3 win scholarships from SMPS chapter

The Society of Marketing Professional Services Seattle Chapter has selected Celena Wiggins, Catherine Poshusta and Evan Stoll to win its 2007 undergraduate scholarships. They will be recognized at an event June 26 at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle.

Wiggins is from Issaquah and will attend North Park University in Chicago this fall to major in advertising. Poshusta plans to graduate from the University of Washington in 2008 with a degree in civil engineering. Stoll is from Woodinville and will major in business administration at the University of Washington.

SMPS Seattle funded the scholarship through its annual poker tournament and donations.

BLRB wins awards from CSI chapter

The Construction Specifications Institute Mount Rainier Chapter gave its Firm Appreciation Award to BLRB Architects for its support of meetings and education programs. BLRB principal Dennis Kabba is the new chapter president. Senior associate Kit Burnswon the Chapter Education Award for Leadership.

CSI creates standards and formats to improve construction documents.

Good Shepherd Center turns 100

Historic Seattle, owner and manager of the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford, will celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary at a free community event Sunday, July 22, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. in Wallingford.

The center is a city landmark and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Come Back to 1907” will include live period music, costumed guests, ice cream and lemonade.

The Italianate-style building was designed by Breitung and Buchinger, with rusticated brick, Corinthian capitals and a statue of The Good Shepherd above the main entrance. It was operated as a home for “orphaned and wayward girls” by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Historic Seattle acquired it from the city in 1977 and converted it into a community center.

3 libraries win design awards

The Washington Council of the American Institute of Architects honored the architects of three Seattle Public Library branches with 2007 Civic Design Awards.

The Douglass-Truth Branch and Schacht Aslani Architects won the Honor Award for design excellence, creative risk-taking and problem-solving. Merit Awards went to the South Park Branch and Johnston Architects, and the Northgate Branch and The Miller/Hull Partnership. The Northgate branch includes an adjacent community center and park.

The 1914 Douglass-Truth Branch more than doubled in size to 16,500 square feet, with a modern addition that jurors said is both sensitive and provocative.

Jurors said the new 5,000-square-foot South Park Branch uses warm materials and simple forms to create a welcoming place.

The new 10,000-square-foot Northgate Branch, community center and park provide green space and a place for community interaction.

The branches were built through the $196 million Libraries for All bond measure.

Conference here on preservation July 12

Historic Seattle, along with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and other groups, will sponsor a one-day conference July 12 on “Incentives for Historic Preservation” in Seattle.

It will cover creative ways to use preservation and rehabilitation tools, including low income housing credits and new markets tax credits. National and local experts will give examples of churches, industrial buildings, hotels, department stores and other historic buildings that were preserved for commercial and residential purposes.

It is targeted at developers, owners, investors, lenders, government officials, lawyers, consultants and nonprofits.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Washington Athletic Club. Cost is $295, with discounts for registration by June 15. For information and registration contact the Institute for Professional and Executive Development, 401 Ninth St. N.W., Washington, DC 20004. Phone (800) 473-3293 or e-mail info@ipedinc.net. The Web address is http://www.ipedinc.net/conferences.

WATG scholarship goes to UW grad

University of Washington graduate Ben Brady won the George J. Wimberly Design Internship & Travel Scholarship offered by the Seattle office of Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo.

This is the first year the internship and travel scholarship has been awarded through the UW Department of Architecture in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP).

It goes to help an individual with a focus on hospitality, leisure and entertainment architecture. The winner works in the Seattle office of WATG for one year after graduation and gets a $6,000 scholarship for travel after the internship.

Brady worked last summer at a design firm in Japan and studied abroad in Italy. He also was part of a UW team that entered a WATG-sponsored international design competition on the future of hotels. The late George J. “Pete” Wimberly was a graduate of the UW's college of architecture.

AEI wins the bike commute challenge

Coffman Engineers challenged Affiliated Engineers and KPFF Consulting Engineers to a friendly competition during National Bike to Work Month to see which firm's employees could log the most miles commuting by bike.

Affiliated Engineers won the Westlake Center Engineers' Challenge with more than 30 miles per employee.

Here were some of the rules: No motorized bikes. Only miles actually ridden on a bike counted, as opposed to miles a bike was transported on a bus bike rack. Helmets required.

Totals were based on the sum of all accumulated miles divided by the total number of active employees in the office.

Coffman, AEI and KPFF biked a total of 7,500 miles during the challenge.

IIDA in Spokane picks Saunders

Gloria Saunders has been chosen director of the Inland Northwest City Center by the Northern Pacific Chapter of the International Interior Design Association. City centers are groups of IIDA members in a particular area who organize and deliver programs of interest to members.

The City Center will focus on the design community in Spokane and northwestern Idaho.

