Mithun

Practice: Architecture, urban design, landscape architecture

Founded: 1949

Leadership: Bert Gregory, president

Mithun: High Point community master plan – West Seattle

"The change in the economic and geo-political climate has had a short-term impact on the field," said Bert Gregory, president of Mithun. "The uncertainty of the future is an element of our time right now, which is impacting real estate on a national level. In the commercial markets, caution is a trend. In community design, mixed-use, residential, senior housing, and institutional markets, growing demand seems to be powering through any uncertainty."

Mithun provides design services in mixed-use, urban housing, commercial, retail, residential care, institutional and healthcare markets. The firm has over 20 staff members who are accredited by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The staff size is 129, down from 137 at this time last year. In the next year, Mithun expects to remain relatively stable in size, adjusting staffing to reflect feasibility and master plan phases of upcoming architectural projects. Gross billings now stand at $20 million.

"The demand for healthy buildings that wisely use energy, materials and water...is a major trend," said Gregory. "Programs such as the United States Green Building Council's LEED criteria system … will expand widely in the next five years. This may be tied to economic development strategies."

Mithun: Radford Court – University of Washington

Recent and ongoing projects include IslandWood on Bainbridge Island, an environmental education center located on 255 acres; University of Washington's Radford Court, a 400-unit family housing, community and day care center on a 25-acre site near Lake Washington; Thea's Landing, Tacoma, the first mixed-use project on Tacoma's Thea Foss waterway with public esplanade, restaurants and shopping; High Point community master plan, for the Seattle Housing Authority; The Blue Ring, an open space strategy for downtown Seattle; and Teton Science School Jackson Campus, a new experiential education facility for ecological studies in Wyoming.