Design Detailings: Bruce Dees wins design awards

Two parks designed by the Tacoma landscape architecture firm Bruce Dees & Assocites received awards from the Washington Parks & Recreation Association during its annual conference in April.

The awards were for designs at Rainier Vista Park in Lacey and Perrigo Park in Redmond.

Candela principal speaks in Shanghai

Denise Fong will give a talk next week in Shanghai on hazardous materials in lighting products. Fong is a principal at Seattle-based architectural lighting services company Candela.The Right Light 6 conference is a place for experts to talk about emerging efficient lighting technologies, applications and policy.

Portland's Pearl on display in May

Portland's Pearl District Business Association will offer public tours of living spaces in the Pearl District in northwest Portland. "Pearl CitySpaces" will open May 13 and run through May 22.

People can see interior designs of seven condominium, rental and live/work spaces, as well as three new buildings: the Louisa at the Brewery Blocks, the 14-story Pinnacle at Hoyt Street Yards and the six-story Lexis also at Hoyt Street Yards. The Pinnacle and Louisa are set to open this month.

Tickets are $10 Monday through Thursday and $15 Friday through Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, see http://www.pearlcityspaces.com.

Talk tomorrow on livable communities

An event tomorrow at the Cascade Club at Trilogy in Redmond will look at how economics and livable communities are linked.

"Aligning the Construction Industry & Economic Development in the Puget Sound Region to Create Livable Communities" is being offered by the UW College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and the Institute for Collaborative Building.

Cost is $300. Real estate professionals can receive eight clock hours for attending, and AIA members can get eight learning units.

For more information, call Lyn Firkins at CAUP at (206) 685-8222 or e-mail jasper@u.washington.edu. Also see http://www.caup.washington.edu/cpe/.

Design Detailings: Conference on coastal disasters

A conference on coastal disasters takes place next month in Charleston, S.C., covering lessons learned from recent hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Coastal engineers will look at recent events at the "Solutions to Coastal Disasters" conference May 8-11. Topics will include erosion, hurricane landfall wind speeds, federal funding issues, emergency protection, forecasting and reconstruction.

The event is presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers. NOAA Coastal Services Center Director Margaret A. Davidson is one of the featured speakers. For more information see http://www.asce.org//conferences/cd05/.

Landmark board opening in Ballard

The Mayor's Office is seeking applicants for the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board. The seven-member board regulates proposed exterior changes to buildings, structures and public rights-of-way.

The post is for a Ballard historian or someone with an interest in the Ballard community. Applicants should send a resume and letter of interest by May 15 to: Heather McAuliffe, Coordinator, Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board, 700 Third Ave. in Seattle. For more information, call Heather McAuliffe at (206) 684-0229.

San Francisco college picks LMN Architects

City College of San Francisco recently picked LMN Architects of Seattle for a joint venture with the San Francisco firm Tom Eliot Fisch. Three other candidates were considered to design a performing arts complex on the largest of the City College's 12 campuses.

The complex will have a 75,000-square-foot performing arts center and a 97,000-square foot-classroom/lab. Design is set to start this spring.

Otak hired for several projects

Otak has been selected to design several new projects, including the Seattle flagship store for the Environmental Home Center and infrastructure projects in Kirkland.

Pentalink Architecture chose Otak as technical architect for a $38 million expansion of the Foss Home campus in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. There will be 123 apartments, 36 nursing units and 15 assisted-care units, a new dining facility, courtyard garden and a 240-stall underground parking structure.

The city of Kirkland selected Otak for two infrastructure projects set for construction this summer. Otak will do surveying and civil engineering for a public sanitary sewer for residences in the Rose Hill neighborhood, and provide a sanitary sewer casing for a line that crosses Interstate 405 just south of Northeast 116th Street and Slater Avenue. This encasement is required for a proposed widening of I-405 later this summer, part of the I-405 Congestion Relief and Bus Rapid Transit Nickel Project.

Otak is a planning, architecture, design and engineering firm headquartered in Lake Oswego, Ore.

Sparling CEO joins ArtsFund

Sparling chief executive officer Jim Duncan was recently appointed to the board of trustees of ArtsFund.

The nonprofit raises about $4 million each year for 60 nonprofit arts organizations in King and Pierce counties.

Sparling designs electrical engineering and telecommunications systems.

Design Detailings: UW forum on density's downside

University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning will offer a free forum on urban density Wednesday, April 27.