Saunders is an interior designer at Design Source in downtown Spokane. The Inland Northwest City Center is starting to plan summer events. To get involved, contact Saunders at gloria@design-source-inc.com.

CWU wins award for student center

The Association of College Unions International gave the Seattle architecture firm Ambia and Central Washington University the 2007 ACUI Facility Design Award of Excellence for the $58 million Student Union and Recreation Center.

Projects are judged on appearance, the design process and how they impact the campus.

The 228,000-square-foot center opened in 2006. The building is oriented around an interior pedestrian mall. It has a 1,000-seat ballroom, 345-seat theater, climbing wall, four basketball courts and fitness areas.

The center also received an Oustanding Sports Facility Award from the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association.

ASHRAE award for CDi Engineers

CDi Engineers recently won a Regional Technology Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers for innovation and technology in design.

First Place in New Health Care Facilities went to Norm Brown, Todd Bovey and Leslie Jonsson for work on a new central plant for Providence Portland Medical Center in Portland. Richard Gerber was CDi’s project manager for the project. The project previously received First Place in New Health Care Facilities in the ASHRAE Puget Sound Chapter Technology Award competition.

CDi Engineers is a mechanical consulting engineering firm headquartered in Lynnwood.

Mithun is finalist for Stevie Award

The Seattle-based architecture and urban planning firm Mithun is a finalist for a Stevie Award, which were created to recognize the contributions of companies and business people worldwide. Beginning with The American Business Awards in 2002, the mission is to raise the profile of exemplary companies and individuals.

Mithun’s competition for Best Overall Company Up to 2,500 Employees includes Talisma Corp. of Bellevue and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Winners will be announced June 11.

TVA is picked for OU stadium team

TVA Architects was selected by the University of Oregon as lead design architect on a major renovation of Hayward Field in preparation for the 2008 Track and Field Olympic Trials.

TVA will work with Kansas City-based Ellerbe Becket Architects and track and field expert Don Paige.

The goal is to upgrade the stadium while preserving elements of its past. Work includes a new field events layout, track surface, lights and video board.

McKenzie Commercial Contractors is the general contractor, Balhizer & Hubbard Engineers will handle civil engineering and electrical. CMGS is the landscape architect.

Springwood center wins design award

The Springwood Youth Center in Kent won the Editor's Choice Award for Innovative Architecture and Design by Recreation Management Magazine.

The $3.4 million center opened in 2006 and was designed by ARC Architects. Construction was overseen by the King County Housing Authority, with Briere and Associates as general contractor.

The awards recognize projects that raise the bar for recreational design.

The center replaced a cramped, dark structure built in the early 1970s. It is located on the East Hill of Kent in the Springwood Apartments complex, a 321-unit public housing development owned and managed by the King County Housing Authority.

It has a gym with a stage, kitchen, and classrooms for computers, arts and crafts, and tutoring.

Target honors MulvannyG2

MulvannyG2 Architecture was recognized by Target's Property Design Group as one of the company's Outstanding Consultants of the Year for innovation. The MulvannyG2 team was recognized for cost savings and project management.

The firm designed 30 stores for Target in 2006, and provides due diligence, master planning, conceptual design and architectural design services for Target in the United States.

Marketing Associates meeting in Spokane

Marketing Associates of Spokane will meet June 14 at the Red Lion River Inn in Spokane at noon. The topic of the meeting is “A 101 Financial Presentation on A/E/C Fees, Costs and Budgets,” with guest speakers Jim Harakas, senior principal at GeoEngineers, and Karl Kolb, principal at Coffman Engineers.

For membership information or to make a reservation contact MAS Vice President Leslie White at (509) 328-2994 ext. 703 or e-mail white@coffman.com. Cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Reservations are due by 11 a.m. on the Monday prior to the meeting.

AIA Seattle gives awards Saturday

AIA Seattle will give its highest award, the AIA Seattle Medal, to Jim Olson of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen. He and other award winners will be recognized for their achievement and for advancing architecture at the AIA Seattle Honors Dinner on Saturday, starting at 6 p.m. at the Palace Ballroom, 2100 Fifth Ave.

The other AIA Seattle award winners are artist Linda Beaumont, who has collaborated extensively with architects; Patricia Chase of International Sustainable Solutions for her work educating local political and business leaders about sustainable design; developer Liz Dunn, who creates innovative neighborhood-based multifamily housing; Kate Joncas, president of the Downtown Seattle Association; developer William Justen, who has worked in the public and private sectors to build multifamily and mixed-use housing in Seattle; and landscape architect Barbara Swift, who has collaborated with architects on award-winning projects.

The Allied Organization Award will go to the Seattle Art Museum for its positive impact on the city with the downtown expansion and the sculpture park. The Community Service Award goes to Seattle City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck for his work on civic issues, and for bringing architects and public officials together.

