FEDERAL NEWS
Virtual Capitol Hill Day
AIA members not attending AIA National’s Grassroots conference in DC next month are invited to participate in a Virtual Capitol Hill Day instead. On March 6, AIA members will be able to use this portal to communicate with your federal lawmakers on the priority requests identified by AIA National:
- Energy efficiency: amend the federal tax code to target energy efficient technology on existing commercial and multifamily buildings.
- School safety: authorize design services to be an eligible use of funding in existing federal grants that support school security and establish a federal clearinghouse of resources and school design best practice for school officials to access.
Of course, you are always able to communicate with your federal lawmakers on these or other issues. Use the following links to contact your U.S. Representative or Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
STATE NEWS
State Legislative Session
In Olympia, AIA Washington Council continues to track issues of concern to architects and the profession as the state legislative session progresses. February 22 is the cut-off date for bills to be passed out of their policy committees; if they do not make it, they are dead for the year. AIA|WA is working on the following key items:
- Opposing a B&O tax increase on services proposed by Governor Inslee;
- Passing legislation to incorporate NCARB’s licensing standards into Washington’s architect licensing law;
- Supporting condo liability reform legislation to address high rates of liability insurance for condo projects;
- Weighing in on climate legislation that would: reduce carbon in buildings; decrease the use of HFCs used in refrigerants; address toxic materials; and establish constitutional authority for a commercial property assessed clean energy and resilience program that would provide private loans for deep energy retrofits of buildings;
- Supporting legislation to lower the voter threshold for school bonds from 60 percent to a simple majority; and
- Advocating for a robust capital budget.
For more information, read AIA|WA’s February 4 report.
Shift Zero Legislative Update
AIA works with Shift Zero to advance policies that reduce carbon emissions from buildings. Read Shift Zero’s Olympia Update here.
TODAY: Housing Virtual Day of Action
The Housing Development Consortium, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, and other groups are working to mobilize housing advocates for the $600 Million for Homes campaign. AIA|WA has signed on to this campaign. The goal is to promote a three-pronged state funding package: $200 million for the Housing Trust Fund from the capital budget; allowing local communities to retain a portion of state’s sales tax; and making the state’s real estate excise tax work for affordable housing. Today, February 21, these organizations are hosting a Virtual Day of Action where they encourage you to send a message to your legislators encouraging them to support this funding package.
LOCAL NEWS
Mayor Durkan Identifies Key Agenda Items in her State of the City Address
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan gave her State of the City Address on February 19. An outline of the speech, transcripts, and video are available on the City of Seattle website. Do you see something missing from the Mayor’s agenda? Contact Kirsten Smith to let us know what you would like AIA Seattle to be addressing at City Hall.
AIA Seattle Approves New Transportation Policy Statement
AIA’s new Transportation Task Force developed a Policy Statement on Transportation with guidance and input from a cross-section of interested members. The AIA Seattle Board officially approved the policy this month. Goals include: reducing single occupancy vehicle trips; prioritizing lower-emission transportation options; contributing to walkable, transit-oriented communities; addressing new mobility systems; supporting community wellness and safety; and more. The Transportation Task Force meets monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30pm @ the Center.
New Housing Policy Resource
AIA Seattle and the Housing Development Consortium are working on an online resource that will provide information on housing policy basics such as: What does the Office of Housing do? How does the GMA work? What does it take to finance an affordable housing project? What are the missing middle housing opportunities? What can architects do? What are community land trusts? Do you have burning questions that we should include? Let us know!
Public Policy Board Update
AIA Seattle’s Public Policy Board (PPB) is working to create more engagement opportunities within and without AIA. These include more engagement with city officials and staff, as well as better outreach to members. The PPB will be meeting with AIA committees during the year to review current issues, solicit ideas, and answer questions. The committee also plans to hold more policy learning events and happy hours in 2019. AIA Seattle’s current advocacy focus areas include: city design, housing, homelessness, sustainable design, the Seattle Waterfront, and transportation. Member feedback is always welcome. Contact Kirsten Smith or PPB co-chair Osama Quotah AIA.
