Architecture billings continue to decline

Business conditions remained soft at a majority of architecture firms around the U.S. in May, according to the most recent AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score.

The ABI score is a leading economic indicator of construction activity. It is derived from a monthly survey of American architecture firms that measures the change in the number of services provided to clients.

The ABI score for May was 42.4, which is down from the 45.6 recorded in April as more firms reported a decrease in billings. The ABI score for firms in the Western Region (which includes Washington) was down to 46.3 from 47.8 in April.

Across the nation, firms with an institutional specialization continued to report the sharpest decline.

In addition, the May survey revealed an increasing softness in the pipeline of new work coming into firms. While inquiries into new projects continued to increase, they did so at a slower pace than in recent months, the AIA and Deltek said. The value of new signed design contracts also declined further in May, following a small decrease in April.

“Despite the fact that the high inflation of the last few years has largely receded, elevated interest rates continue to cause hesitation among many clients,” AIA and Deltek concluded.

Tour Tacoma's new mass timber buildings

AIA Seattle on July 20 is hosting a tour of the recently opened Milgard Hall at the University of Washington's Tacoma campus and the replacement Newhouse Building, which is currently under construction at the state campus in Olympia.

Both projects are built using mass timber.

The Newhouse Building has been a part of the state's campus since 1934 and is being replaced due to several life-safety and seismic issues. The Miller Hull Partnership has designed the replacement building which AIA Seattle says will have an aesthetic “consistent with the Neoclassical style of the state campus, while embodying a timelessness that fits the campus now and in the future.”

Grund was broken on the replacement building in June 2023. Miller Hull says it should open in 2024. Hoffman Construction Co. is the general contractor.

Milgard Hall is a 55,000-square-foot lab and classroom building at UW Tacoma. It opened early last year.

The building houses elements of the Milgard School of Business, laboratory spaces to support the School of Engineering and Technology, expanded space for the Global Innovation and Design Lab, a High Impact Practices teaching space and two new 80-seat classrooms. Mass timber is exposed on the interior of the new facility providing a sustainable and modern place to learn.

Architecture Research Office of New York designed Milgard Hall. It was built by Anderson Construction.

The tour will begin at 11 a.m. at the Newhouse Building and then make its way (via car) to Milgard Hall.

Tickets are $5.

As the Newhouse project is an active construction site, full PPE is required for all that attend.

More information and tickets are at https://tinyurl.com/TacomaMassTimberTours

SGH announces employee milestone

National engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) announced that it will surpass the 750-employee mark this summer, as the firm welcomes a diverse class of new team members across all its offices.

SGH was founded in Boston in 1956 and today has nine office locations throughout the United States, including three in California. The firm's newest offices are in Denver and Atlanta. SGH does not have a Seattle office, but often works in the Pacific Northwest region. Recent local projects include Meta's Building X in Bellevue, where the company provided fire and life safety services.

SGH has worked on many high-profile buildings including Grand Central Terminal in New York City and the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

In a news release, the firm said the employee milestone comes as part of a commitment to hiring “the best people and brightest minds in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry while supporting and encouraging their continued professional growth.”

Tour Bellingham's green homes

Photo courtesy of Sustainable Connections [enlarge]

The event kicks off with a tour of this under construction passive house near Lake Whatcom.

Nonprofit Sustainable Connections will be holding its annual Green Home Tours & Talks series in Bellingham, starting July 13.

For over 20 years, the event has highlighted local green homes. The tours are returning this year in a new format as a free pop-up series, on multiple dates and at various locations throughout the remainder of the year, instead of being confined to one weekend.

Participants will learn about the technology and techniques that are implemented in the most sustainable homes in Bellingham.

The tour series kicks off on July 13 with a tour hosted by True Bearing Built at the contractors Lake Whatcom Passive House. The property features solar ready design, a heat pump water system, and many other innovative sustainable design solutions.

Future tours will be hosted at sites developed by TC Legend Homes and Instinct Builders with features including:

• Advanced insulation technology

• Heat recovery ventilation systems

• Additional dwelling units (ADUs)

• Wheelchair-accessible designs

“We're excited to be offering this new format for the Green Home Tours & Talks,” Elizabeth Vaughn, Sustainable Connections' energy and green building program assistant, said in a news release. “These pop-ups will allow participants to view homes at optimal points in their builds, take more time to learn about their design features, and get inspired by more green building innovation in the Pacific Northwest. We hope to give our community the resources, ideas, and inspiration to make their next home project a success.”

