Design Detailings: Waterfront forum tonight at Town Hall

Allied Arts is holding a Waterfronts for All forum at 5 tonight. The forum will look at projects in Bremerton and Tacoma, where parks and public development authorities are working on people-friendly waterfronts. Presenters will pose the question: What can Seattle learn from this process?

Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman and Su Dowie from Tacoma's Foss Waterway PDA will make presentations about what their communities are doing to convert blighted waterfronts into civic places. They will be joined by Seattle City Council member Richard Conlin; Hubert Locke, former dean of the Evans School; John Rahaim, Seattle planning director; and Sally Bagshaw, chair of the Allied Arts Waterfront Committee, in a panel discussion about what Seattle can learn from Bremerton and Tacoma.

The event will be at Town Hall, at Eighth Avenue and Seneca Street. Cost is $5 at the door.

For information, go to http://www.alliedarts-seattle.org, or call (206) 624-0433.

Tour takes look at downtown public art

In downtown Seattle, public art is around almost every corner. Seattle Architecture Foundation is offering a tour on Aug. 12 called “Art + Architecture: Where Form & Function Meet,” which will take a look at the city's 1% For Art program.

The tour includes projects at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center and the Central Library.

It runs from 10 a.m. to noon and begins at Rainier Square Atrium, 1333 Fifth Ave., level three. Cost is $12 on the day of the tour and $10 in advance. Walk-ins are limited to space available. Call Seattle Architecture Foundation at (206) 667-9184 or go to http://www.seattlearchitecture.org.

Seminar looks at sustainable design

Today at Seattle Design Center Beth Marie Miller and Keith Miller of Miller & Associates Design Consultants will speak about “Design Conscience: Sustainable and Universal Design.”

It will be from 11 a.m. to noon and is part of the center's monthly interior design seminar series for non-designers. The Millers will talk about where environmentally responsible design is headed, and touch on principles and products to make projects green and adaptable.

The center also hosts a Third Thursday event for design professionals. On July 20, the class “Keeping Up with Designer Paint and Color Trends” will be from 1 to 2 p.m.

Seattle Design Center has undergone a renovation of its 400,000-square-foot building, and the center recently opened a WP Café and Wolfgang Puck Catering.

JPC Architects was architect for the SDC renovation, and the general contractor was Howard S Wright. Bay West is the owner and manager of SDC.

The center is at 5701 Sixth Ave. S. For information, call (206) 762-1200.

Design Detailings: Callison designs ‘sleek’ store in Dubai

Photo courtesy of Callison

Callison's design of the Harvey Nichols' Dubai store has minimalist detailing and modern finishes.

“Sleek luxury” is the theme Callison principal Dawn Clark chose for the Harvey Nichols’ Dubai store. Callison incorporated strong structural elements, minimalist detailing, modern finishes and lighting. The mall-side façade is repeated on each of the store’s three levels and has an articulated geometric design with large show windows.

The 137,000-square-foot store has a three-level escalator lit with circular LED fixtures that shift colors. The escalator is at the heart of the store and offers glimpses onto each level.

“Our goal was to entice the customer to explore the entire store,” said Clark. Callison created rooms or halls that combine similar merchandise. Each area is delineated with its own architecture and finishes, including ceiling treatments and flooring patterns.

Flooring throughout the store is mostly hard-surface, and other surfaces include polished wood and stone. For lighting, a backlit stretch matrix ceiling system on the first floor creates a glowing, colored light.

Spend marketing money wisely

Market research may or may not be a good use of an architecture or engineering firm’s money, according to Mark Zweig of ZweigWhite Consulting.

Here are some research ideas Zweig recommends:

• A study of clients who used the firm once but didn’t come back. Try calling 25 of the clients from the past two to three years and ask them why they haven’t done any more business with you.

• A study of employees who quit the firm over the last five years. What made them leave?

• Determine who the 10 biggest potential clients are in each market you serve and get the names of decision-makers from each.