GET INVOLVED
TONIGHT: Seattle Citywide Mandatory Housing Affordability Public Hearing, February 21, 5:30pm, City Hall (Council Chambers). This is the final public hearing prior to the Council’s votes on Seattle’s Citywide MHA program. If you would like to testify, please arrive at least 30 minutes early. Members of AIA Seattle’s Committee on Homelessness will be testifying and invite others to join; contact Megan Altendorf for more information. You may also comment directly to your councilmember via email.
Imagine Greater Downtown Open House, February 28, 6:30pm – 8:30pm at City Hall (Bertha Knight Landis Room). Imagine Greater Downtown is a planning initiative to visualize what the heart of Seattle could look like in 20 years, including its public spaces, streets and the transportation system. The Open House will reveal the initiative’s final Big Ideas that will inform the Imagine Greater Downtown vision.
Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan Public Hearing, March 4, 5:30pm-8:30pm, Catharine Blaine School Cafeteria. This meeting is rescheduled from February 11. Public comments will be heard on Seattle’s plan to convert unused land next to Discovery Park in Magnolia into 240 affordable housing units. Public comment will also be accepted via mail or email through March 6.
Sound Transit West Seattle-Ballard Scoping Comments
Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration have kicked off their scoping period for the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions project. Scoping is the next step in the environmental review process and provides an opportunity for you to comment on the route and station alternatives, topics to study in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and project purpose and need. Comment accepted through March 18. More info here. The Sound Transit board will advance two alternatives to the EIS process in May.
EVENTS
AIA Seattle Task Force Meetings
AIA Seattle members are invited to attend these policy-focused meetings, which occur monthly:
Transportation Task Force Monthly Meeting: March 12, 5:30pm-6:30pm @ the Center.
Housing Task Force Monthly Meeting: March 14, 12pm-1:15pm @ the Center.
Committee Events
Homeless Outreach w/ COHO. March 13, 7:30pm – 11:30pm @ the Center. Join members of AIA Seattle’s Committee on Homelessness as they volunteer with Union Gospel Mission’s Search & Rescue team.
For more information on these or any other topics, or to join a task force, please contact:
Kirsten Smith
Manager of Policy and Advocacy
AIA Washington Council & AIA Seattle
206-448-4938 x401 | kirstens@aiaseattle.temp312.kinsta.cloud
The AIAS Chapter at Carnegie Mellon University was awarded the Chapter Honor Award in recognition of their outstanding achievements in creative programming, active membership, community engagement, and fostering student leadership. The jury was impressed by the level of rigor the Chapter went through to reinvent and re-imagine their programming having used data, town halls, and other avenues to pursue their members. In addition to engaging with the larger community, the Chapter worked to tackle socio-economic issues their peers and members faced. The integration of AIAS into CMU’s academics, studio culture, and school community is clear and intentional, and makes for a well-rounded and impressive chapter.
Zain Islam-Hashmi has shown tremendous skill in leading and guiding the AIAS CMU during his endeavors as Chapter President. Under his dedicated leadership, AIAS CMU has become a positive and inspiring force in the school and in the region due to Mr. Islam-Hashmi’s advocation for the AIAS among other peer-led councils within CMU’s SoA. In addition, he established the first year of AIAS Freedom By Design at CMU, and oversaw their fi rst project, which won an NCARB grant award. Mr. Islam-Hashmi also spearheaded the “Design Out of Studio Initiative,” leading to a built SoA pavilion that showcases the work of CMU students.
Alexander Siegel is professional, humble, and tenaciously committed to the AIAS. He diligently assisted California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in strengthening their AIA/AIAS partnership; and by attending local AIA Board Meetings and cohosting events, a mentorship program was cultivated between his chapter and the nearby Cuesta College chapter. Peers and faculty describe Mr. Siegal as a wonderful student, and an effective and gracious leader who always takes initiative when he sees an opportunity.
Rafael Armendariz and Destanee Cook received this award for their rural preservation community development plan for the Northwest Area Residents’ Association (NARA). This project incorporated strong community engagement activities and clearly demonstrated the value of design to the community. In addition to displaying an extremely thoughtful and thorough process for understanding their site context, they blended architecture with education to successfully integrate it into the community that they were designing.