"The Flip Side of Urban Density: Squeezing Out Nature, Green Space, Funky Places and Affordability?" will be held at Architecture Hall at 6:30 p.m. Speakers include professors Folke Nyberg and Kristina Hill.

The forum will be moderated by Seattle City Council member Richard Conlin and is co-sponsored by Seattle Audubon Society and Seattle Displacement Coalition.

Building healthy places, April 26

The city of Seattle will present a free talk on designing and building Healthy Places on Tuesday, April 26, at Seattle City Hall's Bertha Landes Room from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Featured speaker Richard Jackson is the California Department of Health's state public health officer. Jackson will look at the correlation between the built environment and environmental health.

For more information, call Lynne Barker at (206) 684-0806 or see http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Sustainable_Building/COS_004334.asp.

SAF gets new name, Web site

Seattle Architectural Foundation recently launched a new name, graphic identity and Web site.

Now called Seattle Architecture Foundation, the group is a resource for information on public architecture and design.

The brochure and Web site were created by Girvin | Strategic Branding & Design and CHCS Web Development. See http://www.seattlearchitecture.org.

Workshop on how to nominate landmarks

A free workshop on how to nominate places as historic Seattle landmarks will be held Saturday at The Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. in Wallingford from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

People can learn how neighborhoods and communities can protect buildings from being torn down. Historic Seattle and the city of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods are offering the event. To register, call (206) 622-6952.

Silverstein to give WTC update

Chief Executive Officer of Silverstein Properties Larry A. Silverstein will give an update on redevelopment of the New York World Trade Center Complex on Thursday in New York.

The event is put on by the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers as part of the 2005 Structures Congress, which starts today.

Design Detailings: Emerging design ideas in UW show

An exhibit about current architecture projects in the region will be on display Friday through April 24 at the University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Gould Hall, 3949 15th Ave. N.E. in Seattle.

"Headlines: Emerging Architectural Ideas" will have 100 drawings and models of buildings commissioned or under construction.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Professionals' Advisory Council of the Department of Architecture. An opening reception will be held Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.

For more information, contact project coordinator Clara Simon at (206) 616-7966 or simonch@u.washington.edu.

Waterfront topic of Dorpat lecture

The Seattle City Council is offering a free history lecture today at Seattle Central Library's Microsoft Auditorium, 1000 Fourth Ave. Historian Paul Dorpat will give a retrospective on the central waterfront, covering how its been used from the late 1800's through today. His talk is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Co-sponsors include AIA Seattle, Allied Arts and the Museum of History and Industry.

For more information, call Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck's Office at (206) 684-8804.

W&H Pacific buys land survey firm

Beehler

W&H Pacific recently acquired Statewide Surveying, an Olympia-based land surveying firm. Statewide's staff are now part of the Olympia office of W&H's survey department, with Statewide owner Pat Beehler directing that department.

Beehler has 37 years of experience, including work at engineering firms and the Department of Natural Resources. He chairs the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce.

Consulting and design firm W&H Pacific works on land development, transportation and surveying. It has nine offices in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Callison to design Calif. retail center

Seal Beach, Calif.-based Century National Properties has selected Seattle's Callison Architecture to design a retail center in Seal Beach.

The center will be along a boulevard, and have 20 restaurants and shops such as HomeGoods and Rite Aid. Callison provides planning and design services to retail, hospitality, residential, health care and corporate clients around the world.

Hutch building gets LEED

A building at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's South Lake Union campus got LEED certification under a U.S. Green Building category for new construction and major renovations.

The Robert M. Arnold Building is Seattle's 10th LEED facility, according to Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership.

ZGF's Seattle office designed the seven-story, 372,000-square-foot facility as a brownfield cleanup and used local materials for about a third of the building.

Right-of-way talk in Tacoma

Two Skillings-Connolly staff members will give a talk on right-of-way acquisitions at the American Public Works Association's conference today at 3:30 p.m. in Tacoma.

Skillings-Connolly's real estate services manager Brian Fagernes and project manager Stephen Thomas show how they use a Web database to coordinate the steps to get right-of-way. For more information, call conference chair Kristina Nelson at the city of Tacoma, (253) 591-5787.

Stormwater area wins ACEC award

The South Florida Water Management District's Stormwater Treatment Area 3/4 was given the Grand Conceptor Award — the nation's most prestigious award for innovative engineering — by the American Council of Engineering Companies at award ceremonies held in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

Recognized as one of the most promising advancements in restoring the Everglades, the project was chosen the year's best engineering achievement over such projects as the Rion-Antirion Bridge in Greece and Chicago's new Millennium Park.

