News and Insights

Regional Stormwater Solutions for Western Washington: Building Resilient Basins

Author: Jackie Corley Western Washington faces a unique stormwater challenge: heavy soaking, seasonal rains, steep slopes, and…

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2026 AHBL Leadership Transitions, Promotions, New Hires

Scott Kaul, PE, Promoted to Principal at AHBL AHBL is proud to announce that Scott Kaul, PE, has been promoted…

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Modular Construction: A Scalable Path to Building Affordability

Author: Denise Storaasli As the demand for affordable housing continues to outpace supply, the construction industry is being…

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Planning for Longevity: Maintenance Plans for Public Spaces

Author: Maddie Olson As public spaces evolve to meet the needs of growing communities, long-term maintenance planning…

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Where Design Meets Care: The New Mary Bridge

Author: Maddie Olson After 30 years of sharing space with Tacoma General, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital is…

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Building Resilience: Strategies for Aging Infrastructure

Author: Angela Doherty Since 1998, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has evaluated the state of…

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The Vital Role of Trees and Wetlands in Green Infrastructure

Author: Maddie Olson In the Pacific Northwest, abundant rainfall shapes our lush landscapes of forests, wetlands, and…

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Sustainability Meets STEM: Pierce College’s New Science Building

Author: Maddie Olson A vision for sustainability and innovation From the outset, the Johnson Science Building’s design…

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Wild Weather and Climate Change: Building Resilient Communities

Author: Nicole Milburn Wild weather and climate change are interconnected, increasingly affecting U.S. communities through extreme events like…

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Designing Accessible Landscapes: AHBL’s Commitment to Inclusive Outdoor Spaces

Author: Denise Storaasli At AHBL, our landscape architects and designers are dedicated to creating accessible and low-barrier…

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AHBL Promotion: New Project Manager

AHBL is pleased to share the promotion of Tyler Watkins, PE in our Tacoma office from senior civil engineer to…

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Inclusive Playgrounds: Creating Spaces Where Everyone Can Play

Author: Maddie Olson Inclusive playgrounds create spaces where play can happen anywhere for all children. Playgrounds…

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AHBL 2025 Promotions: New Associate Principals and New Senior Associates

AHBL is pleased to share promotions of key individuals on the AHBL team. The following team members have been promoted…

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Designing for Everyone: Embracing Universal Design and Accessibility

Author: Nicole Milburn According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five American adults…

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Reflecting on 2024: Highlighting Our Notable Projects

Author: Maddie Olson As we wrap up 2024, we want to celebrate some of the standout projects our…

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Growing Awareness: Urban Trees are Essential Infrastructure

Author: Nicole Milburn The Urban Tree Crisis Currently, 84 percent of Americans live in urban areas, a core principle…

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Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Efforts to Solve Washington’s Affordable Housing Crisis

Author: Nicole Milburn Addressing Washington’s Affordable Housing Crisis In communities across Washington, the affordable housing crisis reached critical levels…

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Designing Early Learning Centers for Holistic Child Development

Author: Maddie Olson An Early Learning Center (ELC) is a childcare facility that provides an educational environment to…

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Lisa Klein Retirement

Lisa Klein, AICP, AHBL Associate Principal and Land Use Planner, is retiring after 34 years in the industry and 23…

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Stormwater Innovation: The Path Forward

Author: Denise Storaasli Effective stormwater management is essential for safeguarding urban areas from flooding and protecting water quality.

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Integrating Education into Physical Design Elements

Author: Denise Storaasli For years, AHBL landscape architects and engineers have embraced sustainable design principles by integrating science,…

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Designing a Resilient Future through Climate Adaptive Design

As designers of future places, we face uncertainty and change every day at work. Our engineers, landscape architects, and planners…

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Empowering Independence: Thoughtful Senior Living

Author: Maddie Olson In a time when nearly 80 percent of adults age 50 and over say…

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Understanding Land Survey Risks: AHBL’s Commitment to Safety

Author: Maddie Olson Land surveyors face a variety of risks when on the job. From wildlife and terrain…

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Missing Middle Tacoma Grants, Leader in Housing

Author: Denise Storaasli The City of Tacoma started developing its Home in Tacoma Project (HIT) in…

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Anchoring Lives: Generating Stability in our Communities through Innovative Housing

Author: Aaron Rogers AHBL offers demonstrated success in residential developments. Since our founding, our engineers…

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Community Service through Enabling Growth of Higher Education Facilities

Author: Denise Storaasli Technical Contributor: Wiliam Fierst, PE AHBL’s mission is to improve our…

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Women in Engineering: Paving the Future

Author: Sarah Staub For anyone that has ever walked past a construction site, you’d probably notice the ratio…

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Designing a Connected Community

Author: Nicole Milburn Technical Contributor: Kevin Cash, PLA It…

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Fostering Community by Including Art in Our Parks

Author: Nicole Milburn Contributor: Craig Skipton, PLA, LEED AP Studies have shown that incorporating art within public parks…

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AHBL Promotions 2024

AHBL is kicking off the new year with promotions of key individuals on the AHBL team. Bart Brynestad, PE has…