Kelsey Kauffman was granted the Graduate Research Honor Award for her thesis, “How Architecture can Combat Obesity.” The framework of her conceptual neighborhood school project was centered on the influence that an architect can have on society, health, and education, as well as the overlap and benefits of racial equality in education. At her final defence, Ms. Kauffman transformed a gallery into an interwoven story of architecture, obesity, and food insecurity, and produced a thesis dissertation book, many provocative graphics, and two hand-crafted models.
The FBD Chapter at Wentworth Institute of Technology is a model AIAS FBD program. Despite being newly established, they have already made a significant impact in their school and the greater community of Boston. They demonstrated a dedication to collaboration and teamwork, which resulted in a revolution in student-led, externally-collaborative, project-based, and interdisciplinary learning on their campus. The team members consistently displayed a commitment to professionalism and mentorship, which encouraged the school to re-examine the role of students in project-based learning.
Eva Kultermann is highly revered for her dedication to teaching and learning, as well as for her wealth of knowledge regarding the craft of building. Ms. Iltermann has received the Educator Honor Award for her development of studio exercises that engage local community clients. Because of her work, students are encouraged to be informed and active citizens that are responsive to the needs of a changing world and equipped with the ability to address critical environmental, social, and economic challenges through design and responsible professional practice.
Ryan McEnroe leads by example. His incredible history of engagement with students from high school to college, graduate students, emerging professionals, and young architects is nothing short of powerful and motivating. He co-founded the AIA|DC Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program and has volunteered for countless positions within the AIA, NAAB, and AIAS. Mr. McEnroe’s accomplishments and efforts have positively impacted and influenced emerging professionals and students across the country, and he is clearly a man of strong character and dedication to his community.
The AIA Component in Las Vegas was awarded the AIA Component Honor Award in recognition of their remarkable efforts to develop the next generation of architects and leaders. Their impact stems from K-12 to college and into the emerging professional environment. This component clearly sees the potential in the next generation and empowers students to be leaders by providing opportunities for them to be involved with AIA committees and hold positions on the component’s Board of Directors, in addition to funding student travel and leadership scholarships.
Moderator: Elizabeth Golden | University of Washington
Rob has been with The Miller Hull Partnership since 2002 and was invited to be a Partner in 2016. His career has tended toward the management and practice side of architecture, and he leads Miller Hull’s Delivery group, which focuses on issues related to quality, technology, expectations for delivery, and improving staff understanding in each of these areas. Rob is also a leader in Miller Hull’s Serve marketing group, a team which focuses on projects related to infrastructure, U.S. gateways and public safety. His recent projects have included border crossings, embassies and other civic/public works.
Victoria has worked in the development industry in just about every facet of the industry: as owner, real estate developer, landscape architect and now contractor. For the last 4 years, Victoria has been building Sellen’s design-build portfolio. Recent projects include an office building on the Capitol campus in Olympia with ZGF & a 12 story office building in South Lake Union with Olson Kundig. Prior to Sellen, Victoria was a development manager for Vulcan for 10 years leading design & construction teams to create UW Medicine’s research facilities in South Lake Union. She also worked with Institute for Systems Biology, PATH and the Allen Institute for Brain Science on their new homes. Victoria’s laboratory knowledge niche was started when she worked in Immunex & Amgen’s capital projects groups. Victoria’s first career was as a landscape architect in Oregon and San Francisco, CA. She is a licensed landscape architect, accredited LEED AP, and DBIA member.
Myer’s work as a Principal & Director of Sustainability at Weber Thompson is primarily in urban, mid-rise, commercial office projects with ambitious environmental goals. He was named the AIA Seattle Young Architect 2011, and has been active in the local community through volunteer work on boards and committees. In recent years he has co-instructed architecture studios at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. Myer was a member of the design team for the award-winning Eco-Laboratory, which won the national USGBC 2008 Natural Talent Design Competition, and was included in the Cooper Hewitt’s 2010 Design Triennial Exhibit. Myer received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree with Philosophy citation at the University of Maryland in 2002, and a Master in Architecture degree at the University of Washington in 2005.