• Determine who your top five competitors are in each market you serve and build a file on each. When you hear about a job won or lost, add that to the file. When you see they hired someone you know, add that information to the file.

• Determine three additional suppliers are for everything you buy and get quotes from them, including legal services, accounting services, recruitment services, PR services, insurance, office supplies and printing.

Simon Fraser seeks design profs

The School of Interactive Arts & Technology at Simon Fraser University in Surrey, B.C., near Vancouver, is accepting applications for assistant professors and lecturers. The areas include design theory, and performance and technology.

A full description is at http://www.siat.sfu.ca/faculty_positions. For more information, contact Ron Wakkary, associate professor at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, (604) 268-7425, or ron_wakkary@sfu.ca.

Duvall plant wins APWA award

The Duvall Wastewater Treatment Plant has been named the Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association. The city of Duvall, along with primary contractor IMCO General Construction and primary consultant Parametrix, will receive the award in September.

APWA Projects of the Year awards promote management and administration excellence in public works.

The treatment facility was done in two parts. The new outfall was completed to bring effluent discharge into compliance more quickly and to expedite the permitting process. Part two included installation of site drainage adjacent to wetlands.

Construction sequencing was carefully planned and included in the contract to ensure existing facilities were operable.

Design Detailings: Denny Park Apartments wins 3 awards

Runberg Architecture Group was the designer and Rafn Construction was the general contractor for the Denny Park Apartments.

The Low Income Housing Institute's Denny Park Apartments in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood recently won three awards for its design and construction.

The 50-unit building, at 230 Eighth Ave. N., was completed by the Low Income Housing Institute in December 2005.

The project won a Gold Nugget Award of Merit last week from the Pacific Coast Builder's Conference for the Best Affordable Project for 30 dwelling units or more per acre.

Runberg Architecture Group was the designer and Rafn Construction was the general contractor.

The other two awards were the Charles A. Edson Honorable Mention for tax credit excellence from the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, and an Excellence in Construction Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors.

The Gold Nugget Award is given annually by the Pacific Coast Builder's Conference to honor achievements in design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects. The Charles A. Edson Award is presented by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition to low-income housing tax credit developments. Denny Park Apartments was recognized as an outstanding project in a metropolitan area.

The Excellence in Construction Award is given annually by the Associated Builders & Contractors of Western Washington.

Mithun wins conservation award

Mithun recently won an award from the Cascade Land Conservancy. The award was presented at the 11th annual Cascade Land Conservancy breakfast.

The New Directions in Conservation Award, sponsored by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish counties, recognizes commitment to conservation principles.

Mithun's recent projects include Portland's Lloyd Crossing district, Seattle's High Point neighborhood and the University of Washington's Nordheim Court student housing.

Design Detailings: Triad wins for Shamrock Heights

Photo courtesy of Triad Associates

Shamrock Heights was designed to be a low-impact development.

The Seattle Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers presented the 2005 Outstanding Project Awards last week. Rebecca Cushman of Triad Associates was awarded two Excellence in Design Awards in the categories of Water Resources and Site Development for her work on CamWest Development's Shamrock Heights Community in the Renton Highlands.

Shamrock Heights was designed to low-impact development standards. As project engineer, Cushman focused on developing features dealing with impervious surfaces; runoff flow and water treatment controls; and use of existing wetland buffers while considering compatibility with the local surrounding and environment, according to Triad.

Triad did site design, landscape design, civil engineering and surveying, and the Dahlin Group was the architect.

Port gets engineering award

The Port of Seattle won an engineering award for rebuilding a 1,400-foot-long wall at Fishermen's Terminal. The award was for outstanding geotechnical work and was given by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Seattle Division.

The wall was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

The $13 million project posed many engineering difficulties. Buildings were located close to the construction and the site was on 50 feet of peat soil.

The project engineer was Paul Grant of PanGeo Inc. Fred Chou was the project manager for the Port of Seattle.