Registration for the growing list of pop-ups can be found on the Sustainable Connections website at https://sustainableconnections.org/green-home-tour-talks-2024/

SDA event on financial statements

The SDA Seattle Chapter is hosting “Financial Statements Unleashed” on Thursday, August 15. This is a hybrid event to be held online and at Clark Construction's office at 520 Pike St. in Downtown Seattle.

Alan Dance, partner at GDM Private Financial Solutions in Bellevue, will present an overview of financial statements, how they interact with one another, techniques for proper analysis, and real-world applications in the A/E/C industries.

Dance will guide attendees through hands-on activities, case studies, and live demonstrations, ensuring they gain practical skills and confidence.

Attendees will get to:

• Master the basics of financial statements.

• Understand the interconnectedness of financial statements.

• Learn key analysis techniques and tools.

• Discover the importance of financial literacy for all job roles.

The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with networking. The program starts at 6:00 p.m.

The cost for an in-person ticket (which includes dinner) is $40 for SDA members and $70 for non-members

Virtual tickets are $15 for SDA members and $25 for non-members.

To register or for more information, contact SDA at sdaseattle@gmail.com, or visit https://sda-seattle.org/event/financial-statements-unleashed/

Pergola installed at 35 Stone

A new pergola was installed last month at 35 Stone, a forthcoming mass timber commercial office building currently under construction at 3524 Stone Way N. in Fremont.

The pergola is located at the main entry to the building and is built from Alaskan-Yellow Cedar pieces in a hexagonal pattern resembling honeycomb.

It was designed by Weber Thompson, which is the architect for the new building. Weber Thompson says the pergola is “a nod to the trees that once stood” at the project site long ago. The design artistically references a forest understory and is also a visual gesture towards an apiary located on the office building's rooftop.

35 Stone is being developed by Evolution Projects and is part of the company's Campus Seattle project. Campus Seattle encompasses a full-block and includes the existing Fremont Bouldering Gym and Fremont Collective buildings. An additional new office building, currently going by 35 Interlake, will complete the campus. A timeline for that element is yet to be shared.

Construction of 35 Stone is nearing completion, with the building set to open this year. Sellen, the general contractor for 35 Stone, installed the pergola.

Freres expands product line

Oregon-firm Freres Engineered Wood has expanded its product offerings. Freres is now selling 9-foot and 10-foot-long plywood panels, 1.5-inch-thick laminated veneer lumber (LVL) products, 2.1E and 1.9E material stiffness grades for LVL products and has added additional appearance grade options for its existing mass ply offerings.

Unlike the company's current visual grade selection, the latest appearance grade option is designed to mimic the appearance of cross-laminated timber (CLT) rather than plywood.

Freres has been producing 9-foot and 10-foot veneers for many years. In a press release the company said, “it was a natural progression to expand their plywood offerings to 9-foot and 10-foot panels in response to growing market demand.”

Freres initiated test runs of the new plywood panels at its facilities in early 2024 and will begin offering the products in August.

As for the LVL product mix, Freres now provides up to 1.5-inch-thick plywood and LVL products in single laminations, as well as 2-inch-thick or greater LVL products with a secondary lamination. The first project to use the new 1.5-inch product is the Onan House with TimberBLDR, a single-family, residential building in Dripping Springs, Texas, built entirely with a mass ply light framing technique.

Freres presented the expanded product mix at the 2024 Mass Timber Conference on March 26-28. The company also debuted a sample of their new appearance grade for mass ply products, as well as some additional options for an “edge grain” appearance.

Olson Kundig opens Chicago office

Seattle-founded-and-headquartered architecture firm Olson Kundig has opened an office in Chicago.

The firm says the new office bridges its original location in Seattle with its New York City office which opened in 2022.

The Chicago office will support Olson Kundig's ongoing design and delivery efforts, with a focus on providing localized service to clients in the Midwest and beyond. It is located in Fulton Market and will support projects and clients across all building typologies, including residential, cultural, hospitality, civic, and commercial.

Olson Kundig has been active in the region since 2004, with a range of active and built residential, commercial, and hospitality projects in its portfolio.

“Chicago is recognized around the world for its trailblazing design. For over 150 years, Chicago architects have carved out a reputation for big thinking and an ability to reimagine our built world,” Tom Kundig, principal/owner and founder of Olson Kundig shared in a news release. “We are honored to join this incredible community of designers, makers, and creatives.”