Margaret graduated from Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning in 2012, after which she spent a summer abroad working with Kounkuey Design Initiative to conduct participatory design workshops outside of Nairobi, Kenya. She relocated to Seattle shortly after and has most recently been engaged in affordable housing and community-focused projects at Schemata Workshop. Margaret is co-chair of AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable committee where she works to encourage and promote diversity within the architectural profession.
Osama Quotah, AIA, LEED AP is a Principal at LMN Architects. Osama’s professional career has included a wide range of projects in the U.S. and abroad that have focused on cultural sensitivity, sustainability and community-based design solutions. Recent project work includes the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, the Seattle Academy (SAAS) Middle School, and the conference center renovation at Pier 66. Osama has been intimately involved in the larger planning and development issues facing our city through his work as a board member on the AIA public policy board, and through his past work on the Yesler Terrace Citezen’s Review Committee, the Light Rail Review Panel, and as chair of the Seattle Design Commission.
Tom Kundig is a principal and owner of Seattle-based Olson Kundig. Over the past three decades, Kundig has received some of the world’s highest design honors, including a National Design Award for Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012, Kundig was inducted into Interior Design magazine’s Hall of Fame and in 2016, he was elected to the National Academy as an Academician in Architecture. Under his leadership, Olson Kundig received the 2009 National AIA Architecture Firm Award (as Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects), was a recipient of the 2004 Emerging Voices Award from the Architectural League of New York, and has twice been named one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Architecture by Fast Company. In total, Kundig’s work has received over 60 awards from the American Institute of Architects, including ten National Honor Awards and ten National Housing Awards. In 2018, Kundig’s Sawmill project received an AIA COTE Top Ten Award and an AIA National Small Project Award. Kundig’s Shinsegae International received the World Architecture News Tall Buildings Award in 2017, and his Meg Home, Rolling Huts and Delta Shelter projects have all received Record House Awards from Architectural Record. The Pierre was named the World Architecture News House of the Year in 2010. Kundig’s work has appeared in hundreds of publications worldwide and on the covers of The New York Times magazine, ARCHITECT, Architectural Record, and Architectural Digest. Kundig’s work can be found on five continents, in locations ranging from Costa Rica to Brazil, New Zealand, China, Mexico and Sweden. Kundig regularly lectures and serves on design juries around the world, and is named in The Wallpaper* 150 as a key individual who has influenced, inspired and improved the way we live, work and travel. In 2011, Princeton Architectural Press released Tom Kundig: Houses 2, the follow-up to the 2006 book, Tom Kundig Houses. Both books have become the Press’s best-selling architecture books of all time. His third monograph, Tom Kundig: Works, was released in November 2015; by January 2016, the first print run of 7,500 copies was sold out and in 2018 the book is currently on its third reprint. The international success of all three of Kundig’s monographs is another testament to his worldwide reach and influence on both architectural practitioners and design-minded audiences.
JoAnn Hindmarsh Wilcox AIA, LEED AP, has committed her professional practice to exploring architecture’s emerging relationship to social and ecological possibilities – not just solutions – that uplift the next generation. Specializing in design for learning, her built work highlights a balance between persistent curiosity and a quiet sensitivity to place, craft and the human experience. Manifested through: spatial and functional exploration; transdisciplinary collaboration; rigorous resolution; and the cultivation of positive social interaction through design within the public realm. Noted for creating buildings as deeply impactful as beautiful, her work has been awarded for design excellence from the local to the international level. JoAnn is a Principal, Design Lead and Public Engagement Strategist at Mahlum, on the leadership team of the firm’s K-12 Studio. Additionally, JoAnn volunteers, juries, teaches, critiques, facilitates, publishes and lectures widely; engaging civic issues that speak to the transformational power of design for social equity and environmental wellbeing.
