April 19, 2000

Design Detailings: AIA hosts gamut of Earth Day events

The Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects is holding a two-day Earth Day conference beginning today. The lineup of events scheduled for today include:

• From 1 to 5 p.m., a workshop on how to use environmentally conscious building standards called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, using the Seattle Center Performance Hall renovation as a case study. Tom Paladino, president of Paladino Consulting in Seattle, Lucia Athens, sustainable design and construction specialist for Seattle Public Utilities, and Tony Gale, Seattle City Architect. are the workshop leaders.

• From 6 to 7 p.m., a lecture on "biomimicry" by Janine Benyus, a life sciences writer and author of six books, including her latest -- "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired By Nature." She will describe an emerging science that seeks sustainable solutions by mimicking nature's designs and processes -- solar cells that mimic leaves, agriculture that looks like a prairie, businesses that run like a redwood forest.

Some of the events planned for Thursday, April 20 are:

• From noon to 1 p.m., a lecture about "building intelligence" and sustainable design by Alisdair McGregor, a principal and mechanical engineer with Ove Arup & Partners in California.

• From 3 to 5 p.m., Chris Webb, civil engineer and principal of 2020 Engineering, talks about "spawning great ideas for construction." Webb will summarize the current regulations for fish and their relevance to construction. Using case studies, he will talk about "green development" techniques and regulatory issues.

• From 6 to 8 p.m., a panel discussion, "What makes it green?" The panelists are Lynne Barker, Sellen Construction Co.'s sustainable construction manager, Mark Frankel, an architect who works for Seattle-based Ecotope Inc., Alisdair McGregor, principal and mechanical engineer with Ove Arup & Partners, Paul Olsen, an architect with Jones & Jones in Seattle, and David Rousseau, an environmental building design consultant in British Columbia. The panel will talk about built and unbuilt projects from around the region.

All events will take place in the Dome Room, second floor, in the Arctic Building, 700 Third Ave. in downtown Seattle. For information about the schedule and cost, contact AIA Seattle at (206) 448-4938 or visit the organization's Web site.

Artist for new Civic Center holds workshop

Beliz Brother, lead artist for Seattle's new City Hall and civic plaza, will host a public workshop on Friday, April 21, to discuss the cultural aspects of the project and how artwork can be integrated into the design.

The workshop will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Dome Room of the Arctic Building on Third Avenue and Cherry Street.

In formulating her cultural plan for the Civic Center project, Brother said she would like to consider the full range of Seattle's cultural life ranging from visual art displays to poetry readings to presentations of dance pieces. Attendees are encouraged to bring bag lunches to each event. For more information, call (206) 233-3905.

SMPS looks at client connections

The Seattle chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services is holding its most popular luncheon talk, "Client connections: making the most of your marketing and business development efforts," on Thursday, April 27. Guests include representatives from the Port of Seattle, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, city of Seattle, Washington State Department of Transportation, Immunex Corp., Federal Aviation Administration, the state Department of Corrections, University of Washington Capital Projects, Port of Tacoma and Quadrant.

The luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington Athletic Club. The cost is $35 for SMPS members, $40 for member firms and $45 for nonmember firms. Fax reservations to Tosha Vandegrift at (425) 861-6050. For more information, visit the SMPS Web site at http://www.smpsseattle.org.

AGI offers presentation about oil spill cleanup

AGI Technologies on Thursday, April 27 will discuss its cleanup project in Spokane for the Avista Corp. AGI provided design/build services for the project, which was a Merit winner in this year's Excellence in Engineering Awards, sponsored by the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington. The keynote speaker will be Dave Ashcorn, engineering and construction manager for AGI.

Located in Spokane's business district, the project involved the cleanup of an estimated 70,000 gallons of oil that had leaked from underground storage tanks. The successful remediation allowed for commercial development of the site, which now features 74,000 square feet of retail and office space.

The luncheon, organized by the CECW and the Seattle Engineers Club, will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Rock Salt Steakhouse, 1232 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle. The cost is $20 for CECW members, $25 for nonmembers and $15 for CECW life members or retired engineers. Call (206) 623-5936 to register.

Talk on campus master planning

On Thursday, April 20, the University of Washington's college of architecture and urban planning will feature a case study about master planning for academic projects.

Linda Dalton, professor of city and regional planning, will talk about strategies for campus master planning, using California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo as a case study. Dalton, who is also the Vice Provost for institutional planning at Cal Poly, publishes regularly on planning theory and related topics in professional and academic journals.

The lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium, room 147, of Architecture Hall on the UW campus.

Office Max under construction in Oak Harbor

Construction has begun on the $3 million new Office Max in Oak Harbor, designed by Weber + Thompson Architects of Seattle. The 23,500-square-foot, concrete tilt-up structure is expected to be completed in August.

Construction Associates of Mountlake Terrace is the general contractor. L&N Properties is the developer and owner. The same project team is also working together on a 71-unit luxury condominium project at Meydenbauer Bay in Bellevue called the Astoria.