Campos on AIA Diversity Committee

Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects principal Mario Campos has been selected to serve on the national American Institute of Architects Diversity Committee.

The Diversity Committee, according to AIA, aims at expanding the diversity of the design professions.

“I am not only committed to improving opportunities for minority architects in our profession, but I also believe that as architects, we are obligated to increasingly reach out to minority groups and diverse constituencies through our practice,” said Campos.

Seattle garden tour on Sunday

The E.B. Dunn Historic Garden Trust will host its second benefit tour of Northwest Seattle gardens from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The tour will feature four private estates in The Highlands.

Proceeds will benefit the Dunn Gardens, the Northwest's only in-city, Olmsted-designed residential garden open to the public.

The tour highlights manicured gardens, many with Puget Sound as a backdrop. Some gardens are on 100-year-old estates, with landscapes of at least two to four acres. Highlights include a water garden and Japanese teahouse. The tour will also include tandem Olmsted-designed Frederick Estate gardens — interconnected gardens featuring a reflection pool and pond chain cascading past a grotto.

Cost is $150. Tickets include tour, transportation, a gift bag, a hosted reception at the Dunn Gardens at the tour's conclusion and one-year membership in the E.B. Dunn Historic Garden Trust. For reservations, call (206) 362-0933 or e-mail info@dunngardens.org.

AIA open house on Friday

Environmental Works and AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable sponsor Summer Solstice Sequence open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. The event will be at 402 15th Ave. N.E.

The open house is a benefit for the AIA Seattle Student Support Fund for Diversity at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning. For more information, contact AIA Seattle at (206) 448-4938.

Design Detailings: BLRB grows a GreenTEEM

BLRB Architects, which specializes in designing educational facilities, has created GreenTEEM, an in-house group of employees accredited by the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The firm offers a LEED training program to all employees. One-fourth of its employees are LEED accredited.

In addition to educating employees, the firm is a proponent of sustainable site development, energy conservation, and the use of natural design elements and environmentally responsive materials. It also designed the first LEED certified public school in Washington.

Pacland opens Phoenix office

Pacland, a Seattle-based civil engineering and development consulting firm, recently opened its sixth office in Phoenix. Pacland opened the office to support clients who are purchasing land for master planned communities.

Mike Jackson will manage the office. “Our office will focus on Las Vegas, Tucson and Phoenix region developments,” Jackson said. “This market is just booming.”

The office will primarily operate as an owner's representative and manage consulting teams through the entitlement, design and permitting process.

AIA wants'carbon-neutral' buildings

At last week's American Institute of Architects National Convention and Design Expo, the AIA announced the U.S. Conference of Mayors has approved a resolution calling for carbon-neutral buildings by 2030.

The resolution is called the 2030 Challenge for All Buildings and it was sponsored by Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle and the mayors of Chicago, Miami and Albuquerque. It was prompted by an AIA goal of reducing the amount of energy used in new and renovated buildings to half the national average for that building type. AIA calls for increased reductions of 10 percent every five years so that all buildings designed by the year 2030 will be carbon neutral — meaning that they will use no fossil fuel energy.

The plan is to reduce the use of fossil fuels in buildings by 60 percent in 2010, 70 percent in 2015, 80 percent in 2020, 90 percent in 2025 and reach full carbon neutrality by 2030.

“As architects, we recognize our crucial role in designing a more energy efficient built environment that will pay dividends for decades to come,” said AIA President Kate Schwennsen.

BHC wins for three projects

BHC Consultants earned awards for three municipal projects in the 2006 Planning Association of Washington/American Planning Association competition. The Vision 2010 for Skykomish and the city of Port Townsend shoreline master program received Merit Awards. The city of Orting's parks, trails and open space plan received an Honorable Mention Award.

BHC helped Port Townsend become the first community in the state to adopt a shoreline master program under new state guidelines.

The Vision 2010 for Skykomish offers strategies to help local businesses survive and grow during and after the cleanup. The goal is to make the city a model of environmental restoration.

