Mithun is a multidisciplinary

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

firm headquartered in Seattle with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company provides

integrated design Integrated design is a comprehensive holistic approach to design which brings together specialisms usually considered separately. It attempts to take into consideration all the factors and modulations necessary to a decision-making process. A few ...

services including

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

landscape architecture Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes based on geographical location. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, city, ...

and

planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the cap ...

History

The firm was founded in 1949 by Omer Mithun, a professor of architecture at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

as a private practice in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the f ...

. Mithun incorporated in 1953, and became Mithun Partners in 1988. The practice moved into the historic Times Square Building in 1990, after the firm outgrew the space they moved again in 2000, after renovating their present-day headquarters on Pier 56. Mithun is now led by a board of directors, presided by Bert Gregory, FAIA, who also is

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Notable works

Buildings

* Epler Hall at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

- six-story, dormitory. * IslandWood (formerly the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center) (2002) -

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

-NC Gold rated. Nationally recognized project and environmental case study featuring low-impact construction, recycled materials, photovoltaics and a custom-designed LivingMachine to treat grey-water and black-water on site. * REI Flagship Store (1996) - "the apotheosis of the exposed-viscera school of architecture -- all the building's structural guts are on glorious exhibit, from the electric conduits to the I-beams and turnbuckles that hold everything together."

Research & Planning

* Blue Ring (1999) - Seattle's open space strategy for the Center City. The two report
Blue Ring, The Next Decade
an
Blue Ring, the Next 100 Years
were conceived as a companion to the

Olmsted Brothers The Olmsted Brothers company was a Landscape architecture, landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape ar ...

' green ring of parks and parkways that encircle Seattle. * Center for Urban Agriculture(2007) - conceptual design of an off-grid 318-unit multi family building that is energy and water self-sufficient by utilizing on site greenhouses, rooftop gardens, a chicken farm, and areas for growing vegetables and grains. The design exercise won "Best of Show", lauded as "most visionary" in the Cascadia Region Green Building Council's Living Building Challenge. * '
Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design Plan
'' (2004) - includes onsite and offsite strategies contribute to the capability of a 35-block ecosystem in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, emulating the natural systems of a pristine forest, even as the area's density increases fivefold. The plan received national recognition including the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

2006 Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design, a 2005 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects.{{Cite news , last = Enlow , first = Clair , author-link = Clair Enlow , title = A Green Blueprint , newspaper = Metropolis Magazine , volume = 2005 , issue = August/September , date = July 2005 , url = http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=1510 , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080221231332/http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=1510 , archivedate = 2008-02-21

External links

Mithun website

References

Architecture firms based in Washington (state) Design companies established in 1949 Companies based in Seattle 1949 establishments in Washington (state)