Lindsey is a construction law attorney with Cairncross & Hempelmann. Her clients include owners, owner’s representatives, contractors, multi-disciplinary design firms, and engineering and architecture firms. Lindsey has devoted her career to understanding the risks faced by design and construction professionals, working together with her clients to manage those risks, while encouraging growth and innovation in their practices. Her practice is thoroughly integrated with her clients’ projects; she provides counsel on contract negotiation, project delivery, budget and schedule constraints, payment disputes, and post-completion claims. Lindsey is very proud to have served as a three-term member of the Board of Directors at the AIA, and to have participated on the Practice & Ethics and Women in Design Committees, the Center for Architecture and Design Executive Committee and many other exciting AIA initiatives. Lindsey is also active with ACEC, ULI, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Seattle Architecture Foundation.
Peter is best known for his work with Quadrant Homes where he served for almost 25 years, helping to bring Quadrant to prominence as Washington’s leading homebuilder, serving as President until 2010 when he assumed the role of CEO of the Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company where he oversaw five different homebuilding operations across the Country until 2014 when Weyerhaeuser completed the successful sale of the Company, at which point Peter “retired”. In his retirement Peter served as the acting Director for the Runstad Department for Real Estate Studies and upon a successful search for the permanent Director, now serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board.. He currently serves on the Governor’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board and since July of 2016 has been a member of the Rainier Prep Charter School Board of Directors. Peter also serves as a Director for Beazer Homes, a national Public home builder and on the Advisory Board of Seabrook a Washington coastal resort community. Peter’s civic commitments have also been diverse. He has been Chairman of the King County Housing Authority, President of the King and Snohomish County Master Builders Association, Chairman of Forterra and a board and Executive Committee member for the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He also served as Chair of the Mercer Island planning commission and was elected to a four-year term on the City Council in 1994.
By reaching out to ‘Just Say Hello’ we begin the process of turning a stranger into a friend. Facing Homelessness invites community into the task of ending homelessness by bringing people closer in relationship, we do this with the understanding that healthy community does not accept homelessness. Our Facebook page shares b&w photos and stories of those living outside as means for highlighting the beauty of each person, inviting us to reach out. Over the last eight years, every need posted has been answered by this compassionate community. The BLOCK Project places a 125 sq ft home in residential backyards, providing an off-grid self-sufficient and dignified place to call home for someone formerly living outside. The BLOCK Project, originated by architects Jenn LaFreniere and Rex Hohlbein, partners at BLOCK Architects, and now managed by Facing Homelessness, unleashes the power of community by revealing that we each have a role in ending homelessness.
The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) partners with the community to create strategies to help us achieve shared environmental goals. OSE coordinates among City departments, the Mayor’s Office, and City Council to ensure successful implementation these strategies. They integrate equity by elevating opportunities to increase racial, social, and environmental justice throughout Seattle’s environmental work. OSE is leading the way to a sustainable and carbon neutral Seattle. They focus our efforts in three areas: Meeting the Climate Challenge; Championing Environmental Equity; and Growing Sustainable Communities.
Laura is an Associate at Olson Kundig, where she first joined the firm as an intern in 2011. She is known for her interest in imaginative and exploratory architecture, which has informed her work on such cultural projects as Zooraji, a rooftop garden located above a nine-story department store in Daegu, South Korea. This project also reflects Laura’s continued interest in landscape – both real and imagined, micro and macro – as a point of departure for design investigations. She is currently working on the design of Checkmate Winery, a winery renovation in British Columbia by Olson Kundig Principal/Owner Tom Kundig. This coming spring Laura will also be co-teaching the studio ‘Design Dialogues’ at the University of Washington with Olson Kundig Principals Edward Lalonde and Mark Olthoff, and UW Associate Professor and Chair Brian McLaren. This collaboration between the University of Washington Architecture School and Olson Kundig will seek to unearth the inherent stories of place as a departure point for design.
Mithun is an integrated design firm with a shared mission to create positive change in people’s lives. As a national practice with offices in San Francisco and Seattle, the firm functions as one unified design studio with a humble and collaborative spirit founded on a process of inquiry and listening. Mithun’s team of architects, landscape architects, interior designers, urban designers and planners creates seamless experiences that are unique expressions of each client, community, and place. The work includes a wide range of typologies and scales, with a focus on urban environments, and the design of places where people live, work, and learn. The firm is an internationally recognized leader in sustainability, combining exemplary design with a focus on building and site performance, human health, and social equity.
