West Coast Design Firms Face an Uneasy Recovery

Abstract

Todd Stine, a partner in the Seattle office of ZGF Architects, reports that almost all the firm's projects continued in 2020 as part of what he calls "An almost historic economic expansion of the region's design and construction industry."However, the Portland-based company reported regional revenue fell 8.7% in 2021 for Oregon, Washington and Alaska, following the trend of a regionwide falloff for the year. A standout company-designed project is the PAE Living Building, a five-story, 55,000-sq-ft, mixed-use building in Portland's Old Town/Skidmore district-the first developer-led project and one of the largest commercial urban Living Buildings in the world. "Critically, the project's success demonstrates that Living Buildings are not only technically possible on a dense urban site but also financially viable," Stine says. Trends include infrastructure improvements, such as transportation, roadways and water, energy, industrial and manufacturing, commercial, public, institutional and municipal utility projects, she says. The Kiewit-Stantec design-build team recently broke ground on two multiyear projects that will help remediate water from northwest of downtown Los Angeles for the city's Dept. "How contracts are written and how owners work, or don't work, with contractors to address historic uncertainties can have huge impact on projects," he says. "As we experience a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure projects, we continue to seek out the talented individuals who will turn these investments into reality."