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Leadership Transitions

After working at AHBL for 26 years, Doug Tapp, PE will be retiring from AHBL effective December 31, 2023. Doug has…

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Master Planned Communities and Making Great Neighborhoods

Author: Aaron Rogers Contributor: Alex Campbell, AICP Master planned communities (MPCs) are becoming a more prevalent…

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Comprehensive Planning

Author: Aaron Rogers Contributor: Alex Campbell, AICP Our goal at AHBL is to find creative…

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Embracing Inclusivity in Design

Author: Meiing Sproger Contributor: Karen Braitmayer, FAIA As an engineer or architect, it is crucial to have a…

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Community Building through Temporary-Use Spaces

Author: Meiing Sproger Contributor: Alex Campbell, AICP Humans have an innate desire to connect with each other…

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Seattle Community Issues: The Challenge of Affordable Housing

Author: Denise Storaasli Technical Review: Craig Skipton, Kristin Kildall The challenge of providing enough…

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Innovating Through Landscape Performance Evaluations

Author: Meiling Sproger Contributors: Craig Skipton, Elizabeth Housley Since our founding in 1969,…

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AHBL Promotions 2022

AHBL grew tremendously in 2022 and is pleased to share promotions of key individuals on the AHBL team. Bart Brynestad,…

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Infrastructure Investments that Matter: Community Dog Parks are here to Stay

Author: Denise Storaasli Technical Review: Craig Andersen According to the Trust for Public Land, one of the fastest growing…

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AHBL Leadership Transitions as we look toward future opportunities in 2023!

AHBL Leadership Transitions as we look toward future opportunities in 2023! After working at AHBL for 34 years, Dan Booth,…

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Infrastructure Investments that Matter – Trails, Bike and Pedestrian Access and Safety

The pandemic uncovered a truth that many have advocated for years: multimodal (biking and walking) modes of transportation must be…

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AHBL Spokane Offices Relocation

AHBL Spokane has relocated offices to 601 W Main Avenue, Suite 305, Spokane, WA 99201. AHBL, Inc. first established…

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Infrastructure Investments that Matter – Bike/Pedestrian Access and Safety through Complete Street Investment

The pandemic uncovered a truth that many planners and engineers have been advocating for years: biking and walking…

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Seattle Office – Living Our Core Values of Visibility in Our Communities

AHBL’s Seattle Team Members look for ways to live out our core values of being respected and visible…

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Wesley at Tehaleh Senior Living – PNW Inspired Design

Surrounded by walkable nature trails and views of Mount Rainier, Wesley at Tehaleh is a senior living…

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AHBL on the Green – Summer golf tournament fun

What better way is there to spend sunny summer days, within the A/E/C community than hitting the golf…

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Repurposing empty office space for condos, apartments and shelters – momentum is growing

Many downtown districts like Tacoma, Seattle and Portland have an abundance of empty office space as a result…

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Missing Middle – Emerging Trends in Multifamily Development

Most likely you’ve heard there’s a housing crisis in the United States. In fact, the US needs roughly…

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Can we do better? The State of Infrastructure in Washington

We’ve heard for years that the state of America’s infrastructure is failing nationwide. President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and…

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How We Engage

The 2022 Des Moines Parks, Recreation, and Senior Services (PRSS) Master Plan provides an updated analysis of the City’s parks,…

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Project Spotlight: Technology Made It Easier – Using Civil3D Technology to Increase Design Accuracy

AHBL’s civil team uses Civil3D to visualize and balance earthwork on projects. The use of Civil3D brings value to the…

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Technology Adoption with Client Savings in Mind

As new technological innovations have entered the engineering workspace, they have allowed the practitioners to create design cycles that are…

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Landscape Architecture – The Art of Connecting and Healing People

April is World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM). For the month-long celebration, the American Society of Landscape Architects has posed, “What…

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Virtual Public Meetings and the Benefits to the Planning Process

Community planning takes human interactions to be effective. In the past two years, our general approach to public engagement and…

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AHBL Promotes Community through Sustainable and Inclusive Green Space Design

A well-designed green space has both environmental benefits and helps support a students’ ability to learn in and…

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Adaptive Reuse Feature: Parrington Hall, University of Washington

According to the American Institute of Architecture, “90 percent of the future building inventory…

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What does it mean? The difference between resiliency and sustainability

Is resiliency the new sustainability? Experts say no. The two are related but clearly different. Sustainability refers to…

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Tacoma Spotlight: LEED Buildings in our Community

Since 1993, AHBL has been a regional leader in the application of sustainability principles to the built environment. Our staff…

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Instilling Connection and Sustainability

Landscape architects articulate and curate the “poetics of city and nature” through their designs. Whether it is sourcing reclaimed materials from a local supplier to utilizing material found…

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Seattle Spotlight: LEED Buildings in our Community

Since 1993, AHBL has been a regional leader in the application of sustainability principles to the built environment. Our staff…

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2021 Year in Review and Trends Ahead

