May 26, 2004

Design Detailings: Scandinavian tour set for fall

A tour earlier this year to Sweden and Denmark to look at urban sustainability will be repeated from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1.

Tour organizer International Sustainable Solutions said real estate developers, architects and engineers from Seattle, Portland and the Tri-Cities visited Scandinavia. ISS is encouraging people from Oregon, Washington and British Columbia to take the tour to see how they can collaborate on energy and transportation projects in the future.

A number of people have already signed up for the tour including Paul Anseeuw (Keene Engineering), Don Milliken (Milliken Developments), Jim Mueller (Vulcan), Dave Rogers (SvR Design), Mike Scott (Callison Architects) and Mark Woerman (Collins Woerman).

ISS says architects can receive up to 24 continuing education credits for the tour. For more information, contact Patricia Chase at Patricia@i-sustain.com or visit www.i-sustain.com.

Walker buys LiDAR system

Aero-Metric, the parent firm of Seattle-based Walker and Associates, bought a new Optech Airborne Topographic LiDAR system, which is aerial survey equipment that collects ground data. The system approximates medium-resolution photography, even when shot at night.

The company also purchased a digital mapping camera manufactured by Intergraph. The multispectral camera will be used to map a portion of the nation's 95,000-mile shoreline for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Walker will offer brown bag presentations on photogrammetry basics and digital cameras by appointment. For more information, contact Jeff Kenner or Craig Berry at (206) 244-2300.

Viaduct DEIS comments due June 1

Washington State Department of Transportation and the city of Seattle are taking comments on the draft EIS for the viaduct until June 1. The DEIS can be downloaded from www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaduct/deis/chapter1_1.htm. Send comments to awvdeiscomments@wsdot.wa.gov.

Edmonds community center upgraded

ECS Engineering has completed upgrades to the Francis Anderson Cultural Center in Edmonds.

The 53,000-square-foot facility, built in 1928, is listed on the historic register. Renovation and upgrade of electrical services and power distribution included replacement of all lighting and fire alarm systems. The landmark building is now the key community center for Edmonds, with meeting rooms, a dining area and a refurbished sports complex.

ECS Engineering is a 20-person electrical engineering company with offices in Bothell and Wenatchee.

Guy Battle to speak at UW

Structural and environmental engineer Guy Battle, founding partner of Battle McCarthy, and formerly with Ove Arup & Partners, will speak today on the University of Washington campus at 6 p.m. in Architecture Hall 147.

Battle designs naturally ventilated and cooled high-rise buildings. He specializes in low energy sustainable buildings and urban environments. His London-based consulting firm will design a wind farm for New York's Freedom Tower.

Battle has worked on projects with architectural firms such as Richard Rogers Partnership, Norman Foster and Partners, Kohn Pederson Fox, Gensler and HOK.

Redmond park gets new turf

Bruce Dees & Associates developed a master plan and construction documents for two phases of the recently re-opened Grass Lawn Community Park in Redmond. The new park features a synthetic turf softball field and six tennis courts.

This park was originally built in the late 1970s. The original all-weather soccer field often flooded and eroded due to poor drainage. Storm sewer lines were frequently full of sand and silt after storms.

Improvements include a porous rubber-coated track surrounding the synthetic field. The softball fields were also surfaced in synthetic turf and both fields are underdrained in the same manner.

The re-design solved problems that limited park use and were causing damage to nearby salmon habitat in the Sammamish River. The synthetic material eliminates nutrient runoff into the storm sewer and subsequent tests have proven that no harmful materials are in the water that percolates through the sand/rubber infill, crushed rock base and sub drain lines into the storm sewer, according to Bruce Dees & Associates.

The new fields, including a soccer field, have a lighting system designed by Sparling.