The Special Recognition Award goes to Steve Arai, who died last year, for his leadership at the AIA, and his work to increase diversity and expand contracting opportunities for women and minorities.

Denver honors ZGF for EPA headquarters

The Downtown Denver Partnership gave Zimmer Gunsul Frasca and Opus Northwest an award for design and development work on the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 8 headquarters.

The partnership said the design “sets the standard for future sustainable office development in downtown Denver.”

The 290,000-square-foot building earned LEED gold certification. It has an under-floor air distribution system, architectural solar controls to reduce heat gain and the first Green Grid roof system in Colorado. The roof helps manage stormwater and reduce the urban heat island effect. Construction equipment was fueled by biodiesel, and more than 75 percent of the waste was recycled and diverted from landfills.

Zimmer Gunsul was the design architect. Opus was the architect of record and developer for the General Services Administration.

6 firms win awards for military projects

Six firms recently received awards from the Society of American Military Engineers Seattle Post (SAME) for projects in large and small business categories.

Gold award winners were KPFF Consulting Engineers for the CVN Dry Dock 6 floor repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and ECH Architecture for design of the U.S. Coast Guard's new Seattle Shore Operations Building in collaboration with Howard S. Wright Construction Co.

Silver award winners were: Reid Middleton for the P301 Bachelor's Enlisted Quarters Parking Garage at Naval Base Bremerton, a design-build project with Marpac Construction; Wood Harbinger for the P-350 Industrial Wastewater Pretreatment Facility at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard; AKS P.S. for the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Command Center Renovation in Valdez, Alaska.

WJA Design Collaborative received awards for two design/build projects: the 726th Air Control Squadron Operations and Maintenance Complex at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, with Record Steel Construction, and the Whole Barracks Renewal program continuation at Fort Lewis with Absher Construction.

The annual awards banquet is also the post's annual scholarship fund raffle. This year, a record $3,000 was raised from prizes donated by member firms.

International District board has opening

There is an open position on the city's seven-member International Special Review District Board. The city is encouraging Seattle residents to apply if they have an architectural background, an interest in historic preservation or familiarity with the Chinatown International District.

The board reviews facade alterations, signs, new construction, changes of use and street improvements in the district. The goal is to maintain the character and cultural heritage as well as improve the economic climate.

The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.

Send a letter of interest and resume by June 1 to rebecca.hansen@seattle.gov and reference International Special Review District Board in the subject line.

The mailing address is Rebecca Hansen, Mayor's Office, Box 94749, Seattle 98124-4749.

For more information, call Rebecca Frestedt at (206) 684-0226.

Design Detailings

Candela principal speaks at Lightfair

Mary Claire Frazier of Candela will speak on integrated lighting solutions for architecture on May 9 at Lightfair International, an annual architectural and commercial lighting conference in New York City.

Frazier will talk about unseen light sources, light distribution and selecting the right fixture.

The conference is expected to draw more than 20,000 architectural, engineering, design and other professionals.

Marysville-Getchell school wins award

The National School Board Association gave the design for the Marysville-Getchell High School a citation in the 2007 Exhibition of School Architecture. Jurors called DLR Group’s design “well conceived, non-traditional and refreshing.”

The 190,000-square-foot school will be built on a 43-acre site and serve 1,600 students in grades nine through 12. The Marysville School District’s goal is to open it in the next couple of years.

The school will be divided into four small learning communities, each with a different mission and focus. Each learning community will have a three-story shell and core building with interior walls that can be changed to meet educational needs. The four will be arrayed around a commons building, which houses shared functions such as fitness space, kitchen, commons/café and support spaces.

CALA wins award for sculpture park

Seattle-based Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture won an award for the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The honor design award was for its work with Weiss/Manfredi Architects of New York.

Charles Anderson will be recognized at the ASLA annual meeting in San Francisco in October.

Nearly 80,000 Pacific Northwest plants in the park have been arranged into four precincts that relate to the region’s ecological patterns: the Valley, the Meadow, the Grove and the Shore. A zig-zagging Greensward connects the precincts.

Over the past five years, CALA has won a series of design awards from the ASLA, including for the Arthur Ross Terrace at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Trillium Projects in Seattle and the Mount St. Helen’s National Volcanic Monument.

NB Design works on ms Eurodam

Staterooms and suites on the new ms Eurodam luxury liner were designed by Seattle-based NB Design Group. The rooms are designed to be elegant and calming, replacing floral schemes used in the past.

Nancy Burfiend is principal designer and founder of NB Design Group.

Lead designer on the project is My Nguyen, who worked in the Holland America Line fleet department until joining NB Design Group in 2004.

Eurodam is scheduled to debut in June 2008.