The project is a constructed wetland built on 17,000 acres of former farmland designed to naturally remove high levels of phosphorus from water entering the treatment area from thousands of acres of active agricultural fields to the north. After water flows through the treatment area, phosphorus levels are significantly reduced. The treated water is then allowed to enter the Everglades. The area is the largest ever constructed in the world and has exceeded performance expectations since it began operation.

Design Detailings: Medical design forum this week

The Architecture for Health Panel of Washington & Oregon and AIA Seattle Continuing Education offer "Medical Design Forum" Thursday and Friday.

The forum, running 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, analyzes emerging trends affecting health care design. It will be held at R.E.I., 222 Yale Ave. N.

Health care changes constantly in technology, practice methods and funding — all of which affect design. The forum explores issues that impact design and construction of all types of health care facilities.

Keynote speaker is Jim Lussier, president-emeritus of Cascade Healthcare Community, which operates St.Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore.

For more information, call AIA Seattle (206) 448-4938.

GeoEngineers buys firm in Missouri

GeoEngineers has opened an office in Springfield, Mo., by acquiring Advantage Professional Services. Advantage specializes in horizontal directional drilling technology.

Redmond-based GeoEngineers does nearshore and terrestrial pipeline crossing projects.

Two at HBB earn LEED

Two project engineers at HBB Mechanical Engineers recently earned LEED accreditation. Terry Gatlin is working on a renovation at Seattle Central Community College and Richard Watson is doing commissioning work for Yakima County.

HBB is in Seattle and provides mechanical engineering for architects, school districts, colleges, universities and local governments.

Spokane marketers talk about branding

Marketing Associates of Spokane will hold a half-day workshop on branding April 14 in Spokane at Red Lion River Inn, 700 N. Division St.

Speakers Ann Bradford of Girvin|Strategic Branding & Design and Debbie DeGabrielle of DeGabrielle Consulting will cover positioning and ways to build a brand and raise awareness.

Bradford works with clients like Procter & Gamble and Microsoft on branding strategy and DeGabrielle was a marketing principal at NBBJ.

Cost is $60 for members, or $80 for nonmembers.

To reserve, call MAS Vice President Jamie Miller at (509) 927-7747 or see www.maspokane.org.

Architecture film, slide show offered

The Northwest Film Forum will show a film Saturday on architecture and a slide show by Dutch architect Matthijs Bouw on Sunday. The University of Washington's Department of Architecture is co-sponsoring the events.

Seattle architect Jerry Garcia of Universal Non-Linear Design will introduce the work of deconstructionist Gordon Matta-Clark before showing "City Slivers and Fresh Kills: The Films of Gordon Matta-Clark," which will begin at 7 p.m. Matta-Clark produced the films in connection with his architectural projects in the 1970s. Cost is $15.

On Sunday, Bouw will give a lecture and slide show at 5 p.m. followed by a dance party. Bouw co-founded One Architecture and collaborated with Rem Koolhaas on a recent Les Halles proposal. He will show slides of the strip-malled tulip farms of the Skagit Valley and the industrial sprawl of Sea-Tac. Cost is $4.

The Northwest Film Forum is at 1515 12th Ave., between Pike and Pine streets. Call (206) 267-5380 or see www.nwfilmforum.org.

Candela principals speak at NYC fair

Candela principals Denise Fong and Mary Claire Frazier will speak at Lightfair International, a conference on architectural and commercial lighting in New York City on April 10-14. The conference is expected to draw 20,000.

Fong will be on a panel to discuss how lighting professionals and manufacturers currently communicate, and ways this could be improved. Frazier will present lighting case studies and tools for museums. Seattle-based Candela offers architectural lighting services.

Design Detailings: Architects talk about libraries

On Thursday, April 7, a design panel will meet at Seattle Central Library to talk about civic libraries. Moderators are Bill LaPatra of Mithun and Richard Yancey of Weinstein A|U.

Panelists will be University of Washington Professor of Architectural History Meredith L. Clausen, Thomas Hacker of Portland's Thomas Hacker Architects, Seattle Public Library Coty Librarian Deborah L. Jacobs, King County library system director Bill Ptacek and Seattle Design Commission Chair David Spiker.

The talk starts at 5 p.m.

GreenWorld event April 7

The Northern Pacific chapter of the International Interior Design Association is organizing a sustainable design event for April 7. GreenWorld will be held at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle. The keynote lecture is "The Great Ocean Adventure" presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of Jacques Cousteau.

