March 30, 2005

Design Detailings: Architects talk about libraries

On Thursday, April 7, a design panel will meet at Seattle Central Library to talk about civic libraries. Moderators are Bill LaPatra of Mithun and Richard Yancey of Weinstein A|U.

Panelists will be University of Washington Professor of Architectural History Meredith L. Clausen, Thomas Hacker of Portland's Thomas Hacker Architects, Seattle Public Library Coty Librarian Deborah L. Jacobs, King County library system director Bill Ptacek and Seattle Design Commission Chair David Spiker.

The talk starts at 5 p.m.

GreenWorld event April 7

The Northern Pacific chapter of the International Interior Design Association is organizing a sustainable design event for April 7. GreenWorld will be held at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle. The keynote lecture is "The Great Ocean Adventure" presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of Jacques Cousteau.

Tickets are $55, $40 for IIDA members. For information, call Justine Kish at (425) 260-0418.

Military projects to be recognized

On Friday at the Harbor Club in downtown Seattle, Captain Robert Parker will name the winners of a competition recognizing work A/E and construction firms have done for the Army, Navy, Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard and the Air Force.

Thirteen entries were submitted. Categories were expanded this year to recognize different sized firms and acknowledge design/build collaborations, a major trend in military construction projects.

The featured speaker is Rear Admiral Leendert "Len" R. Hering, Sr., of the Navy's Northwest group. To register, contact Bob Galteland at bgalteland@reidmidd.com. Details are posted at http://posts.same.org/seattle/announce.cfm.

ZGF to design science center

Portland's Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership was recently selected as design architect for the University of Cincinnati's 200,000-square-foot Social and Behavioral Sciences Center.

Cincinnati architectural firm Baxter, Hodell, Donnelly, Preston is the executive architect for the project. The building will have learning rooms, research space and offices.

ASCE names award finalists

Finalists in an American Society of Civil Engineers competition to recognize projects around the world are: the AirTrain JFK Light Rail System in New York; the Mubarak Pumping Station in Toshka, Egpyt; the Olivenhain Dam and Reservoir in San Diego; the Time Warner Center in New York; and Greece's Rion-Antirion Bridge, which is being called the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Finalists were picked from 22 entries. A winning project will be named April 13.

Workshop on cost control

Vashon Island-based Contract Solutions Group will offer a workshop April 1 at the Red Lion in Seattle on "Improving Owner Cost Control and Claim Recovery for A/E Services."

It will cover contract negotiations, ways to improve firm selection and strategies to recover cost overruns for deficient services. There will be presenters from Penhallegon Associates Consulting Engineers and Sampley Consulting. To register, call Jeri Jennings of Contract Solutions Group at (206) 463-7487 or see http://www.contractsolutionsgroup.com.