Orting's parks, trails and open space plan has expanded recreation services and upgraded facilities.

Design Detailings: Local firms display models

Seattle Architecture Foundation's ninth annual “Ideas in Form” architectural model exhibit will be open to the public in the Rainier Square Atrium's first level gallery from Saturday, June 10, through July 8. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week. Rainier Square is on Fourth Avenue, between Union and University.

The exhibit will feature more than 70 models of current work by local firms, sole practitioners and students, as well as local building projects from architects outside the Northwest.

This year's exhibit has interactive displays and educational materials. From foam and wood structures to computer generated 3-D presentations, the models will illustrate a wide range of projects — from local homes to convention centers.

D+A Studio opens Seattle office

Residential and urban design firm D+A Studio recently opened a Seattle office at 1808 Bellevue Ave., Suite 201. The firm opened an office a year ago in Friday Harbor, and has worked on large and small residential developments. There will be an open house at 5 p.m. Thursday.

D+A Studio hired project managers Sarah Marsh and Anne Hamilton, who are based in the new Seattle office. Both have studied sustainable design and are LEED accredited.

D+A Studio designed the Churchill Corner, a 26,000-square-foot mixed-use complex now under construction across from the ferry terminal in Friday Harbor.

The firm also does site planning, commercial and retail, housing and historical preservation.

Sparling to do wireless data network

Sparling was recently selected by Snohomish County to design a county-wide, high performance wireless data network for police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency management agencies.

It is the first network of its kind in the county. Sparling will perform a needs analysis for participating agencies to look at current and future requirements.

HDR takes national ACEC award

HDR received an Honor Award for the Bellevue Direct Access Project at the annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies. The awards honor innovation, expertise and ingenuity.

HDR designed the multi-interchange project to improve access on one of the state's most heavily traveled corridors, between downtown Bellevue and Interstate 405. The key phase was replacement of the Northeast Eighth Street Bridge to make room for high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

The project was completed a year ahead of schedule and $25 million below the $164 million budget. The project also was recognized by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, which named it a Pride Award winner in 2005.

Design Detailings: Alderbrook makes 'Best of 2006' list

Alderbrook Resort & Spa received honors in the Travel + Leisure magazine “The Best of 2006: The World's Greatest Hotels, Resorts, and Spas.”

CollinsWoerman designed the $12 million renovation of the Hood Canal resort in 2005.

Alderbrook was as an Editor's Pick in the United States and Canada region, in addition to being named one of the magazine's Top 100 Hotels and Resorts in the United States and Canada.

Alderbrook is managed by MTM Luxury Lodging, which also manages Cave B Inn at George and the soon-to-open Hotel 1000 in Seattle.

Design/build course June 8-9 at UW

The Design Build Institute of America will be holding a course called “Principles of Design/Build Project Delivery” June 8 and 9 at the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture.

The course focuses on teaming, and defines the roles and responsibilities of each team member. It explains the difference between prescriptive- and performance-based specifications and describes the typical components of the request for qualifications and request for proposals process.

It will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 8, and from 8 a.m. to noon on June 9. Cost is $475 for members and $775 for non-members. For more information, call Lisa Washington at (202) 682-0110 or go to http://www.dbia.org.

Beckwith inducted as fellow into AICP

The American Institute of Certified Planners has inducted Tom Beckwith, a principal with Beckwith Consulting Group of LaConner, into the College of Fellows. He was recognized at an April ceremony in San Antonio, held in conjunction with the American Planning Association's National Planning Conference.

Beckwith has done high-visibility projects with extensive public participation. He has focused on growth management strategies, project-specific plans and environmental assessments.

Aman, Letourneau newly LEED certified

Schacht Aslani Architects project managers Eric Aman, Jean-Claude Letourneau and Forrest Murphy have been certified as LEED accredited.

