AIA reports more demand for design

Demand for design services rose in August, the American Institute of Architects reported.

The Architecture Billings Index was 53.7 in August, up from 51.9 the previous month, AIA said in a press release.

The index reflects the approximate nine to 12 month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.

AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said the August results continue a string of positive readings, pointing to future growth. “Given the focus and discussions around the infrastructure needs of the nation, we expect strong growth in design activity for the coming months and years,” he said.

The South scored the highest, at 55.7, followed by the Northeast at 54.3, the Midwest at 52.5 and the West at 51.3. The commercial/industrial sector scored 57.6, followed by multifamily at 53.8, mixed practice at 52.5 and institutional at 50.1.

AIASWW taking entries for awards

Entries are being accepted until Oct. 9 for the 2017 AIA Southwest Washington Honor Awards.

Information is at the American Institute of Architects Southwest Washington Chapter's website at http://www.aiasww.org.

The program honors projects for sustainability, innovation, performance, and integration with clients and communities.

The awards ceremony is from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 2 at Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave. Tickets are $15 for AIA associates, $30 for AIA members and $45 for non-members at http://tiny.cc/g22wny/.

Preservation grants deadline Oct. 13

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is accepting grant applications until Oct. 13 for the 2018 Valerie Sivinski Fund, which provides up to $2,000 for preservation projects.

Recipients may also receive pro bono building assessments from Tacoma-based Artifacts Consulting in honor of Sivinski, a preservationist and former principal who died in 2000. Sivinski was a longtime member of the Washington Trust board.

Local groups have received nearly $130,000 for 133 projects from the fund. Recent projects include interior restoration at the Worthington House in Quilcene.

Apply at http://tiny.cc/p4isny/.

Join Redmond's planning commission

Redmond has an opening on its planning commission, which makes recommendations to the city council on proposed amendments to Redmond's comprehensive plan and zoning code.

Recommendations are on topics that include future growth, infrastructure and the environment.

There is no deadline, but residents are encouraged to apply by Oct. 5. The application is at http://tiny.cc/uasony under “Community Service Application.”

Rice Fergus Miller named a top firm

Bremerton-based architecture firm Rice Fergus Miller was recently named one of Washington's 100 Best Companies to Work For by Seattle Business Magazine in the small companies category.

Small companies are those with 15 to 59 employees. Rankings are based on scores derived from confidential employee surveys.

CTBUH fall forum is on resiliency

The Seattle chapter of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat will hold its annual fall forum from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 on resiliency in extreme events, such as natural disasters.

The free event will be at CallisonRTKL at 1420 Fifth Ave. in Seattle.

Steve Moddemeyer, a principal at CollinsWoerman, will focus on resiliency at the city level and the infrastructure that communities need to recover. Don Davies, president of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, will discuss resilient optimization and the relationship between resiliency and sustainability.

The event will include a social hour with drinks and appetizers. Register at http://tiny.cc/q3jsny/.

Disaster assistance training Sept. 30

AIA Seattle will offer training for people who want to be building evaluators in the AIA Disaster Assistance Program, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 30 at 1010 Western Ave. in Seattle.

The program uses volunteers and mutual aid resources to provide engineers, architects and building inspectors to assist local governments by doing post-disaster evaluations.

The training for evaluators is managed by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services with cooperation from professional organizations.

The speaker is Steven Dombrowski, chair of the AIA Washington Council disaster preparedness and response committee.

Cost is $85 for members of AIA, SEAW, WSSHE and AISC, and $120 for non-members. Register at http://tiny.cc/65komy/.

SMPS forum on managing clients

SMPS Seattle will hold a fellows forum titled “Improve Your Firm's Bottom Line by Managing Your Clients” from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Notkin Mechanical Engineers, 2301 Fifth Ave. in Seattle.

The fellows are Karleen Belmont of Pace Engineers, Bill Strong of Bill Strong Consulting, Carla Thompson of NAC Architecture, Ted Sive of Ted Sive Consulting and Victoria Cooper of Cooper Architects.

The guest client is Stacy Riger, associate|marketing manager of PAE.

They will talk about how to create a client for life.

Tickets are $30 for members, $40 for member firms and $45 for non-members. Register at http://tiny.cc/vmglny/.

Forum Sept. 28 on housing crisis

The St. James Housing Advocacy Committee will hold a mayoral forum on homelessness and affordable housing from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 28 at Cathedral Hall at 803 Terry Ave.

The forum will focus on the city's homelessness crisis.

For more information, contact Patrick Barredo at pbarredo@stjames-cathedral.org or (206) 382-4515.

St. James is the Cathedral church for the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle.

City wants advice on Webster School

The city of Seattle is seeking people to serve on a committee that will recommend whether to modify zoning for the renovation and expansion of Webster School, formerly the Nordic Heritage Museum.

Seattle School District is requesting modifications for the project at 3014 N.W. 67th St. The district wants greater lot coverage and height, covered play setback for noise, on-street bus loading and unloading, and less on-site parking.

Following public meetings, the committee will make a recommendation to the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections.

Letters of interest should be received by Oct. 2 at Maureen.sheehan@seattle.gov or at Maureen Sheehan, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, P.O. Box 94649, Seattle, WA 98124-4649. Sheehan is at (206) 684-0302.

IIDA ‘firm crawl' set for Saturday

The International Interior Design Association's Northern Pacific Chapter on Saturday will hold a “Firm Crawl” in Seattle focused on how interiors impact our quality of life.

The interactive tour is from 1 to 4 p.m., starting at Legacy Group Workspace, 1001 Western Ave., with stops at MG2 and GGLO.

