking and educational associate of more than 10,000 members in nine regions and more than 30 chapters around the world.

Vanecko is the principal in charge of corporate office and interior design at Callison and has worked nationally with a client base that includes law firms such as Cooley Godward, Latham & Watkins, LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP, as well as corporations that include Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Goldman Sachs. She is recognized in the industry for helping companies understand how the work environment needs to change to accommodate new office configurations.