Top 25 Design Firms Project Highlights

ARCHITECTS

Meydenbauer Project, Bellevue, Wash.
Callison (Ranking: 2)

Callison's Meydenbauer Project Image courtesy of Callison Higher Education Center

Callison is working with Schnitzer Northwest to provide overall design for Meydenbauer Project, creating a branded destination in an urban setting next to the existing convention center, which will serve as the front door to the downtown retail corridor. The Meydenbauer Project site is comprised of the super block bounded by N.E. 6th Street and N.E. 8th Street between 110th Avenue N.E. and 112th Avenue N.E. This mixed-use project is made up of three 20-story office towers, a 10-story boutique hotel and a 20-story full service hotel, as well as retail specialty and entertainment and interior common areas.

advertisement

Highline Community College, Des Moines, Wash.
LMN Architects (Ranking: 6)

This multi-purpose building will be located on the campus of Highline Community College and will serve students from both Central Washington University and Highline Community College. The building will house science and computer laboratories, general purpose classrooms, distance education classrooms, meeting rooms, and faculty offices. The building is designed to be a "two-plus-two" facility, which allows students to attain a four-year degree without leaving the community since faculty from both schools will be present at the Higher Education Center. Students will be able to take the first two years of classes at Highline and the remaining two years at Central Washington University.

Eugene Federal Courthouse, Eugene, Ore.
DLR Group (Ranking: 8)

The 265,000-sq.-ft. federal courthouse in Eugene, Ore., was contracted to the design team of DLR Group and Morphosis under the GSA's Design Excellence program. The facility will include six courtrooms, associated chambers and ancillary spaces. The design of the courthouse aims to redefine the architectural values embodied in the expression of the Federal Judicial Branch. Visitors will engage in a symbolic narrative of movement from a classic entry stair and portico, past a feature waterfall, into a soaring day-lit atrium space and finally, up a formal grand staircase to the courtroom level. The courtrooms - a series of single, day-lit spaces - are arranged in three sculpted forms perched on the raised plane of the two lower office floors. A grand hall serving the courtroom level traverses this symbolic platform, offering views of the surrounding mountains, rivers, landscape and of the sister courthouse pavilions across the roofscape.

Clackamas Community College Willsonville Training Center, Wilsonville, Ore.
Yost Grube Hall (Ranking: 11)

The 51,000-sq.-ft. addition to the existing Clackamas Community College Willsonville Training Center has the capacity to host training conferences of 150 people in the double height main space. The building houses general classrooms, computer classrooms, hands-on training bays and an outdoor training area, as well as a catering kitchen, cafe and coffee bar.

Warm silver ribbed metal panels with inset pewter flat panels give the exterior a technological look and strips of blue add an accent color under the second story windows. Light baffles bounce indirect daylight off the ceiling to balance light levels across the space. High clerestory windows bring daylight in from all directions.

Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, Tacoma, Wash.
Merritt+Pardini (Ranking: 12) and MulvannyG2 Architecture (Ranking: 4)

Merritt+Pardini is the managing architect and Mulvanny G2 the design architect for the $61 million regional convention center for the City of Tacoma. Scheduled to open in July 2004, the new facility will stand as the flagship project of the rebirth of Tacoma's city center. The structure's prominence is emphasized by a 400-ft. tall triangular tower which identifies the center's location within the urban landscape. Reminiscent of a radio tower or a giant metal pine tree, the new landmark will be visible from the freeway and other parts of downtown.

With entrances on Commerce Street and Broadway, the building will be constructed of glass panels, steel columns and trellises, offering panoramic views of Mt. Rainier. The center will include a ballroom, 50,000-sq.-ft. exhibition hall and an angled roof with a terrace. Near South 15th Street a waterfall will flank a pedestrian walkway.

In addition to the main convention center building, the project also includes structured parking for 650 automobiles, 6,000-sq.-ft. of retail space, a 200-room hotel, 100 multi-family residential units and the development of a plaza to be known as Pacific Square.

Whatcom Community College Student Center, Bellingham, Wash.
Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects (Ranking: 16)

The 36,632-sq.-ft. Whatcom Community College Student Center building brings activities previously spread throughout the campus under one roof. The building houses a 500-seat theater, student lounge areas, a cafeteria, a bookstore, classrooms, student government, student newspaper offices and a game room. The building serves as the central meeting place and social hub for students and faculty. The rooftop lantern is designed to bring daylight into the central gathering place during the day and become a welcoming beacon at night.

Mount Tahoma High School, Tacoma, Wash.
BLRB Architects (Ranking: 18)

BLRB Architects' Mount Tahoma High School Image courtesy of BLRB Architects

The Mount Tahoma High School project will replace an existing outdated high school in the south end of Tacoma.Driven by the educational program, this Gates Grant school is designed to be flexible for curriculum changes and community use, to accommodate a variety of teaching and learning styles, and be expandable for growth. The programmatic components of this comprehensive, state-of-the-art high school are organized to facilitate community use and access; create a centralized social "heart"; maximize daylighting; celebrate the view of Mount Rainier (Mt. Tahoma) and personalize the learning environment by creating "interdisciplinary learning communities".

The project utilizes an "Integrated Steel Design" approach. The school district will pre-order the structural steel and assign the steel mill order to the successful general contractor. It is anticipated this process will pay dividends in maintaining the budget and meeting the aggressive project schedule.

The 270,000-sq.-ft. facility accommodates 1,800 students and includes an auditorium, swimming pool, athletic fields, and a stadium complex for approximately 3,200 spectators. The $56.5 million project is slated for completion in June 2004.

Automotive Education and Training Center, Clover Park Technical College, Lakewood, Wash.
McGranahan Architects (Ranking: 22)

The new Automotive Education and Training Center for Clover Park Technical College houses educational programs that relate to all aspects of motor vehicle service from engine maintenance to auto body repair.

The building design was preceded by a predesign study and includes technical labs for engine rebuild; chassis and transmission repair; finish labs for auto body refinish and upholstery; classrooms, storage and offices associated with each lab; conference rooms and administrative offices. The building design expresses both the machined qualities of an automobile's technical components as well as the smooth linear and refined quality of the skin and its finishes. The separate "Auto Tech" and "Auto Finish" wings of the building enclose an outdoor auto display courtyard where completed projects will be presented. A conical display pavilion building located in the courtyard serves as the gateway to the facility for visitors.

The building area is approximately 85,000 sq. ft. on a single story. Site development includes 109 parking stalls for students, staff and visitors. A service loop around the building provides access to hazardous material storage and overflow parking at each lab.

Northwest Asian Building, Seattle, Wash.
Freiheit and Ho Architects (Ranking: 25)

Freiheit and Ho has provided architectural services for the Northwest Asian Building. The four-story mixed-use building is approximately 24,000 sq. ft. and is located in the heart of Seattle's international District.

The building offers retail space, a penthouse apartment, a secured parking garage and office space that houses the Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post. The building is a post tension concrete structure and stucco exterior with a masonry base. The design blends in and respects the context of the historic buildings in the area.

Architects Highlights 2003
Engineers Highlights 2003