The tour will focus on the world of interior designers and aspects of their work that are “far beyond the glamorized visual provided by popular shows today.” The tour ends at Legacy with a reception, Q&A and raffle.

The event costs $10, but is free to members. Buy tickets at http://tiny.cc/qs2bny/. It is part of the 2017 Seattle Design Festival, whose schedule is at http://designinpublic.org/.

SMPS: How to use infographics

SMPS Seattle will hold a luncheon program on “Using Infographics for Visual Storytelling” from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at Washington Athletic Club, 1325 Sixth Ave. in Seattle.

Infographics are a way to represent data so it is visually compelling and engaging — often without requiring any reading. The program will focus on why infographics are effective, the basics for designing them and how to use them to engage an audience.

The presenter is Jason Hoppe, a production specialist with a graphic design background. He has 20 years of experience in Seattle that includes heading up electronic production departments for agencies before going out on his own.

Cost is $55 for members, $65 for member firms and $75 for non-members before Sept. 20. It is $10 more after that. Register at http://tiny.cc/lalkny/.

Talk on design that empowers

Design in Public will present a free panel discussion and workshop on design that empowers marginalized communities, from homeless people to refugees, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 19 at 1010 Western Ave. in Seattle.

The panel will talk about design initiatives aimed at elevating those communities.

Panelists are Rania Qawasma of Architecture for Refugees, Jeff Turkelson of Artefact, Jordan Monez from Friends of Waterfront Seattle and Erica Loynd of DLR Group. The moderator is Surya Vanka of Authentic.

Register at http://tiny.cc/uw2bny for the event, which is part of the 2017 Seattle Design Festival.

Mount Baker Hub event is Sunday

Mount Baker Hub Business Association will present “The Function in the Junction” from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Art Space Mount Baker Lofts at 2915 Rainier Ave. S. in Seattle.

The free event celebrates the community with local food vendors, music, performances and a marketplace for local artists to show and sell their work. The beer garden will be sponsored by Pike Brewing Co.

The event is part of the 2017 Seattle Design Festival, which runs through Sept. 22 at venues around the city.

Arcade launch party Thursday

Arcade magazine will celebrate the release of its fall edition from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Old Stove Brewing Co. in Pike Place Marketfront, 1901 Western Ave. in Seattle. The issue is titled “Auckland — A City to Love — Visions of a Public Realm.”

A $20 suggested donation includes beverages, light fare, musical entertainment and a copy of Arcade.

Farewell party for the design festival

Design in Public will hold a closing party for the 2017 Seattle Design Festival from 8 to 11 p.m. Sept. 22 at Karass Creative, 201 First Ave. S. in Seattle, with music, dancing, light fare and drinks.

A $25 donation is suggested. R.S.V.P. at http://tiny.cc/zflkny/.

The festival runs through Sept. 22. It is presented by Design in Public, an initiative of AIA Seattle, in collaboration with community organizations.

How power shapes Seattle

Mudede

Yerena

Way

Wessells

Ever wonder what a city designed with women in mind might look like?

That's one topic of a free panel discussion titled “Power and the Urban Form in Seattle” that will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 11 at MG2, 1101 Second Ave. in Seattle.

The event is part of the 2017 Seattle Design Festival and is being presented by Whitney Rearick, a former affordable housing project manager.

Rearick said urban planning decisions have historically favored those with power. From redlining and racial covenants to interstates that divide low-income communities. Who has power — and who doesn't — is reflected in the urban fabric.

The panelists are Charles Mudede of The Stranger, Thaisa Way and Anne Taufen Wessells of the University of Washington, and Anaid Yerena of the UW Tacoma.

They will talk about how urban planning can address historic patterns of discrimination and segregation. They will also address where different groups live, what kind of buildings they live in, as well as how and for whom public spaces are designed.

R.S.V.P. at http://tiny.cc/ghddny/.

Program: Architects as advocates Sept. 18

The American Institute of Architects Seattle chapter will present a free program Sept. 18 that encourages architects to advocate for more people-oriented development and vibrant urban communities.

“Enter the Fray: How Architects & Designers Can Be Powerful Advocates” is being presented by AIA Seattle's public policy board from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 1010 Western Ave. in Seattle.

The board says architects and designers are uniquely positioned to advocate for design that contributes to healthy, livable communities, and to work towards finding consensus on controversial issues, but too often they step back from getting involved in public policy. The panel is Rico Quirindongo of DLR Group, Barbara Swift of Swift Co., Grace Kim of Schemata Workshop, and Sara Maxana of the city of Seattle. The moderator is Rick Mohler of the University of Washington.

The event is part of the 2017 Seattle Design Festival. The schedule is at http://designinpublic.org/.

SMPS networking event Sept. 20

SMPS Seattle will hold its Networking|2017-2018 Kick-Off Party from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Lease Crutcher Lewis at 2200 Western Ave. in Seattle.

The event will include a brief annual report and introduction of the 2017/2018 board of directors. There will be drinks, appetizers and entertainment.

Cost is $40 for members, $45 for member firms and $50 for non-members. SMPS members can bring one non-member guest for free. Register at http://tiny.cc/2676my/.

Seattle to change design review

The Seattle City Council's Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 on proposed legislation to change the design review process.

The meeting is at SIFF Uptown Cinema Theater, Auditorium 3, at 511 Queen Anne Ave. N.

Proposed changes include:

• Requiring early community outreach by applicants before starting the design review process

• Changing thresholds that determine if design review is required to total square footage instead of dwelling unit counts, use and zone

• Establishing new thresholds to determine the type of design review based on site and project characteristics

• Allowing affordable housing projects that receive public funding or federal low-income housing tax credits to go through an administrative design review process.