President: Robert Murase
Size of firm: 12 in Portland and 10 in Seattle
Year founded: 1982
Annual revenues: approximately $1.5 million
Specialties: Detailed urban spaces and designs for water in a variety of settings

Murase Associates is known for using natural water systems in creative ways. In the past year the firm has seen the work load go from 90 percent to 75 percent public projects, with corporate and residential projects both increasing.

"We had a dramatic increase in operations last year," said Karen Kiest, principal and manager of the Seattle office of Murase. But after doubling in size in the last two years, "We really don’t want to increase in size," she said. To accommodate its current size, the firm is also moving to a new office location in Eastlake.

Murase has signed on to do master planning and landscape architecture for the Immunex Campus. This year, the firm also won an invited competition for a civic center plaza in St. Louis. It is maintaining a long term contract with the National Parks Service and is working on a visitor’s entry at the Grand Canyon National Park. Other projects include Union Station, work for the Safeco Campus in Redmond and the University District Station for light rail, the New South Terminal project at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, and site design for five landmark elementary school sites.

"We’ve been amazed with the level of new office development," said Kiest. The firm has gotten involved in entry plazas for new residential towers, including Civica Offfice Commons in Bellevue.