“Expanding to Chicago, a vibrant city with a historic culture of design and urbanism, is an obvious choice for Olson Kundig,” Kirsten Ring Murray, principal/owner of Olson Kundig, added. “We're excited to weave the spirit of the Pacific Northwest into that rich history.”

Olson Kundig was founded six decades ago as a single office in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood, where it is still located to this day.

A new definition for zero emissions buildings

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on June 6 announced the first portion of a new national definition of a Zero Emissions Building.

DOE says the definition was crafted “to advance public and private sector efforts to decarbonize the buildings sector, which is responsible for more than one-third of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.”

The definition is intended to provide industry guidance to support new and existing commercial and residential buildings to move towards zero emissions across the entire sector.

In common terms, a zero emissions building produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy consumption requirements. The new national definition sets criteria for determining that a building generates zero emissions from energy use in building operations.

By the definition, at a minimum, a zero emissions building must be energy efficient, free of onsite emissions from energy use, and powered solely from clean energy.

This criterion defines part one of the DOE's Zero Emissions Building definition. DOE says future parts of the definition may address emissions from embodied carbon (producing, transporting, installing, and disposing of building materials) and additional considerations.

The initial part of the definition was crafted with input from members of the public, building and real estate industry professionals, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders that responded to a DOE request for information soliciting input.

“A standardized definition for zero emissions buildings will help advance next-generation clean energy solutions, drive innovation, and tackle the climate crisis, while supporting workforce development,” DOE says.

DOE stresses that the definition is not a regulatory standard or a certification. Instead, it is to be used as guidance that public and private entities may adopt to determine whether a building has zero emissions from operational energy use. The definition is not a substitute for the green building and energy efficiency standards and certifications that public and private parties (such as LEED) have developed.

Seattle cruise vessels must use shore power

The Port of Seattle last week became the first port in the nation to independently require that 100% of all cruise vessels homeported in Seattle be shore power capable and utilize shore power.

The order, by the Port of Seattle Commission, takes effect in the 2027 cruise season.

In a press release, the port said that plugging into shore power reduces diesel emissions from cruise vessels at berth by 80% on average.

The port in 2004, through investments by Carnival Corporation, became the first homeport in North America to offer shore power at two cruise berths and is currently finalizing the electrification of Pier 66 with plans to connect cruise ships to shore power there this summer.

This milestone will make shore power available at all three Seattle cruise berths. It will also make Seattle one of the first cruise ports to offer shore power at all its multiple berths.

The port says that during the 2023 season, cruise ships using shore power avoided emitting 2,700 metric tons of greenhouse gases and 0.75 metric tons of diesel particulate matter — the equivalent of nearly 650 passenger cars driving for a year.

Improvements begin at White Center park

The tennis courts at the Steve Cox Memorial Park at 1321 S.W. 102nd St. are currently closed for improvements.

Improvements include resurfacing the tennis courts, constructing a new ADA ramp, installation of root barriers, sidewalk repair, and fire lane striping.

Work is slated to be completed, and the courts re-opened, on August 20. King County Parks is overseeing the project.

The Steve Cox Memorial Park (formerly White Center Park) offers ample sports facilities including Mel Olson Stadium, baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, play and picnic areas, and a foot reflexology walking path. It is also home to the White Center Community Center.

The tennis courts haven't been renovated in over a decade.

Webinar for A/E/C office managers

SDA, a professional organization for A/E/C business and management leadership, is hosting an online webinar, “Effective Contract Management: Tools and Techniques for Non-Project Managers,” July 17.

The virtual event will take place on Zoom from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. and is free for SDA Members and $15 for nonmembers.

The webinar is designed specifically for admins and office managers in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Attendees will discover the importance of contract management and learn how mastering this skill can enhance their role and career prospects.

Discussion topics will include:

• The fundamentals of contract management and its significance in the A/E/C industry.

• Key roles and responsibilities of contract managers and administrators.

• The stages of the contract lifecycle.

• Systems and best practices to improve efficiency and accuracy.

• Real-life scenarios and case studies to illustrate successful contract management.

• Tips for effective communication, negotiation, and collaboration within your team.

• Career growth opportunities through mastering contract management skills.

The webinar will be led by Tom Owens, a construction and business lawyer with a strong background in design professional law and contract negotiation. Owens has been representing clients for over 25 years and has drafted and negotiated numerous design professional contracts from stadia, hospitals and corporate headquarters to small tenant improvements and remodels.