Aman is involved in a wind turbine farm visitor center that will be designed to LEED gold or silver standards. Letourneau is working on a new Library Media Center at Peninsula College, designed to LEED silver standards. Murphy is managing an addition and renovation at Temple Beth Am in Seattle.

Design Detailings: Software helps green designers

The U.S. Green Building Council has partnered with Greenlight Strategies to make the company's Ecologic3 software package available to council members at a reduced price.

Ecologic3 assesses the economic return of a green building investment, and works for all LEED ratings. The council said the software helps architects save money and time. The price for council members is $349.

“Ecologic3 is the first tool I'm aware of that makes it easy to understand the financial implications of building green,” said Green Building Council CEO Rick Fedrizzi.

For more information, go to USGBC.org.

GGLO design wins AIA award

The American Institute of Architects gave a national 2006 Show You're Green Award to Cabrini First Hill Apartments. It was designed by GGLO and has 50 independent living units for seniors.

Sustainable features include low-water fixtures, a central laundry and an irrigation system designed to reduce potable water use by 20 percent. The building has improved ventilation, an air barrier system, low-VOC-emitting finishes and energy saving light fixtures. EnergyStar appliances reduce utility costs.

Walsh Construction was the contractor.

'Dialogue of Cities' in Vancouver June 1-3

The University of British Columbia in Vancouver will sponsor “Dialogue of Cities: A Public Celebration of the Museum in the Metropolis and the Metropolis as Museum” June 1 through June 3. The event is co-sponsored by the International Architecture Critics Association.

Architecture critics and urban writers will explore urban issues and museum building in Mexico City, Rome, Hong Kong, Havana, Dubai, Nairobi, London, Lower Manhattan and Vancouver.

The designers and critics will include Louise Noelle Gras, Joseph Rykwert, Desmond Hui, Roberto Segre and Samia Rab. The third evening's event will be “Vancouver Viewed and Reviewed.”

The June 1 and June 2 lectures begin at 6 p.m., and the June 3 lecture begins at 5:30 with a reception. Cost is $27.75 for all three, or $12.75 for each night. For more information, go to http://www.festivalboxoffice.com or call (604) 257-0366.

Design Detailings: Perkins + Will has firm-wide green plan

Perkins+Will has created a firm-wide “Green Operations Plan” and will use the 100-page plan to educate employees, colleagues and clients on ways to improve performance and lessen environmental impacts.

A condensed version of the plan is available to the public at http://www.perkinswill.com.

The plan is broken down into six areas: transportation, water use and conservation, office energy use, office consumables, indoor air quality, and office renovation and new construction.

The effort is part of a sustainable design initiative started in 2003.

Perkins + Will has five projects that are LEED certified, and more than 20 that are registered.

Sienna moving up in Dexter Horton

Sienna Architecture Co. has moved its Seattle offices from Suite 860 to Suite 1260 of the Dexter Horton Building at 710 Second Ave. Sienna Architecture provides architectural and interior design for mixed-use, residential, retail, commercial and hospitality projects.

The new space has an open floor plan and exposed structure, and is designed to accommodate growth. The firm's phone number will remain (206) 287-1512, and its fax number is (206) 287-1531.

Anderson, Berger: new ASLA Fellows

The Washington State Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects selected Charles Anderson and Thomas Berger for induction into its Council of Fellows. The new fellows will be inducted during the ASLA annual meeting in Minneapolis in October.

As founder and principal of Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture, Anderson focuses on ecological systems. His large-scale public works include Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle (with lead architect Weiss/Manfredi Architects of New York), the Anchorage Museum of History and Art in Alaska, and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Berger has a reputation as a plantsman and founded The Berger Partnership.

His notable projects are Olympia's Washington State Department of Ecology headquarters, Seattle's Two Union Square and the REI Seattle flagship. He also collaborated on IslandWood, a School in the Woods, on Bainbridge Island.

CDi's Jonsson wins BetterBricks Award

Leslie Jonsson, a mechanical engineer and sustainability advisor at CDi Engineers, recently received the BetterBricks Award. The award is for contributing to high performance buildings.

