about us

All of our work is based in “lyrical sustainable design”: conserving energy and resources, using healthier materials and finishes, reducing long-term costs, and making poetic places. We work with consultants, contractors and suppliers who share our values. This results in a convivial, collaborative design and construction process.

experience

We have been in business for twenty-seven years (since 1984), with the last nineteen years (since 1992) devoted to sustainable design. Each of the more than sixty built projects produced by the firm over the last nineteen years has demonstrated many aspects of resource conservation, energy conservation and healthier building. Each project has exceeded energy code requirements by wide margins, in both building envelope and mechanical systems, and in several cases pioneered the use of new energy-saving technology in Washington State. Each project has incorporated reused materials, materials with recycled content and materials from certified sustainable sources. Full-line job site recycling has been implemented on every job. Each project has used materials and finishes that consider the health not only of the inhabitants of the buildings, but of the workers who produce and install the materials, and of the ecosystems from which they are derived.

design poetics

We believe design poetics are at least as important as the green materials and techniques we specify. We strive to make places that our clients will love. We look for ways to connect the places we make with the cycle of the seasons - a perfect analog of sustainability and a direct connection to nature. We tune a place to its surroundings by investigating the cultural, aesthetic and spiritual aspects of the site and context. We look for the architectural equivalent of the appropriate “ecological niche” for a given project.

collaboration

We have excellent relationships with the contractors with whom we work. We take pride in designing buildings that take the real-world processes, tolerances and costs of construction into account. Many of our consultants, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers are members of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild and/or share our interest in green architecture.

commitment

Our commitment to environmental and social ethics is reflected in our office management as well as our office itself. Harrison Architects has qualified as a “Distinguished Business in the Green” through King County's Green Works program, which recognizes businesses that are leaders in the effort to prevent waste, recycle, and use recycled products. The design of our office uses many of the materials and techniques we employ in our projects. If we had time we'd get it LEED-certified....

more...

• Click here to read about our professional experience and backgrounds.
• Click here if you are interested in working for us.
• Click here to see the publications in which our work has appeared.
• Click here to read about our consultants (like structural engineers, and energy experts).
• Click here to learn about the contractors with whom we especially like to work.

You can also navigate to and between these pages by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page.

and also...

• Click here to read a few articles on green building written by us and by our friends.

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