September 20, 2000

Design Detailings: Civil engineering expo Oct. 18-21

The American Society of Civil Engineers is inviting all civil engineers and interested individuals to "Passages to Century 21: A Civil Engineering Conference and Exposition," to be held Oct. 18-21 at the Washington State Convention Center.

This event will feature the installation of Robert Bein as ASCE national president, keynote speaker David Macaulay -- acclaimed author, illustrator and host of the new PBS mini-series "Building Big"-- and the state's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation.

For registration information, go to http://www.asce.org/conferences/convention00.

Registration fees vary based on the number of days attending conference. Full registration is $575 by Sept. 23 and $655 on-site conference day. Daily registration is $195 by Sept. 23 and $200 on site.

Harris Group re-engineers itself

The Harris Group, among the largest engineering firms based in the Pacific Northwest, is in the midst of major ownership and organizational changes, company officials said.

With nearly 500 employees, the Seattle-based firm is being restructured in five strategic business units: energy, forest industries, industrial manufacturing, microelectronics and telecommunications. The organization had served more than a dozen industries in the past. CEO Bob Harris said the company would maintain all six current offices under the new plan and assign staff at each office to appropriate business units.

The Harris Group is also in the midst of leadership and ownership changes. Now 64, Bob Harris plans to gradually step away while new company leaders take ownership. Leading this group is President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Thompson. Currently, there are 28 employee owners; the company will add more employee owners annually, based on merit.

Thompson says the biggest risk, and largest potential area of growth, is the new telecommunications business unit. He believes the phenomenal growth and maturation of the telecommunications industry provides a tremendous opportunity for the firm.

The firm was ranked the sixth fastest growing A/E/C firm in the country by The Zweig Letter, an industry publication.

Central Library arts planner replaced

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees has selected Jessica Cusick and Rick Lowe to be arts planners for the new $159 million Central Library in downtown Seattle.

Cusick and Lowe replace Nancy Spector, who withdrew as arts planner after she was asked to spearhead the Guggenheim Museum's new partnership with the Hermitage Museum in Russia. According to the Seattle Public Library, Spector considered doing both jobs, but decided the Central Library needed someone who could devote significant time to the project.

Cusick, who has a broad background in public art and urban design, runs a Los Angeles-based consulting firm that specializes in civic art and community development initiatives. While director of civic art and design for The Cultural Arts Council in Houston, she developed Houston Framework, a plan to identify civic art to improve Houston's environment. Lowe, founder of Project Row Houses in Houston, has for years actively explored the relationship between art and community.

The budget for the arts program is $900,000.

Library to hold SEPA hearing

The Seattle Public Library board of trustees will hold a hearing on new State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) procedures that will allow the library to act as lead agency for library actions. The hearing is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Lee Auditorium, third floor.

The procedures include rules for: appointing a library official responsible for SEPA matters, sharing lead agency status and for managing environmental review of all library projects subject to SEPA.

The draft procedures are available on request from the Library Capital Program office, located at the Central Library, fifth floor. For more information, contact Faith Lumsden, who is the library's consultant in charge of drafting the procedures, at (360) 321-5474 or e-mail flumsden@whidbey.com.

Mithun changes name

Formerly known as Mithun Partners Inc. Architecture, Planning, Interior Design, the firm will now be known as Mithun Architects + Designers + Planners.

Mithun, which earlier this year moved its offices to Pier 56 on Seattle's downtown waterfront, said the new name and brand better reflect the collaboration of its 165 employees.

The Seattle-based firm's current slate of projects include the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center on Bainbridge Island and the Pacific Northwest Aquarium, which it is designing in association with Terry Farrell & Partners of London.