Tickets are $55, $40 for IIDA members. For information, call Justine Kish at (425) 260-0418.

Military projects to be recognized

On Friday at the Harbor Club in downtown Seattle, Captain Robert Parker will name the winners of a competition recognizing work A/E and construction firms have done for the Army, Navy, Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard and the Air Force.

Thirteen entries were submitted. Categories were expanded this year to recognize different sized firms and acknowledge design/build collaborations, a major trend in military construction projects.

The featured speaker is Rear Admiral Leendert "Len" R. Hering, Sr., of the Navy's Northwest group. To register, contact Bob Galteland at bgalteland@reidmidd.com. Details are posted at http://posts.same.org/seattle/announce.cfm.

ZGF to design science center

Portland's Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership was recently selected as design architect for the University of Cincinnati's 200,000-square-foot Social and Behavioral Sciences Center.

Cincinnati architectural firm Baxter, Hodell, Donnelly, Preston is the executive architect for the project. The building will have learning rooms, research space and offices.

ASCE names award finalists

Finalists in an American Society of Civil Engineers competition to recognize projects around the world are: the AirTrain JFK Light Rail System in New York; the Mubarak Pumping Station in Toshka, Egpyt; the Olivenhain Dam and Reservoir in San Diego; the Time Warner Center in New York; and Greece's Rion-Antirion Bridge, which is being called the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Finalists were picked from 22 entries. A winning project will be named April 13.

Workshop on cost control

Vashon Island-based Contract Solutions Group will offer a workshop April 1 at the Red Lion in Seattle on "Improving Owner Cost Control and Claim Recovery for A/E Services."

It will cover contract negotiations, ways to improve firm selection and strategies to recover cost overruns for deficient services. There will be presenters from Penhallegon Associates Consulting Engineers and Sampley Consulting. To register, call Jeri Jennings of Contract Solutions Group at (206) 463-7487 or see http://www.contractsolutionsgroup.com.

Design Detailings: ACEC recognizes Sparling projects

Sparling worked on technology systems in the 1.2-million-square- foot Children’s Hospital in Denver. The hospital is designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership of Portland and H&L Architects of Denver.

Two Sparling projects are finalists in a competition sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies.

For the Seattle Central Library, Sparling designed a hands-free wireless badge system for staff to communicate. In Denver, the company researched technology systems that would increase efficiencies in a 1.2 million-square-foot Children's Hospital set to open in 2007.

There were 175 entries from around the country in the ACEC competition. Winners will be named next month at the national convention.

CoCA show on art collaboration

A show called "Help Wanted: Collaborations in Art" runs through April 23 at the Center on Contemporary Art, 410 Dexter Ave. N. in Seattle.

Tonight at 7:30 there will be a multimedia presentation by artist Trimpin.

The show is organized by Gabe Kean, publisher of online magazine Born, and Jacob McMurray, senior curator at EMP.

Eleven installations are the collaborations of people in fields such as poetry, comics, architecture, video and programming.

For more information, see http://www.cocaseattle.org.

clater Partners moves to Olive Way

Sclater Partners Architects, an architectural design and planning firm in Seattle, moved to new offices at the Times Square Building at 414 Olive Way, Suite 300. It has also launched a new Web site, http://www.sclaterpartners.com. Phone is (206) 624-8682, fax is (206) 621-8445. The company was located at 2230 Eighth Ave.

Green building tips out on DVD

"Building with Awareness," a how-to documentary on design and construction of a green home, was recently released on DVD.

The DVD covers how to construct a mud plaster wall and maximize solar gain, for example. It features a New Mexico home with straw bale walls for insulation and adobe walls for thermal mass.

The documentary was directed by Ted Owens, who is an expert on energy- and resource-efficient building design who lives in a straw bale home.

The DVD is a product of Owens' Corrales, N.M.-based company Syncronos Design, and is for sale through http://www.buildingwithawareness.com and Amazon.com.

Peter Rasmussen wins AIA award

Rasmussen

The American Institute of Architects southwest Washington chapter gave its 2005 Charles community service award to Peter Rasmussen, a partner at Architects Rasmussen Triebolhorn of Tacoma.

Rasmussen was Tacoma's deputy mayor and chaired the Tacoma Planning Commission. The American Institute of Architecture southwest Washington chapter has members in Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Mason and Grays Harbor counties.