Tickets can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/SDAJulyevent

Fire code takes aim at derelict buildings

The DJC reported in April on the submittal of new emergency legislation aiming to amend Seattle's current Fire Code and give the Seattle Fire Chief new authority to order the demolition of derelict buildings deemed unsafe.

That legislation was passed unanimously by the city council June 4 and signed into law by Mayor Harrell June 6.

The code change is intended to mitigate the risk of fires breaking out in vacant properties, which has become an increasingly common and worrisome problem over the last few years. The city recorded 77 incidents in 2021, 91 in 2022, and 130 fires in 2023. In the first three and a half months of 2024 alone, there were 30 fires in derelict structures.

Under the new legislation, the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) is now able to take immediate action to abate or make the building safe for neighbors if it is deemed an imminent risk.

The legislation:

• Amends the Seattle Fire Code to allow SFD to order remediation or complete demolition of derelict buildings.

• Requires property owners to pay for necessary work to make dangerous buildings or sites safe.

• In extreme cases, authorizes the city to conduct needed abatement work to improve the safety of a site and place liens on properties to recover costs.

In a sad but revealing set of circumstances, the council vote on June 4 happened to follow a deadly fire in the early hours of that morning at the Roosevelt Manor apartments on the corner of Roosevelt Way and N.E. 63rd Street. The building was believed to be vacant, but the fire killed a woman and injured three others that had been unknowingly residing in the property.

On Sunday, another devastating fire tore through a vacant commercial building in the International District.

Before the code change, SFD had identified over 40 vacant buildings potentially impacted by this legislation, all of which have had at least one fire. Funding included with the legislation is anticipated to allow SFD to address four of those buildings in 2024.

Councilmember Robert Kettle had this to say about the code change: “This legislation will substantially address the issue of dangerous vacant buildings. We owe it to our brave firefighters and our neighbors to take a proactive approach, so they don't have to endanger their lives to put out fires at vacant buildings.”

Parks seeks input on Marymoor

King County Parks is seeking community input to help improve circulation at Redmond's Marymoor Park. Community members are encouraged to complete a survey and share their thoughts on how people travel into and through the park, including traffic, parking, and walking or biking.

The survey is offered as part of Parks' Marymoor Park traffic and parking study to evaluate the current conditions and propose improvements to fix existing issues.

The survey is at https://tinyurl.com/MarymoorSurvey. It will close June 18.

Tukwila, Burien get homeless shelter grants

King County recently awarded $3 million in grant funding for homelessness assistance in Tukwila and Burien.

The money comes from the federal American Rescue Plan. Both cities will use the one-time funding opportunity to increase current shelter capacity and to rapidly serve people experiencing homelessness. The city of Tukwila will receive $2 million. The city of Burien will receive $1 million.

Tukwila will use the money to fund a new shelter project to support unhoused individuals and families. Burien will use its $1 million to help fund a new emergency shelter at Mary's Place at 12845 Ambaum Blvd S.W. that will add 50 additional beds for families with children.

Seattle a top city for ENERGY STAR buildings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced its annual “Top Cities” list, spotlighting the American cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified commercial and multifamily buildings in 2023.

Seattle cracked the top 15 coming in at number 14 with 187 ENERGY STAR certified properties. That number was up by 23 from 2022.

Los Angeles came top with 876 certified buildings. In second place was Washington, D.C., with 631 buildings, followed by New York in third place (390 buildings). Atlanta and San Francisco rounded out the top five.

The EPA says ENERGY STAR certified buildings use an average of 35% less energy and are responsible for 35% less carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings.

The Top Cities list was first released in 2009. To create the annual ranking, the EPA tallies the number of ENERGY STAR certified buildings within each metropolitan area, as defined by the U.S. Census, and creates separate rankings for mid-sized and small cities. These areas include the city itself as well as surrounding suburbs.

Apply for a Multicultural Center Grant

The city of Spokane's 2024 Multicultural Center grant, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, opened for applications on Wednesday, May 29.

This program provides funding for community-serving organizations in Spokane to cover capital campaign expenses, aiming to expand services.

Grants of up to $100,000 are available to support the implementation of a capital campaign resulting in the organization securing a physical location for its operations.

The application deadline is Friday June 28 at 5 p.m.

The application and more information are at my.spokanecity.org/ARPAfunding

Commerce funds tribal energy projects

The Washington State Department of Commerce last week announced $7.5 million in grants to five tribes in Washington to plan, design and build clean energy projects.

