November 29, 2000

Design Detailings: SDC honors Mithun, Buffalo Design

Designers from Mithun and from Buffalo Design tied to win the top award in commercial projects from the Seattle Design Center.

Interior view of the new office of Planned Parenthood of Western Washington designed by Mithun.

Elizabeth MacPherson and Lisa Herriott of Seattle-based Mithun were honored for their design of the administrative headquarters in Seattle of Planned Parenthood of Western Washington. The judges liked the "sophisticated design and resourceful problem-solving, including creative elements at work in the space that produce a calming atmosphere."

Chris Carlson, Lisa Roberts and Lisa Scribante of Seattle-based Buffalo Design won the award for their design of Kennewick Library. The judges praised the "excellent use of space and the playful, inventive use of materials ... the use of color and how it worked with the surrounding landscape."

The Seattle Design Center's second annual awards gala recognized interior design professionals whose work has made a significant contribution to the design industry. The judges were Fred Albert, editor of Seattle Homes and Lifestyles magazine, Andrea Gibson, president-elect of the Washington state chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, Alison Peacock, editor of Metropolitan Living magazine, and Norm Strong, president of the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

TVA to design Spokane high rise

Spokane developer Wendell Reugh and project coordinator Kiemle & Hagood Co. selected Thompson Vaivoda & Associates Architects of Portland to design the city of Spokane's first high-rise office tower in 20 years. The tower will be built at Howard and Riverside, the current site of the Mohawk and Rookery Buildings and the Merton Block.

Spokane's largest law firm, Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller is the future anchor tenant of the building and is working closely with the developers and architects in the planning of the building.

TVA's most recently completed high-rise office tower is the 27-story Fox Tower in downtown Portland. The new building, which recently opened to the public, houses three floors of retail space, parking and offices.

The firm has also designed several corporate campuses. These include the 1.2-million-square-foot north campus expansion for Nike in Beaverton, Ore., and Ericsson Village, the 1.5-million-square-foot campus in Plano, Texas, for Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications company.

Interface purchases Calif. firm

Portland-based Interface Engineering, a mechanical and electrical engineering firm, has purchased EE Consulting, a five-year-old Sacramento company. All employees of EE Consulting have been hired by Interface and will work in its Sacramento office. Interface also has offices in Kirkland and Salem, Ore.

"This acquisition by Interface was one that made sense for a variety of reasons, one being that our firms share a common view on what is important in the business of engineering. We agree that a hands-on approach, attention to detail, knowing the project and close communication with clients are the fundamentals of a successful firm," saidOmid Nabipoor, president of Interface.

Earth Tech acquires Calgary firm

In an effort to expand its reach to western Canada, Earth Tech has acquired Reid Crowther, an Alberta, Calgary engineering firm.

Diane Creel, president of Earth Tech, said, "Reid Crowther is a dominant force in the water management, transportation and infrastructure development of Canada. There is an excellent fit between the Earth Tech and Reid Crowther. We have similar cultural and business practices; only the geography is different." Reid Crowther will operate under the Earth Tech name.

Based in Long Beach, Calif., the environmental engineering firm Earth Tech is part of Tyco Flow Control, which is one of major business units of Tyco International Ltd. Tyco Flow Control designs, manufactures and services water-system infrastructure, and provides environmental, consulting and remediation services.

Design/build in the public sector

The director of planning for Snohomish County Community Transit, John Sindzinski, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, will present a case study of a major design/build project. He will discuss the Kasch Park Operating Base, a $3.5 million, 35,000-square-foot vehicle maintenance facility for Community Transit.

The discussion will be held from 7-9 a.m. at the University Plaza Hotel in Seattle. The cost is $21.50 by today and $25 thereafter. For more information, call the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington at (206) 623-5936.

Society at sea?

A Norwegian shipping executive is planning to build the world's first-ever homes on the sea, aboard a 12-deck cruise ship called ResidenSea. The residential cruise ship is the brainchild of Knut U. Kloster, former chairman of Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Viking Line.

According to "News of Norway," a newsletter published by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the 630-foot vessel would contain 110 private residences and 88 guest suites. The homes would range from two to three bedrooms, encompassing 1,114 to 3,200 square feet with living and dining areas, a full kitchen and a terrace. Other amenities include spas, restaurants and cafes, golf driving ranges, tennis courts, swimming pools, cultural seminars and art exhibits.

ResidenSea would visit 140 ports in 40 countries, making her maiden voyage from Oslo. The cruise ship's itinerary would be timed to coincide with international events such as the British Open in Edinburgh, Wimbledon in England, the Cannes Film Festival, the Monaco Grand Prix and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Fosen Mek Verksteder in Risa, Norway, is constructing the ship, which is scheduled for completion in 2001.

"40 Architects Under 40"

Who are the Norman Fosters, Richard Meiers and Tadao Andos of tomorrow? Who will build our airports, museums and homes in the 21st century? The new book, "40 Architects Under 40 (Taschen)," by Jessica Cargill Thompson highlights young architects considered to have designed the best and most groundbreaking work.

In 576 pages, with 800 illustrations, "40 Architects Under 40" alphabetically lists each architect or firm, with each entry featuring biographical and bibliographical information, as well as text highlighting each designer's most important works to date. The publisher's cost of the book is $39.99.Shigeru Ban of Japan,UN Studio of the Netherlands are some of the architects featured. No Seattle architects made the list.

Author Cargill Thompson is based in London and writes for the international lifestyle magazine Wallpaper as well as Space and Time Out magazines.

CTS merges with Oregon firm

CTS Engineers of Bellevue has merged with Stein Engineering, a Beaverton, Ore., company specializing in transportation engineering and planning. Principal owner and founder Richard Stein is the new branch manager of the Beaverton office of CTS. He recently completed the campus plan and signal improvements for the Beaverton Library and the new medical office building for the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver.

CTS specializes in civil, transportation, structural engineering and surveying services, and is a certified women's and disadvantaged business enterprise in Washington and Oregon.

As a result of the merger, CTS opened its second office, located in Hillsboro, Ore. The firm has been in operation for 20 years.

First look at Greenwood Library

The first images of the new $6.4 million Greenwood public library will be shown at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at a meeting of the Greenwood Community Council. The design of the 15,000-square-foot library will be presented by representatives from the Seattle Public Library and architects from Buffalo Design at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave. N.

The library board of trustees selected the site now occupied by McDonald's at North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North as the location for the new library. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2001, and the library is scheduled to open in 2002.

For more information about the presentation, callDoug Bailey, project manager, at (206) 386-4173, or visit the Web site www.spl.org.

Neighborhood matching funds

The city of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods is sponsoring a workshop on Saturday, Dec. 2, about its neighborhood-matching funds program. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Seattle Central Community College, 1701 Broadway. The cost is $5, payable at the door. The sessions include tips and lessons learned from neighborhood leaders about what strategies work to secure funding for neighborhood-improvement projects.

For more information, call the Department of Neighborhoods at (206) 684-0464.