August 20, 2003

Design Detailings: Parametrix begins

$103M EPA work

Parametrix recently began work under a 10-year, $103 million architect/engineer services contract with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Under the agreement, Parametrix will provide EPA with professional architect/engineer, technical and management services to support remedial response and enforcement oversight at Superfund sites in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.

For EPA, the AES contract plays a major role in the effective streamlining and acceleration of Superfund site cleanups and early action to reduce immediate risk to human health and the environment. This will be accomplished through integration of remedial and removal activities, with a focus on removing redundancies in the site assessment process and creating a one-step site screening and risk assessment process. Parametrix is the first company nationally to be awarded a remedial action contract under EPA’s streamlined approach.

The contract is the biggest in the firm’s history and will serve as a foundation for Parametrix to continue to increase their involvement with environmental restoration and remediation projects with the federal government.

Survey: A/E profits are bouncing back

After hitting a low in 2001, architecture, engineering, planning and environmental consulting firms' profits are on the rise again in the first half of this year.

ZweigWhite's 2003 Financial Performance Survey of A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms reported that the overall median net pre-tax, pre-bonus profit on net service revenue is 9.5 percent, up from 8.8 percent in the previous year.

"This was unexpected, given the still-uncertain economic conditions," said Ian Rusk, CFO at ZweigWhite and a financial consultant to the A/E/C industry. "A closer look at the data shows that the weak economy is still having an impact, as evidenced by downward pressure on the net multiplier." The net multiplier (net service revenue divided by direct labor cost) dropped from 2.92 to 2.87 over the past year.

Rusk said even with virtually stable labor utilization rates, firms still managed to increase profit margins by controlling overhead. The median overhead rate (total overhead expenses divided by direct labor cost) fell from 160 percent to 159 percent.

The survey is available from ZweigWhite for $345, plus $4 shipping and handling. Contact ZweigWhite, P.O. Box 8325, One Apple Hill Drive, Natick, MA 01760; call (508) 651-1559; or e-mail info@zweigwhite.com. The Web link is zweigwhite.com/store/svfnp03.

Joseph Greif wins Home of Year Award

Seattle's Joseph Greif Architects recently received a Home of the Year Award for the Jensen residence on Mercer Island. The award is from Seattle Homes and Lifestyles magazine.

The two-story, 4,000-square-foot house features locally quarried stone, which anchors the house to its 1-acre site and provides a framework for the stucco and timber elements. Sculpted wood columns and undulating glass walls help make the connection to nature.The contractor was Steve Williams Custom Homes; interior design was by Kate Dougherty; and the landscape architect was Greenline Services.

Saturday tour: Working Waterfront

Photo by Sam Bennett The Working Places tour on Saturday centers on the Bell Street Pier on Seattle’s waterfront, featuring buildings such as the World Trade Center and the new cruise ship terminal.

Seattle Architectural Foundation hosts "Explore Seattle's Working Waterfront Working Places: Trade and Tourism," from 9 to noon Saturday. The Working Places tour centers on the Bell Street Pier on Seattle's waterfront, featuring buildings such as the World Trade Center and the new cruise ship terminal, and discusses their impact on our area. Cost is $20.

"The City of Destiny Tacoma Renaissance" tour will be held 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. Tacoma is undergoing a face-lift in its historic warehouse district, Union Station and Foss Waterway. New developments include a mix of residential, office, retail, educational, cultural and government facilities. This full-day tour will include looks at the museums in Tacoma's new cultural center, the University of Washington Tacoma Campus, Chihuly's Bridge of Glass, and selected waterfront residences.

Following the tour will be a chance to explore either the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, or the Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art. Cost is $50. Call (206) 667-9184 to register for either event.

Flexible space for School of Massage

After 14 years in lower Queen Anne, Brenneke School of Massage enlisted full-service architecture firm Weber + Thompson to help consolidate their three disparate facilities into one South Lake Union location.

Running on a tight design and construction schedule to meet Brenneke's new June 1 class quarter, Weber + Thompson's interior design team created an environment that met Brenneke's need for a flexible space that served both massage clients looking to relax and a body of active students.

When planning their new space, Brenneke charged Weber + Thompson with combining the sense of calmness associated with massage with the energy and activity of student life.

"We created a design concept for the school that was flexible enough to accommodate the two distinct groups - students and massage clients," said lead interior designer Donna Shuman, a Senior Associate at Weber + Thompson. "The student spaces, such as the student lounge and study space, have lighter, brighter colors and more active flooring, while the space in the clinic - where clients receive massages from students under the supervision of an instructor - is more serene with deep color accents, sliding wood doors with bronze hardware, and lower lighting levels."

The new Brenneke school is 12,589 square feet and large enough to house their student and clinic facilities as well as the administrative offices. There are four large classrooms, designed to maximize flexibility, with built-in storage space for massage tables. Other areas include a conference room, faculty resource room, faculty lounge and a library.

The project team included S. D. Deacon, general contractor; Merit Mechanical, mechanical engineering; Evergreen Electrical Services Inc, electric engineering; and Valley Flooring, floors.

Seattle-based Weber + Thompson is a full-service, West Coast design firm specializing in architecture, interior design and planning.