Local Community Projects
Welcome Plaza
We proposed a design concept to meet the City of Gig Harbor’s wants and needs for a new Lift Station and Welcome Plaza at Skansie Brother’s Park. Addressing the site’s opportunities and challenges, we believed the park’s location and uses were (and are!) an ideal setting for an all-accessible viewing deck. Designing a simple structural form maximizing views, adding more usable space and amenities, which are paramount to addressing the visual impact to the public.
You may be travelling by boat, car, bike, wheelchair or by foot. Any way you arrive, you will have choices of how to access and interact with the structure. We provided accessible “primary walkways” on all sides of this site.
Looking at the project holistically, the structure, walkways and plaza become one; visually anchoring the site. The reclaimed wood facade softens the building and links it to the surrounding historical structures.
Please meet Dama and Tim,
"Our young family of three have been residents of the Tacoma area for over 2 years and we love the city. We currently live in Central Tacoma. As non-native Washingtonians, the majority of our extended family lives out of state or overseas.
We are interested in building an ADU that would house our extended family during their visits and extended stays. We anticipate annual visits from our family abroad lasting in excess of a month or more at a time. A detached ADU would help with maintaining family relationships. During times when the ADU is not occupied by family, we intend to use the unit as an additional income source through short-term subletting. We believe this will better utilize the infrastructure and provide a great destination for those visiting the area.
Thank you for considering our project as a candidate for the Infill Pilot Program. We hope to be a valuable addition to the City of Tacoma."
Sincerely, Dama and Tim (2017)
Tacoma Urban Infill Pilot Project DADU
Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce is often the first place visitors stop to become familiar with a town, and as most people know, first impressions are everything. By updating the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce Visitors
Center local businesses will be represented in a space that portrays the uniqueness and diversity of what our town has to offer. Taking a step into the future of technology, businesses will have the option of using new interactive applications or traditional brochures to intrigue a growing tourism market as well as keep new and current residents in the loop about services around the area.
Parking Day
What is a social experiment and why is it important? We are often so busy with life that we miss opportunities to reflect, connect and intentionally design our lives and our communities. In simple terms, a social experiment is a human experience in the real world to create awareness of more perspectives.
Park(ing) Day promotes the use of temporary open space, also called parklets, to jumpstart conversations both in and about our built environment. If you are new to this conversation, this is an international event that has proven to be popular and successful around the world. Our local community is growing and changing. Let’s get out there and meet each other. The best things in life are getting to know people, creating relationships and having experiences.
As a community we design and build physical spaces for us to conduct daily life. The beauty of this event is bringing people and passions together into temporary physical spaces to alter our perspectives of our own city.
Rotary Aviation Zone (RAZ)
The purpose of RAZ is to provide a fun place where the general public can learn about aviation while actively experiencing the Tacoma Narrows Airport.
Experiences include the viewing of aircraft operations, listening to radio transmissions between aircraft pilots and the aircraft control tower, and possibly touching a static aircraft and avionics. The project includes two phases. Phase one is overall concept and site design, architectural and structural design, construction of a wheel chair accessible viewing tower modeled after an actual air traffic control tower and an accessible picnic platform and appropriate ground surfacing and fencing. Followed by phase two.
Pierce County Public Works + Utilities, the Friends of Tacoma Narrows Airport (FoTNA) and the Gig Harbor Rotary collaborated to fund and erects the structures on the site. Aviation enthusiasts now have a new space to take in the sights and sounds of our active regional airport. The zone features an observation tower with a front-row view of the runway, a viewing shelter and tables.
