Latest News

Lydig erects $34 million middle school on West Side

Spokane-based builder expects to finish complex in Federal Way next year

July 2, 2009

Spokane-based Lydig Construction Inc. says it has started work on a $34 million middle-school replacement project in Western Washington.The new Lakota Middle School in the Federal Way Public Schools district will have 100,000 square feet of a a

Rendering courtesy of OPN Architects Inc.

Work starts on plasma center - Art Only

July 2, 2009

Construction is under way on a 15,000-square-foot structure illustrated here for Deerfield Ill.-based BioLife Plasma Services. The project site is just west of U.S. 95, in Hayden, Idaho. Build to Suit Inc., of Bettendorff, Iowa, is managing the is

CCS projects worth $30 million slated

Work at both campuses here set to begin this summer; Seattle concern wins $20.8 million in bids

July 2, 2009

David Cole

More than $30 million worth of construction is expected to get started this summer at Community Colleges of Spokane's two main campuses, following the recent opening of bids for three big projects.At Spokane Falls Community College, in northwest

Avista awards big contract for HQ project

Seattle-based McKinstry to replace HVAC system, windows, update bathrooms

July 2, 2009

David Cole

McKinstry Co., a Seattle-based mechanical engineering and construction concern with two Spokane offices, has been selected as the general contractor for a five-year $14.8 million project at Avista Corp.'s headquarters here to upgrade the building's

Getting back to basics in recession

Schneidmiller Cd'A real estate brokerage pulls back to its roots in down economy

July 2, 2009

Mike McLean

Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, a 27-year-old Coeur d'Alene real estate brokerage, has pulled back to its roots as part of its strategy to endure the recession.Gary Schneidmiller, the agency's owner and broker, says he has done some of fit

Rendering courtesy of Spokane Public Schools

City's urban design awards program seeks applications

Mayor Verner continues recognition effort started two years ago by Hession

June 18, 2009

Ben Rascoff

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner says the city is seeking applications for this year's Mayor's Urban Design Awards program.The program, started in 2007 by former Mayor Dennis Hession, is intended to recognize and thank those who contribute to Spokane's

Height, style of 'McMansions' are what turn off neighbors

Size disparity, not absolute size, found in study to stir strongest negative reaction

June 18, 2009

A new study provides a first glimpse of exactly what people find offensive about super-sized houses that have sprouted up in neighborhoods around the country.Researchers found that people particularly dislike when these large homes, often called

All-female design firm targets 'green'

ZDS Architects' revenues climbed by double-digit percentage again last year

June 18, 2009

Emily Holt

As the owner and founder of ZDS Architects Inc., Suzanne Zahr-Fleming plans to weather the economic storm with plywood and a rosewood veneer.Since 2002, ZDS Architects, a small firm on Seattle's Capitol Hill made up of four minority women, has a

ALSC says mix will carry it through

Longtime firm relies on education, recreation projects, avoids speculative developments

June 18, 2009

Mike McLean

The workload at Spokane-based ALSC Architects PS has slowed somewhat this year, following a strong year for the firm in 2008. Yet Rustin Hall, its president, says the firm's mix of design expertise will carry it through the recession."This year

Designing a path through a slowdown

Architectural firms seek to be more competitive in tight market

June 18, 2009

David Cole

Architectural firms here say they're weathering the recession well—by making changes to be more versatile and competitive in a market where there is less design work to win.Some firms accustomed to having plenty of work say there're more are