Design Detailings: Local architects make ‘Headlines' at UW

"Headlines: Architectural Ideas in Practice" is a new exhibit at the University of Washington's Gould Hall Court. There will be an opening reception 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. The exhibit runs through May 28.

The second annual non-juried exhibit highlights architectural projects designed by Washington architects. It focuses on the architectural ideas behind works in progress, offering a glimpse of work on the boards.

The exhibit is sponsored by MulvannyG2 Architecture, with graphic design services by LMN Architects.

The opening reception is free. To attend RSVP to archrsvp@u.washington.edu. The exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

MKA takes top honor at ACEC awards

Magnusson Klemencic Associates' structural design for the 23-story Federal Courthouse in Seattle beat 162 contenders to take top honors at the national 2006 Engineering Excellence Awards.

Last week's event was sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies. MKA won the Grand Conceptor Award, ACEC's highest honor. The firm has won an ACEC national award for nine consecutive years and 15 times in the last 20 years.

The award recognized MKA's development of new structural systems. MKA used a steel plate/composite concrete shear wall system that combines steel plate wall panels, steel wide-flange beams and columns, and concrete-filled steel pipe columns to eliminate the exterior moment frame and consolidate the building's wind and earthquake-resisting systems into the core.

NBBJ was the architect and the contractor was the JA Jones. MKA's Brian Dickson was project manager.

Jim Olson to speak at Henry May 18

Architect Jim Olson of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects will offer a lecture and book signing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at The Henry Art Gallery, 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 41st Street.

Olson is known for designing spaces for art and has done work for clients with significant collections. He recently completed the Ebsworth residence, which houses a collection of 20th century American art.

Olson will discuss his design philosophy and creative process on the Ebsworth project. The project is the subject of his new book, "Art & Architecture: The Ebsworth Collection and Residence," from William Stout Publishers.

Seating is limited. For information, call (206) 221-3330.

Design Detailings: Miller, Hull win WSU alumni honor

David Miller and Robert Hull were recently honored with a Washington State University Alumni Achievement Award from the Washington State University Alumni Association at a ceremony held at the School of Architecture and Construction Management.

The founding partners of Miller/Hull Architects received their bachelor of arts in architecture from WSU in 1968.

Their projects have received more than 100 national, regional and American Institute of Architects awards in the last 25 years. In 2003, Miller/Hull was named AIA Firm of the Year, the highest award given to an architectural firm by the American Institute of Architects.

Miller and Hull are fellows of the AIA and also serve as educators, guest speakers and industry experts. Miller is a professor of architecture at the University of Washington, and worked on the WSU Shock Physics Institute on the Pullman campus. Hull has taught school construction.

Ochsner traces Seattle's design past

Seattle Architecture Foundation presents "Seattle Architecture and Urbanism 1880-1935," two free lectures from 1 to 3 p.m. May 13 and May 20. They will be held at the Central Library.

University of Washington professor and local architectural historian Jeffrey Ochsner will look at the history of architecture and urban development in Seattle and the Puget Sound region.

On May 13, Ochsner will talk about Victorian Seattle, tracing developments up to the 1930s, including the 1889 Great Fire, early 20th-century development of public institutions, the terra-cotta era, and the influence of the Arts & Crafts and Art Deco movements.

The second lecture will cover the impact of modernism from the 1930s to the present. It will include post-World War II suburban development, impact of the automobile, different interpretations of modernism, historic preservation and the energy crisis.

For information, contact the Seattle Architecture Foundation at (206) 667-9184 or info@seattlearchitecture.org.

Sustainability conference offers blog

If you have ideas about sustainability or want to find what others are thinking, follow the Architecture of Sustainability Conference's daily Web postings Thursday through Sunday.

The AIA-sponsored conference in Washington, D.C., will look at the ways sustainability has become a force in design.

To check the blog, go to architectureofsustainability.blogspot.com.