How not to plan urban projects

Meredith Clausen, a professor of architectural history at the University of Washington, gives a free presentation about her newest book in Seattle on Wednesday, March 30.

The talk will be held at Rainier Square Conference Center, 1333 Fifth Ave. at 5:30 p.m. The book, which covers the Pan Am Building in Manhattan, is a case study in how not to plan a large-scale urban project.

Seattle Architecture Foundation is the sponsor. For more information, call (206) 667-9184.

Design Detailings: Tour the Seminar II complex in Olympia

The public is invited to tour the $41 million Seminar II complex at Evergreen State College in Olympia today.

Mahlum Architects of Seattle will lead the tour of the building, which is being submitted for LEED gold certification.

The tour starts at 5:30 p.m. at Red Square on campus. Reservations for a buffet dinner afterwards are required, cost is $25 for AIA and Construction Specifications Institute members, or $35. Call Janet Matkin at (253) 627-4006 for reservations.

Earth Solutions NW opens in Redmond

Bob Levinson, former president of Earth Consultants, recently formed a geotechnical engineering firm called Earth Solutions NW. Levinson is a principal in the new firm.

Earth Solutions NW specializes in value engineering, geotechnical engineering and risk analyses. The office is at 2603 151st Place N.E., Redmond, 98052. The phone number is (425) 284-3300.

Deborah Jacobs to speak at Town Hall

City Librarian Deborah Jacobs will be interviewed March 21 at Town Hall by reporter and urban planning specialist Bill Dietrich of The Seattle Times.

The talk will cover architecture and usage of the Central Library, as well as trends in information science and urban neighborhoods.

Tickets are $5, at the door only. Town Hall is located at 1119 Eighth Ave. in Seattle.

Design Detailings: ZGF to design science center

Portland's Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership was recently selected as design architect for the University of Cincinnati's 200,000-square-foot Social and Behavioral Sciences Center. Cincinnati architectural firm Baxter, Hodell, Donnelly, Preston is the executive architect for the project. The building will have classrooms, research space and offices.

AIA Seattle offers home show, exhibit

AIA Seattle will hold a day-long forum Thursday on trends in residential design at the Environmental Home Center. Cost is $120 for members, or $200 for nonmembers.

AIA Seattle's Historic Resources Committee is calling for entries to display in a May exhibition called "New Kid on the Old Block," which will showcase historic buildings, neighborhoods and examples of sustainable design. Deadline is March 24 to register, materials are due April 14.

Jean Caroon, principal of Boston firm Goody Clancy, will be the keynote speaker at a related panel discussion, which will be held at AIA Seattle May 5.

For more information, call AIA Seattle at (206) 448-4938 or see www.aiaseattle.org.

AIA recognizes young architects

The American Institute of Architects recently named five recipients of the AIA Young Architects Award. AIA considers young architects to be professionals licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of age, and the award recognizes those making significant contributions to the profession early in their careers.

AIA recognized F. Michael Ayles of Stratford, Conn., Jeffrey DeGregorio of Boston, Miguel Rivera of Austin, Texas, Rick Harlan Schneider of Washington, D.C., and Eric Strain of Las Vegas.

Abdelmessih wins engineer award

The Puget Sound Engineering Council named St. Martin's College mechanical engineering professor Amanie Abdelmessih Academic Engineer of the Year. St. Martin's is in Lacey.

The council gives the award to an engineer in academia who works on advancing engineering and improving engineering education.

Abdelmessih has twice spent summers researching at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. She has done research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and at flight research centers. Abdelmessih earned her bachelor's degree at Egypt's Alexandria University and her doctorate at Oklahoma State University.

Design-Build classes start March 18

The Design-Build Institute of America's Northwest chapter will hold an educational program on project delivery on March 18. Related programs will follow in June and September. Those who complete the programs will receive the institute's Design-Build professional designation. For more information, contact the chapter at (206) 491-1148 or through its Web site, www.dbianwc.org.

Two at HBB earn LEEDs

Two project engineers at HBB Mechanical Engineers recently earned LEED accreditation. Terry Gatlin is working on a renovation at Seattle Central Community College and Richard Watson is doing commissioning work for Yakima County. HBB is in Seattle and provides mechanical engineering for architects, school districts, colleges, universities and local governments.

Design Detailings: Two transpo firms merge

Mirai Associates of Kirkland has merged with Transportation Planning and Engineering of Bellevue. Mirai's new services will include traffic design and traffic impact analysis. Transportation Planning and Engineering specializes in street network planning, traffic signal systems, and pedestrian and bicycle planning studies. Mirai now has 17 staff and offices in Kirkland's Totem Lake area.