The grants come from the Tribal Clean Energy Grant Program and will support innovative solar and wave energy projects and advance state goals on environmental justice and equity.

The awardees are:

• Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation — Community Center Solar Panels, Oakville: $251,000 to build a 121 kW roof-mounted solar installation for the tribe's Community Center and to complete a feasibility study to add future battery storage at the center.

• Cowlitz Indian Tribe — Resilient Energy and Supplemental Power Project Phase II, Longview: $1.7 million to build a 100 kW solar array and battery energy storage system on administrative and clinic buildings to power the buildings and provide supplemental power for electric vehicle charging.

• Spokane Tribe of Indians — Western Nuclear Solar Farm Project, Wellpinit: $90,000 to evaluate the viability of repurposing the tribe's historic uranium mine for solar energy generation.

• Willapa Bay Enterprises — Renewable Ocean Wave Energy Technology Demonstration Project, Tokeland: $2,744,507 to support the design, permitting, siting and construction of technology that produces zero emission hydrogen from ocean wave energy.

• Yakama Power – Solar Over Canal Project, Toppenish: $2.75 million to support permitting, environmental review and predevelopment work for an innovative 200 MW solar over canal project that leverages $160 million in federal and state funding.

The grant program is funded by Washington's Climate Commitment Act and offered through the state Department of Commerce. It is part of an $83 million opportunity that includes $16 million for a targeted tribal clean energy fund and $67 million for projects that advance environmental justice and equity.

The Tribal Clean Energy Grant Program will continue to accept applications through September 27. Applications received by July 19 will be announced in August, and applications received by the final deadline will be announced in October.

More information on this opportunity and future funding rounds is available at https://tinyurl.com/TrirbalCleanEnergyWA.

June preservation events

Historic Seattle is hosting two events focused around preservation this month. Each event honors a winner in the nonprofits 2023 Preservation Award Series Program.

On June 12, Historic Seattle will honor Historic Wallingford, the winner of the 2023 Preservation Advocacy Award. The event will be held from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Wallingford's Good Shepherd Center at 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N.

Attendees can expect to learn more about the organization as well as embark on a walk-and-talk around the neighborhood with Historic Wallingford board members Sarah Martin and Tom Veith.

Founded in 2017, Historic Wallingford is a grassroots organization that fosters awareness and appreciation of Wallingford's heritage through education, publications, and community activities. Historic Wallingford was instrumental in creating a new historic district in the neighborhood. The group also organizes walking tours, hosts educational events, and advocates for the protection of historic buildings and landmarks.

On Tuesday June 25, Historic Seattle will host a tour of the Labour Temple at 2800 First Ave. in Belltown from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. The building was honored with a 2023 Best Preservation Award.

The Labour Temple is a modern co-working space and community hub located within the historic Seattle Labor Temple. The building was constructed by labor unions in 1942 and was owned and occupied by them for almost 80 years. It was designated a Seattle landmark in 2008.

The tour will be hosted by FAUL, the building's owner and developer of the Labour Temple. The tour will conclude with a rooftop reception at the thoughtfully re-imagined property.

Tickets for both events are $5 and available at https://historicseattle.org/events/

Tour The Eight

Rendering copyright Steelblue [enlarge]

Skanska is both the developer and general contractor of The Eight office tower in Bellevue.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's Seattle chapter is hosting a tour of The Eight in Bellevue on Wednesday June 26.

The Eight is a new Class A office tower at 10660 N.E. Eighth St. It was developed and built by Skanska. Skanska announced in January that it has signed an anchor tenant for the substantially completed building, which will occupy 16 of The Eight's 25 floors.

Skanska did not announce the name of the tenant, but other outlets have since reported that the tenant is Pokemon. Occupancy is expected in January 2025.

The Eight was designed by architecture firm Pickard Chilton, which is based in Connecticut. In addition to modern office floors, the building features a public plaza landscaped with native plants, an indoor/outdoor lounge, and an amenity floor with a flexible gathering space.

The ground level has retail spaces along Northeast Eight Street, including a stand-alone mass-timber pavilion.

Noah Green, development manager with Skanska Commercial Development, will lead the tour, talk about the project and give insights into the development and construction process.

The tour will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at The Eight. A happy hour sponsored by Skanska and Magnusson Klemencic Associates (the building's structural engineer) will follow.

Tickets are $25. More information and registration are at https://www.ctbuh.org/events/bellevue-26-Jun-2024