March 29, 2000

Design Detailings: City seeks public comment on Civic Center

The city of Seattle is holding an informal public design discussion about the $226 million Civic Center. The discussion, "How to Enliven an Open Space Downtown," will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4 in Key Tower, 42nd floor, 700 5th Ave. in Seattle.

Peter Bohlin, lead architect for the new City Hall, and other members of the Civic Center project team will be available to answer questions and hear public comment.

Attendees are encouraged to bring bag lunches to the event.

CECW looks at benchmarking

The Consulting Engineers Council of Washington state is holding a breakfast discussion about financial and workforce benchmarking for small firms. The talk takes place from 7 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5 at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. Keynote speaker John Pruitt will discuss which type of benchmarking is most relevant for engineering firms and how to interpret and use such information.

Registration is $22 per person. To register, call the CECW at (206) 623-5936.

Noise study workshop at Boeing Field

King County International Airport is holding an open house to inform the public about its noise and land use compatibility study, called a Part 150.

The open house will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5 at KCIA/Boeing Field, 7299 Perimeter Rd. in Seattle.

The Part 150 study identifies potential solutions to address the noise impacts from the airport. Maps of noise contours, flight tracks and other graphics will be available to the public for review.

For more information about the study or to be placed on the study mailing list, contact Clare Impett, (206) 296-7426. Information about the project is also available on the Internet.

CNA splits from parent firm

Mark Woerman and Arlan Collins, partners of CNA Architecture, have purchased the Bellevue-based architectural firm from parent company, CNA Companies. The buyout involved their purchase of shares from Larry Cook, the owner of CNA Companies, a consulting engineering and information technology firm.

Woerman and Collins joined CNA Architecture in 1988. The firm, which specializes in commercial, high-tech and healthcare projects, has about 60 employees and expects to add eight to ten architects this year. Its projects include Sammamish Park Place in Issaquah and Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue.

Mahlum Architects acquires Portland firm

Mahlum Architects has acquired Michael & Kuhns Architects, a Portland architectural firm known for its work in student and low-income housing. Mahlum Architects, founded in 1938, has offices in Seattle and Portland.

The acquisition formalizes an understanding the two firms reached a year ago to join forces and market their services together. Both firms have experience designing academic buildings and senior housing facilities.

Mahlum's current projects include the design of a five-building student housing complex at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., the renovation of Coe Elementary School in Seattle and an assisted living facility for the Sisters of Providence in Spokane.

Founded in 1969, Michael & Kuhns has completed more than 300 projects in five states, including award-winning projects, such as the Goodwill Industries headquarters building in Portland, student housing at the University of Alaska and the Houser Terrace project in Renton.

UW offers professional programs for engineers

The University of Washington is offering several courses in its Professional Engineering Practice Liaison Program. The PEPL course calendar can be found online. Locations vary; call (206) 543-5539 for more information.

• "Hydrologic Modeling and Design of Retention/Detention Facilities," 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., April 5-7. Early registration is $510 ; regular tuition is $545."Design and Retrofit of Culverts for Fish Passage in the Northwest," 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., April 26 and 27. Early registration is $345; regular tuition is $375.

• "New Technologies and Concepts in Stormwater Treatment," 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., May 8 and 9 and repeated May 11 and 12. Early registration is $365; regular tuition is $395.

• "Seismic Hazard Analysis for Constructed Facilities," 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., May 19 and 20. Early registration is $365; regular tuition is $395.

SMPS holds marketing seminar

The Seattle chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Service is holding an interactive workshop, "Motivating Technical Professionals to Market" on Wednesday, April 5.

Led by Karen Johnston of the Johnston Training Group, the workshop will discuss how encourage technical staff to market their services.

The seminar will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at 1 Union Square in the Board Room. The cost is $50 for SMPS members, $55 for member firms and $65 for nonmember firms.

For more information, visit the SMPS Web site or contact Karen Johnston at (206) 256-0206. To register, contact Tosha Vandegrift of GeoEngineers at (425) 861-6000.

Artist and filmmaker sought by SAC

The Seattle Arts Commission is seeking a lead artist or team to develop a historic preservation plan for Pioneer Square. The SAC is also seeking a filmmaker to create a documentary about Washington's Boundary Dam.

The Pioneer Square Arts and Legends Plan will require the artist to identify locations for public art in the community; develop historic and thematic contexts, budgets, project partners and implementation schedules; and identify opportunities for other artists to participate. The artist will also participate in public presentations and workshops with client groups and the public. The artist will receive $15,000 to develop, in collaboration with a historian, a comprehensive written art plan. Once the plan is approved, additional funds will be allocated for artists who will design or create art works for the project.

Applications are due Monday, May 8. For further details, call Lisa Richmond of the SAC at (206) 684-0998.

The SAC and Seattle City Light seek to commission a filmmaker to create a 30-minute documentary film about the evolution of the Boundary Dam and the people who created it. Located on the Pend Oreille River, the Boundary Dam is Seattle's largest energy producer. The film will be used by Seattle City Light for public presentations at the Boundary Dam visitors' center and will be broadcast on TVSea, the city's cable television channel.

The filmmaking team will receive $30,000 plus production costs to create the documentary. Applications for the Boundary Dam project are due on Monday, May 22. For further details, call Barbara Goldstein of the SAC at (206) 684-7311.