August 30, 2000

Design Detailings: Milbor-Pita gets Union Pacific job

Milbor-Pita & Associates has received a contract from Union Pacific Railroad for investigation, design, bid package preparation and construction monitoring services for clearance improvement work at more than 20 rail tunnels along the Interstate-5 corridor in Oregon and California.

Leading the job will be the firm's project manager, Gerald Millar, who has extensive tunnel design, rehabilitation and repair experience on rail, highway and hydroelectric tunnels throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America and South America.

Milbor-Pita geotechnical engineering firm based in Bellevue.

Boxwood wins prize for corporate identity program

Seattle architectural firm Boxwood was awarded first place in the corporate identity category of the Society for Marketing Professional Services' Marketing Communication Awards. The annual awards program recognizes outstanding marketing pieces created by architectural, engineering and construction firms nationwide.

Boxwood's corporate identity program was awarded for its consistency, creativity, flexibility and adherence to "green" criteria, including the choice of paper that is processed chlorine free and contains 100 percent post-consumer waste.

The award was presented at the SMPS National Conference in Austin earlier this month. The new firm name and identity, designed by graphic/Web site design firm Plow Creative in collaboration with Boxwood, was launched in April of this year.

Trade center issues call for artists

The Washington State Convention & Trade Center Art Foundation is soliciting slides from artists who wish to compete for the design and execution of an exterior work of art at the Pike Street entrance of the facility.

The budget for the completed project is $200,000. The deadline for initial submissions is Oct. 2. Foundation members envision a work of art that might incorporate light, color and low-volume water. Three to five finalists will be selected by Nov. 30. The finalists will each receive $5,000 to develop a site-specific work of art. They will be brought to Seattle in April 2001 at the foundation's expense to present their proposals to the panel. The project will be awarded to one of the artists shortly thereafter.

The criteria for submission are posted on www.wsctc.com. For more information, contact Sharon Ducey at (206) 694-5000 or e-mail sducey@wsctc.com.

Meier employee passes engineers' exam

Cliff Berkey of Meier Enterprises has recently passed the state engineers' exam and is now a licensed professional engineer. He has been working with the Kennewick-based architectural and engineering firm for two years, managing numerous industrial projects.

Artist chosen for High Point Library

Artist Steven Gardner has been chosen by the Seattle Public Library to design artwork for the new High Point Library.

The art budget for the new library is $28,918. Located at the corner of 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Graham Street, the 7,000-square-foot library is scheduled to open next year.

Hired by King County Metro and the county Arts Commission, Gardner created "The Vine," a ceramic relief sculpture set into adjacent bus shelters at 23rd Avenue and Yesler Way. The sculpture is made up of 64 ceramic panels, including 28 "story panels" that depict the cultural history of the Central Area. Examples of his work can be viewed online at http://www.w-link.net/~sgardner/art/.

Exhibit to showcase architecture by women

The Association for Women in Architecture on Friday, September 22 is opening its exhibit, "Women Projects," which celebrates the work and influence of women in the profession.

The event begins at 6 p.m. aboard the Kalakala, a 1935 ferry docked at Lake Union. Peter Bevis, president of the Kalakala Foundation, will lead a tour of this historic ship. Following the tour, a reception and exhibit will be held at 7 p.m. in the Lake Union Café on 3119 Eastlake Ave. E.

Donations and project submissions are being sought for the event. Ticket prices are $20 for nonmembers, $18 for students and $15 for AWA members. All proceeds will go to the Kalakala Foundation to complete its restoration efforts. The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, Sept. 18. For more information, e-mail Tami Chen at tamichen@hotmail.com or call (206) 675-9100.

Family picnic and climb at Seattle Chinese Garden

The public is invited to be among the first to take a guided walk that will introduce the elements of the 6.3-acre Seattle Chinese Garden at the "Climbing High Day" family picnic and membership drive on Saturday, Sept. 9.

Commonly celebrated at this time of the year, Climbing High Day is the day when Chinese traditionally climbed the mountains to reach the clouds, renewing their health and spirit after the hardships of the harvest.

The family picnic will take place from 11:30 am to 2:30 p.m. at the Seattle Chinese Garden at South Seattle Community College, 6000 16th Ave. S.W. Guests are advised to bring their own picnic lunch. Beverages and dessert will be provided. The suggested donation for the event is $3 per person or $8 per family. For reservations, call (206) 932-3236 by Sept. 6.

Artists sought for King County projects

The King County Public Art Program is seeking artists for two projects: an environmental laboratory on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle and the Overlake Transit Oriented Development in Redmond. The application deadline for both projects is Sept. 18.

The project budget for the environmental lab is $30,000. The county and Seattle architect The Miller/Hull Partnership are interested in commissioning an artist whose work can tell the story of the region's water quality and will contribute to the educational nature of the facility. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division is developing a 13,200-square-foot addition to the environmental lab, which provides services to the county's Department of Natural Resources. For more information, contact Cath Brunner at (206) 296-8680, e-mail: cath.brunner@metrokc.gov.

The art budget for the Transit Oriented Development is $125,000. King County and Hewitt Architects, a Seattle firm, are seeking an artist whose work will focus on the transit portion of the multi-use facility. Residents of the new 300-unit complex will receive bus passes as an amenity to encourage transit use. For more information, contact Barbara Luecke at (206) 296-4137, e-mail:barbara.luecke@metrokc.gov.

Unnamed donor gives OSU $20M

An anonymous donor has given the engineering college at Oregon State University a $20 million gift of stock. The contribution is the largest that both the engineering college and the university have ever received.

The donor is a graduate of OSU, university officials said. The donation will boost the university's campaign to raise $120 million for the College of Engineering. The fund-raising effort is in response to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber's demand that state universities double their number of engineering graduates in the next five years. About 17 percent of the OSU's undergraduates -- about 2,750 students -- are enrolled in the engineering program, a higher enrollment than any of the university's other colleges.