Mithun, Inc
Encyclopedia
Mithun, Inc., commonly referred to as Mithun, is a multidisciplinary professional services
firm headquartered in the city of Seattle in Washington state in the United States of America
offering integrated design
services related to architecture
, land use planning
, landscape architecture
, interior architecture
, interior design
, and "cultural audits" with a focus on sustainability
.
as a private practice in Bellevue, Washington
. 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 serves as CEO
.
Professional services
Professional services is an industry of infrequent, technical, or unique functions performed by independent contractors or by consultants whose occupation is the rendering of such services....
firm headquartered in the city of Seattle in Washington state in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
offering integrated design
Integrated design
Integrated design is a collaborative method for designing buildings which emphasizes the development of a holistic design.Conventional building design usually involves a series of hand-offs from owner to architect, from builder to occupant...
services related to architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, land use planning
Land use planning
Land-use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy encompassing various disciplines which seek to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Governments use land-use planning to manage the development of land within their...
, landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
, interior architecture
Interior architecture
Interior Architecture is truly a marriage of three distinct design disciplines: interior design, architecture, and industrial design...
, interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
, and "cultural audits" with a focus on sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
.
History
The firm was founded in 1949 by Omer Mithun, a professor of architecture at the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
as a private practice in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
. Mithun incorporated in 1953, and became Mithun Partners in 1988. The practice moved into the historic Times Square Building
Times Square Building
The Times Square Building, formerly the Times Building, is a registered landmark building in Seattle, Washington. It was completed in 1916 and housed editorial operations of the Seattle Times newspaper, which was housed there until 1930. Located at 414 Olive Way, it is entirely surrounded by...
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 serves as CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
.
Buildings
- Epler Hall at Portland State UniversityPortland State UniversityPortland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
- six-story, 65000 square feet (6,038.7 m²) dormitory - IslandWoodIslandWoodIslandWood is a non-profit outdoor learning center located on Bainbridge Island in Washington. It was founded in 2001 to provide environmental education for young people living in King and Kitsap Counties....
(formerly the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center) (2002) - LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental DesignLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
-NC Gold rated. Nationally recognized project and environmental case study featuring low-impact construction, recycled materials, photovoltaics and a custom-designed LivingMachineTM 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 reports Blue Ring, The Next Decade and Blue Ring, the Next 100 Years were conceived as a companion to the Olmstead Brothers' 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 PortlandPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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 ArchitectsAmerican Institute of ArchitectsThe American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
2006 Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design, a 2005 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects