Continuing Commitment to Sustainability
AMAA Press Release – April 23, 2009
As part of our continuing commitment to sustainability, several Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects (AMAA) staff members have passed the LEED exam in 2009 and are now LEED Accredited Professionals: Karen Bowery, Alissa Brandt, Melissa Eby, Melissa Goldman, Heather Hayes, Dave Heater, Murray Jenkins, Sabine O'Halloran, Travis Olson, Nicole Potter, Nathan Vox and Lynne Wilde.
Bowery, Principal in the Interior Design department has been with AMAA for 21 years. She passed the LEED CI exam. Karen strives to be an example for environmental leadership and responsibility by viewing each design and product selection as an opportunity to make a difference. As head of Ankrom Moisan Interiors, she is directly involved with administrating and executing all phases of Interior Design.
A 14 year Interior Design professional, Brandt recently passed the LEED CI exam and is working on 2 projects targeting various levels of LEED Certification. The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine’s new home in the former Globe Hotel, and the new headquarters for Vestas Americas. Alissa became a LEED AP because she felt as a designer she has an opportunity to help clients understand the importance of creating lasting environments, while reducing the impact building and construction has on the environment. With a more complete understanding of the means available for accomplishing these goals, she could be a better representative of the movement towards creating sustainable environments.
Eby recently passed the LEED CI exam. Melissa has been in the interior design profession for 4 years, and is currently working the FF&E for Sinju Restaurant at Clackamas Town Center, Metro 112 Apartments in Bellevue, WA and Mirabella South Waterfront. Melissa feels when it came to taking the LEED exam it wasn’t really a choice, to improve our future we have to act now, Sustainability is key.
Goldman, an Interior Designer in the Seattle office, has been with AMAA almost 2 years. Melissa is currently working on two projects for AvalonBay Communities; Avalon Towers Bellevue (Targeting LEED Silver) and Avalon Ballard (Targeting LEED for Homes). Melissa passed the LEED CI exam.
Interior Designer Hayes has been with AMAA Seattle a little over a year, she recently passed the LEED CI Exam. Heather is currently working on the Seattle offices for Schwabe Williamson and Wyatt. Heather feels becoming a LEED AP was important because as a designer we are responsible for all that goes into the built environment that surrounds people everyday. By using the sustainable principles of LEED, we are able to create a built environment that can improve the quality of people’s lives and better utilize our resources.
Architect and Managing Principal Heater has been with AMMA for 18 years and runs the Seattle office. Dave passed the LEED NC exam and is putting this knowledge to work on The Matisse Apts for Simpson Housing in Portland; Avalon Towers in Bellevue, WA for AvalonBay, and the just finishing up Rollin Street Lofts in Seattle for Vulcan. Dave feels that LEED is an important tool in helping to shape and advance the architecture industries ability to compare sustainable strategies. To fully help our clients understand this tool we need to be as vested in the program as we can be and becoming an Accredited Professional is a key step.
Jenkins has been with AMAA for 9 years and is a Principal in the Portland office. Murray was the Project Manager on the Luma project in Los Angeles, along with its sister building Elleven, were the first and second LEED Gold Condominium projects in the state of California. He is currently working on the 3rd and Virginia Apartments in Seattle for Tarragon which is targeting LEED-NC Silver; the Sherwood Cannery in Sherwood, OR, and the Liberty Center in Reno, both for Capstone Partners and both targeting LEED-NC Certification. Why did Murray take the LEED NC exam? Sustainable design practices are an environmental and economic necessity on all projects whether or not LEED certification is attempted. Obtaining the LEED AP designation gives easily recognizable credibility and reinforces his past experiences with sustainable design.
O'Halloran has been with AMAA for 9 years and is a Principal in the Interior Design Department. Sabine is part of the AMAA team working on the new headquarters for Vestas Americas as well as ongoing projects for Wels Fargo, US Bank, Sinju Restaurant, Digital Trends, Evanta Expansion, Piper Jaffray and Daimler. She passed the LEED CI exam.
Olson has been with AMAA 5 years and is part of the architecture team working on the new headquarters for Vestas Americas as well as multiple Senior Housing projects and conceptual site studies. Travis passed the LEED for New Construction exam.
Potter’s 3 years as an Interior Designer have all been at AMAA. Nicole wanted to become a LEED AP to show her own personal commitment to sustainability. Though a project doesn’t have to be LEED certified to be green, using knowledge gained as a LEED AP she is able to influence projects and clients to make best-practice decisions whenever possible. The Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon is a great example of this. By aligning knowledge of green building practices with the client’s own sustainable goals, Nicole helped create a remodel project that was 99% landfill free. Local vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers, recycled content materials, and install low-flow toilets and water saving faucets were utilized.
Architecture team member Vox has been with AMAA for 2 years and recently passed the LEED for New Construction exam. Currently Nathan is working on Kaiser, Murrayhill Medical Office; Kaiser, Tualatin MOB Physical Therapy and NTR; Portland Family Practice, and Children’s Clinic.
Lynne Wilde has been an Interior Design with AMAA for 7 years and passed the LEED CI exam. She is currently working on the Wyndham Canterbury Hotel and Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino. Lynne feels that becoming a LEED AP increased her knowledge and awareness of sustainable practices. It’s empowering to realize the potential impact individual decisions can make and the cumulative effect that will contribute to all of our healthy futures. “I can’t think of a stronger motivation for being a team player,” says Wilde.