April 14, 2004

Design Detailings: City wins for 'Ave' project

The city of Seattle won an award from the Puget Sound Regional Council for the University Avenue Northeast improvement project. The council recognized the project for being "an exceptional effort that promotes a livable region and exemplifies Vision 2020, the region's growth management, economic and transportation strategy."

The goals of the roadway and urban design improvements, completed in August 2003, were to improve pedestrian safety and mobility, improve transit speed and reliability, and upgrade the street character. The project included a reconstructed street, new underground utilities, wider sidewalks, consolidated bus zones, bus-bulbs for passenger loading, a new streetlight and traffic signal system, pedestrian lighting, street trees and other art and urban design elements.

The Seattle Department of Transportation led the design and construction, and Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities and King County Metro Transit were project partners.

Southwest Washington AIA turns 50

The Southwest Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has begun a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary. The events kick off with a gala celebration and dinner at the Tacoma Sheraton Ballroom on April 21. The gala will include an address by National AIA President Eugene Hopkins.

One event will feature an exhibit recognizing AIA Southwest Washington Chapter firms and their contributions to the profession and their communities. The series of graphic displays will showcase buildings, events and individuals which have shaped the local built environment. The displays are designed to serve as an archive of the chapter as well as an ongoing community resource.

Gala reservations are requested by today, through the AIA Southwest Washington office at (253) 627-4006, or by e-mail to aia@aiasww.org. Tickets are $50.

Idaho, Utah towns hire LMN

The towns of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and West Jordan, Utah, have selected Seattle-based LMN Architects for urban design and master planning.

LMN Architects will assist the city of Coeur d'Alene to prepare infill development codes and design guidelines for midtown and downtown areas of its 729-acre Lake District. Architects will do an economic analysis and make recommendations for code changes.

West Jordan, located 15 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, contracted LMN for a 75-acre master plan. The area slated for redevelopment is next to a light rail station. It will include a town center on 200 acres of privately owned land. Master planning is set to be completed within nine months.

LMN will begin both assignments immediately.

'Dr. Joint' presents SEAW timber seminar

An evening seminar on wood design hosted by the Structural Engineers Association of Washington will be held April 21 at Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center, 17620 Pacific Highway S. A dinner and program with timber engineer Ben Brungraber will follow. Cost is $45.

Brungraber is known as "Dr. Joint" for his research and testing of joinery methods. He specializes in heavy timber structures and supervises Benson Woodworking Co.'s timber frame design and construction.

Brungraber taught engineering at Stanford University, the University of Connecticut and Bucknell University before joining Benson.

To make reservations, contact seaw@seaw.org by Thursday or call (206) 682-6026.

Graphic design conference in Victoria

Connections, the national conference of Graphic Designers of Canada, takes place from April 30 to May 2 in Victoria, B.C.

It will feature speakers from San Francisco's Pentagram, AdamsMorioka from Los Angeles, Portland's Johnson and Wolverton, and the Canadian retail advertising agency Suburbia.

For more information, contact Carol Hyland, GDC Vancouver Island vice-president, at chyland@telus.net or visit www.gdc.net/connections.

SR26 becomes 133-mile-long museum

Washington State University students will station themselves along stretches of state Route 26 on Friday for the performance art project "Signing SR 26."

WSU students who travel the state highway between Vantage and Colfax have made it the topic of "The SR 26 Project: Imagining a 133-mile-long museum in Eastern Washington." The student exhibit runs through May 2 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane at 2316 W. First Ave.

Paul Hirzel, a professor at WSU's school of architecture and construction management, said the exhibition aims to show that the apparent bleakness of the highway is in fact one of its assets. He said views from the highway show geological and historical features, along with diverse biological and agricultural zones.

For more information, visit www.northwestmuseum.org.