Arcade launch party tomorrow

Arcade, a journal for the Northwest design community, will host a launch party tomorrow at Artemide Showroom, 310 Occidental Ave. S., in Seattle from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Richard C. Yancey is guest editor for the launch issue. For more information e-mail info@arcadejournal.com or see www.arcadejournal.com.

Dane to talk here on sustainability

Svend Auken, a member of the Danish Parliament and former Danish Minister for Energy & Environment will give a talk on March 18 at University of Washington's Meany Hall from 7 to 9 p.m.

His speech, "Take Charge with Sustainable Energy," will look at ways Seattle can become a pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented and sustainably designed city.

Denmark was once dependent on foreign oil, but for economic and environmental reasons committed itself to sustainable energy 30 years ago. Today, renewable energy technology is the country's top export.

Auken helped write the policies to create this industry and was the country's cabinet minister for Energy and the Environment for nine years. The event is being presented by International Sustainable Solutions and the city of Seattle, and sponsored by: CH2M HILL, Gregory Broderick Smith Real Estate, Mithun, NBBJ, Otak, Sparling, Vulcan and the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

For more information, see www.seattle.gov/dpd/sustainability or contact Lynne Barker, Seattle Department of Planning & Development at (206) 684-0806 or lynne.barker@seattle.gov.

Cost is $7 in advance, or $10. Advance tickets may be purchased at www.i-sustain.com/events/svendAuken.htm.

New engineering classes at CWU

Central Washington University is offering new classes at CWU-Des Moines in its master of science in engineering technology degree program starting March 28.

The classes will cover cost analysis, and industrial and engineering technology, and are targeted to practicing engineers and technologists, as well as teachers and faculty. For more information, see www.cwu.edu/~iet/mse.html, or call (206) 878-3710 ext. 5170.

KPFF opens Everett office

Structural and civil engineering firm KPFF Consulting Engineers has opened an office in Everett at 2709 Wetmore Ave. Heading the Everett office is Joe Zlab, an associate and structural engineer. KPFF was founded in Seattle, and has 15 offices and 650 employees around the country.

SAM lecture by Michiel Riedijk

Space.City will present a lecture by Michiel Riedijk on March 8 at the Seattle Art Museum at 6:30 p.m. Riedijk and partner Willem Jan Neutelings run Neutelings Riedijk Architecten in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The pair are known for their high density design and have written a new book on their work. For more information call (206) 448-9833. Tickets are available in advance for $10 at Peter Miller Books, 1930 First Ave., Seattle. Tickets at the door will cost $15.

Design Detailings: SAF open house set for Thursday

Seattle Architectural Foundation will host an open house on Thursday at the Rainier Square Atrium from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Attendees can find out how they can guide walking tours, design exhibits and raise funds. RSVP to Layla Taylor, program director, at (206) 667-9184 or layla@seattlearchitectural.org. Also see www.seattlearchitectural.org.

Allied Arts to hold talk on Center City

Allied Arts will host a talk on "Center City for Tomorrow" at the Panama Hotel's tea and coffee house on March 4 from 7 to 10 p.m. The Panama Hotel is in the International District at 605 S. Main St.

The talk will focus on density and transit-oriented development in Seattle. Panel discussion members include Tom Rasmussen, Seattle City Council member; Diane Sugimura, director, Department of Planning and Development; and Denny Onslow, president, Harbor Properties.

Suggested donations are $35 per person, or $20 for members. Panama Hotel owner Jan Johnson will lead a free tour of the Japanese Cultural Museum and the Japanese baths at 6 p.m. RSVP to wendyc@alliedarts-seattle.org or (206) 624-0433

Dietz Hartlage gets landscape award

Garden Design magazine recognized Tacoma's Dietz Hartlage Landscape Architecture with an award for design of a tropical residential garden in New Jersey.

Associate principal Richard Hartlage designed the garden, which has a square circulation pattern that links garden areas. A large bluestone terrace is in the center. Hartlage has 15 years of professional experience as a garden designer and horticulturist, including work as director of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle.

CH2M Hill vies for ACEC award

The Bellevue office of CH2M Hill is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies' awards competition. The project is the Cedar Water Treatment Facility in King County. CH2M Hill says it uses an ozone injection and ultraviolet light to treat 70 percent of Seattle's water.

The project is among 175 entries from around the country. The council represents 5,500 independent engineering companies around the country.