Murase Associates’ primary areas of practice are landscape architecture, urban design and increasingly, public art. Besides Washington and Oregon, markets in the past year include Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Firm size is 19, about the same as last year. The Seattle office is a little smaller this year, with the original Portland office adding staff. Gross fees were $2.2 million last year and anticipated to be about the same for 2002.

“The outlook for business is good,” said business manager Judy Murase. “We continue to expand our public art projects, experimenting with new fabricated materials and creating major large-scale stone sculptural forms for urban open spaces, major institutions, and cultural facilities.”

The firm saw an increase in environmental projects, such as wastewater treatment facilities, brownfields, waste transfer and recycling stations. In the long term, she looks for opportunities in the evolution of mixed-used urban sub-centers.

Most important projects in Seattle this year include Immunex and Sound Transit work.

“The Seattle area has been marked by the development of a number of large-scale public and private sector projects reflecting the boom of the pre-Sept. 11 economy,” said Murase. “It remains to be seen if, on the other side of the apparent recovery, this trend continues. However, other markets are strengthening and others emerging.”