October 5, 2005

Design Detailings: Yantis gives talk on quiet hospitals

Michael Yantis, principal of Yantis Acoustical Design, will give a talk on Oct. 14 in Portland on how to design quiet hospitals. The AIA Washington Council asked him to speak on acoustics for health care facilities, and how to plan early in order to reduce noise and vibration control costs.

Yantis is a division of the Seattle electrical engineering consulting firm Sparling. It focuses on building acoustics and vibration, environmental noise and sound reinforcement systems.

Building envelope, condos topic of seminars

Washington's new Condominium Act and building envelope issues are the topics of upcoming seminars by AIA Seattle Continuing Education. They will be held be Oct. 13-14 in Seattle and Nov. 10-11 in Portland.

There will be interactive workshops with designers and consultants on emerging issues in envelope design and technology. Presenters will include people from GGLO, NBBJ, Callison, Mithun, Walsh Construction and LMN Architects, as well as other consultants talking about case studies in condo projects and in civic and institutional buildings. They will look at envelope design and the ways the Condominium Act affects design and construction administration. For more information, see http://www.aiaseattle.org/event_051013_its_in_the_details.htm.

Bill Broz starts a new firm

Broz

His new company will focus on forensic investigations and litigation support. Broz's areas of expertise include HVAC and plumbing design, and lifecycle cost analysis.

Stantec of Canada buys Keen

Canadian company Stantec recently acquired Keen Engineering, which specializes in sustainable mechanical, electrical and plumbing design. Keen has 275 employees in 10 offices in Canada, as well as offices in Seattle and San Francisco.

Stantec and Keen collaborated on projects such as the Vancouver International Airport and a student center at the University of Toronto. Stantec's focus is engineering, architecture, surveying and project management work.

Preservation award winners are picked

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently named 22 winners of its 2005 National Preservation Awards. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit works to keep historic places.

It recognized these local groups: the Washington Heritage Caucus in Olympia for creating a forum for people to talk with legislators about preservation; the Umpqua Community Development Corp. of Roseburg, Ore., for preserving historic structures in southwestern Oregon; Portland's Bosco-Milligan Foundation for restoring the city's historic West's Block Building; and Oregon Department of Transportation for keeping a historic bridge.

Suzuki selected to ASID board

The American Society of Interior Designers selected Seattle-based interior designer, Christine Suzuki, to its board of directors. She took office this week and will serve a one-year term.

As the ASID Chapter Support Team representative to the board, Suzuki will help develop the strategic vision of ASID.

Suzuki is a principal of Christine S. Suzuki & Associates. Founded in 1996, the award-winning firm specializes in residential and commercial remodeling, space planning, design development and project management. She recently received first runner-up, bathroom category, honors in the 2005 Southern Accents/ASID National Residential Interior Design Competition.