R. David Frum FAIA is the president of Salus Architecture, a firm exclusively dedicated to healthcare facility design. David spent much of his career leading healthcare projects. He is known as an expert on healthcare design, both nationally and in the region. He initiated and led the AIA Seattle/AHP Healthcare Design Forum in 2004 and led its committee for eight years. He is a former board member of the AIA’s Academy of Architecture for Health and led its regional initiatives committee. David is a certificate holder of the American College of Healthcare Architects.
Mindy Lehrman Cameron FAIA designs environments that tell evocative stories for educational purpose. As architect, artist, and founder of Lehrman Cameron Studio, Mindy has expanded the role and reach of the practice of architecture and has made a powerful impact on the profession of interpretive design. A collaborative team leader committed to consequential subjects, Mindy creates significant visitor destinations with a strong vision from concept to details. Through her projects, she has sought to inspire positive environmental action at places such as Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve in New Jersey and at Washington State’s Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant. She’s affirmed history’s relevancy at Snoqualmie Falls, Lake Union Park, Stanford and Alaska University’s art museums, and Seattle’s August Wilson Way. She’s created interactive exhibits for the Exploratorium and the Seattle Symphony. Her work makes conservation accessible at Point Defiance and Woodland Park zoos. She elevated play with Utah Children’s Museum and at REI. Mindy teaches, lectures, trains creative professionals, develops courses, organizes symposia, and serves on juries and boards. She received a Masters of Architecture from MIT, and has lived in Seattle since 1995. From her first project (garbage museum, Connecticut), to today (historic concrete plant, Washington), Mindy has enthusiastically thrown herself into her work with wit and invention.
Sam Miller FAIA is Managing Partner at LMN Architects where his project work includes the Seattle Central Library, Seattle Art Museum Downtown Expansion, Museum of History and Industry, University of Iowa Voxman Music Building and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Sam heads LMN’s Green Group, focused on advancing sustainable design knowledge, resources and approach. He is also a leader of LMN Tech Studio, which performs research and development of design technologies, including simulation, parametric modeling, digital fabrication and human/computer interaction.
Wendy Pautz FAIA demonstrates the power of collaboration, leading multi-disciplinary teams to create transformative architecture. As a design partner at Seattle based LMN Architects, Wendy has led the design of public and private-sector projects throughout the United States with a profound impact on their urban settings. Through a holistic and integrated design approach, Wendy produces innovative project solutions that connect the experience of the architecture with the life of the community. Wendy has shaped LMN’s progressive and deeply collaborative design culture; her leadership defining a practice model that prioritizes the development of emerging professionals by fostering hands-on, face-to-face collaboration within the project work and engaging firm members regularly for exchanges of ideas and insights. Wendy has been invited to share the firm’s holistic and collaborative approach at the AIA National Convention and various AIA chapters throughout the country. Wendy’s projects have been widely published and recognized with more than 30 design awards – among them, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle. Her projects also include the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center, the Conrad Prebys Music Building at the University of California in San Diego, the recently completed expansion and renovation of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the Seattle Asian Art Museum Expansion and Renovation, and the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences (SAAS), currently under construction.
Wolf Saar, FAIA, As a Managing Director of VIA Architecture, an international, west-coast-based design practice specializing in the creation of the vital components that establish great cities, Wolf oversees firm-wide initiatives across VIA’s US and Canadian office. Wolf also promotes synergies across all of VIA’s core services of architecture, planning, urban design and community-building, bringing to life projects that are both forward-looking and grounded in their urban setting. As the upcoming chair of the AIA Contract Documents Committee, Wolf leads the development of industry-standard risk management tools that promote sustainability and collaboration nationwide. He was a founding member of the AIA Continuing Education System (CES), a foundational element of the Institute and a fundamental aspect of licensure for architects. Wolf puts into practice the principles of lifelong learning and the AIA Continuing Education System through presentations at AIA Conferences, national universities and through webinars.