April 21, 2004

Design Detailings: Forum on Central Library design

A panel of people who participated in design for the Seattle Central Library will share their experiences in a public forum. The event will be held on May 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Central Library Auditorium on Fourth Avenue.

The free program is sponsored by the Naramore Foundation and will be presented by both the Seattle Architectural Foundation and the Seattle Public Library Foundation.

Panelists will include Alex Harris of the Seattle Public Library, Sam Miller of LMN Architects, Jon Magnusson with Magnusson Klemencic Associates and Dale Stenning of Hoffman Construction.

Novelist and editor Matthew Stadler will moderate the presentation. Stadler has written on the Seattle Public Library and its designer Rem Koolhaas.

To register for seating, contact Seattle Architectural Foundation at (206) 667-9184 or info@seattlearchitectural.org. For more information, visit www.spl.org.

New firm: Strotkamp Architects

Thomas Strotkamp has formed an architectural services company, Strotkamp Architects, with offices in Burlington. Strotkamp practiced in Skagit County for 30 years and worked on office, automotive, medical and agricultural projects. For more information, contact (360) 854-9907 or saarchitects@hotmail.com.

Werner Sobek lecture at SAM

Space.City will host a lecture by engineer Werner Sobek of Werner Sobek Ingenieure on May 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Seattle Art Museum.

Sobek founded and directs the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design in Stuttgart, Germany. He has written on structural engineering and co-authored glass and steel construction manuals.

He has worked on projects in Chicago, Bangkok and Shanghai, and also with architects such as UN Studio and Helmut Jahn.

Sobek works with steel, titanium, glass, fabric, wood and concrete. Organizers of the lecture describe his structures as sensible, logical, simple in construction and outstanding in form.

Advance tickets are $10 and are available at Peter Miller Books in Seattle at 1930 First Ave. For more information contact Greg Bishop at (206) 443-9833 or visit www.space-city.net.

Geo-Tech acquired by Boart Longyear

South Africa-based Boart Longyear Co. has acquired Geo-Tech Explorations, which is based in Portland and also has offices in Kent and Eugene, Ore. Greg McInnis will continue to manage the business in Portland.

Geo-Tech works on geotechnical, environmental, clean water and construction drilling projects.

Geo-Tech will keep its name and internal structure for the next two years. It will now be able to also offer sonic drilling and other services of Boart Longyear Co.