Boxwood

Practice: Architecture, and graphic design

Founded: 1989

Leadership: Joe Chauncey principal

Boxwood: YMCA and Rehabilitation Center, Iowa

"The events of 2001 caused us to reduce our staff to a 10-year low of eight and we have maintained that size throughout 2002, preferring to keep the firm lean during these uncertain economic times." said principal Joe Chauncey. "Many of our projects start and stop or languish for extended periods as clients analyze the viability of moving forward. As a result, our volume for projects on the boards and under construction is down from $50 million last year to approximately $40 million."

The firm's primary areas of practice include wineries, interpretive and cultural centers, community projects, medical facilities, transit centers, and custom residences. Boxwood also provides graphic design services.

"Poorly conceived development in the last century has resulted in countless numbers of new regulations, put in place to correct decades of environmentally insensitive work," said Chauncey. "As architects, we must consider the long-term affect of our designs and the materials we use, and educate our clients accordingly. We find ourselves at that rare point in time with an opportunity to lead the process rather than wait for regulatory agencies to codify our practices."

Boxwood designed the first environmentally certified winery in the country located in Carlton, Ore., and completed the first phase of a new winery building in Walla Walla. The firm will finish the new 'green' Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Animal Health Care Facility and has just submitted 60 percent design for the McClellan Street Light Rail Transit Station for Sound Transit. On the boards is the new Egrari Center for Plastic Surgery in Bellevue, a joint training facility campus for the city of Seattle and a visitor center for a new park in Bellevue.