2021 prompted innovation, flexibility, and resiliency among AHBL’s clients, leaders, and staff. As the firm approaches the end of the year, we reflect on the positives…

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AHBL Company Culture – Giving Effort and Time to Community Improvement

The core value of being visible in our communities was set early in AHBL’s inception. AHBL employees have…

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Making Healthier Communities with New Parks and Open Spaces

Residents and visitors in the communities we serve love access to high-quality parks and outdoor spaces. Well-planned recreational areas allow…

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A Mentor to Many: Past President and Principal Engineer, Doreen Gavin, to Retire

Doreen Gavin has been deeply rooted in the Pacific Northwest’s built environment community and the AHBL family for decades. Doreen…

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Land Use Planning Made Successful With Community Engagement

AHBL’s land use planners place a strong emphasis on engaging the public and gathering community insight. Guided by a strong…

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New Wells Hall: Working together to Make the Old, New

Our Spokane office has been busy working on the new Wells Hall replacement on the main campus of…

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Grit and Problem-Solving: A Day in the Life of AHBLs Land Surveyors

Our surveyors start the day early at 6:30AM. They meet at the office then, AHBL survey crew teams get together and take off to different project sites to perform…

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AHBL Goes for Fundraising Gold: Food Frenzy 2021 Recap

2021 has been a year full of reconnecting and coming together. Food Lifeline’s annual Food Frenzy fundraiser has been…

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Seattle Spotlight: Creative Outfall Protection for School Safety

As a code requirement, nearly every stormwater design must include outfall protection, including several of Seattle’s Public Schools. Where water is released from…

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SAME at 100: Celebrating a Century of Service

AHBL’s Society of Military Engineers (SAME) members including Tim Hansen, Ken Leland, Bill Fierst and Denise Storaasli got decked out…

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Home at Last: Impacting our Community with Safe, Affordable Housing

Almost 3 years (2 years, 8 months) is how long it takes to receive a housing assistance voucher in Washington…

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Rainier Beach High School

In February of 2019, Seattle Public Schools passed a $1.4B levy with over 70% support to fund school improvements including building, technology and…

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Hip Hip Hooray: Mirror Pond at Manito Park is No Longer Green!

Locals of Spokane claim that “everyone has memories at Manito Park.” The 78-acre park features a robust set of walking trails,…

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New Allied Health Center at Bates Technical College

Marking the start of a new chapter for Bates Technical College in Downtown Tacoma, the new Center for Allied Health…

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Structural and Landscape Architecture Considerations for Living Roofs

Before COVID-19 changed the course of our daily lives, AHBL Structural Engineer Ken Leland, and Landscape Architect Sarah…

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AHBL Supports Local High School Skilled Trades Program

There is no denying that hands-on experience is beneficial and invaluable to the learning process. That is why AHBL was thrilled to help and support the Pierce County…

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Senior Living Communities Support Life-long Wellness

As we continue to observe the lasting impacts of COVID-19, Senior Living remains one of the most effected industries. Promoting the wellness of…

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Growing Together through Project Collaboration

Unclear scope overlap areas and shrinking project budgets can cause tension between AandE project team members – architects, landscape architects and civil engineers. When there…

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We’ve Got Your Back

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “falls account for 33% of all construction deaths[.] Eliminating…

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Helping Small Cities and Counties Thrive through On-Call Planning

The planning departments of cities and counties throughout Washington State are constantly faced with the challenge of balancing the needs and expectations of the public they serve with…

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Creating Community Through Pedestrian-Oriented Design

The Hillyard neighborhood in Spokane Washington has a scarcity of shared public space and programs that lead to thriving communities. With the construction…

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World Landscape Architecture Month: The Future of the Grand Forest in a Changing Climate

As part of World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM), we consider our natural spaces as they are now, and how…

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Tri-Cities Spotlight: New Fire Stations Serve Growing Communities in Eastern Washington

AHBL’s Tri-Cities office has collaborated with our Spokane office to provide services for five of the six new fire stations in the Tri-Cities…

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Celebrating National Surveyors Week

In 1984, Ronald Reagan proclaimed the third full week in March as National Surveyors Week, to pay tribute…

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Economic Expert Predictions for A/E/C Industry

As local A/E/C firms looked forward to 2021 with anticipation of turning the page on 2020, predictions of what to expect in the…

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First of Its Kind: Landmark D-B Project for Clover Park Technical College

The new John W. Walstrum Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technology (CAMT) is a culmination of regional vision, years of planning between Washington…

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AHBL Spokane and City of Spokane, Leading the Way With Innovation in Clean Water Technology

The City of Spokane has put increasing emphasis on managing their stormwater to improve the health of the…

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Spokane Spotlight: Former Mining Operation Reclaimed to Develop Conservation Campus

The Spokane Conservation District (SCD) seeks to develop and implement programs which protect and conserve our natural and renewable resources. In the spring…

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Healthcare Design Amidst a Global Pandemic

As of September 30, 2020, the CDC has provided $208.7 million to tribal nations and organizations for responding to COVID-19 across…

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AHBL Proudly Announces New Leadership Focused on Growth and Community Impact

AHBL is excited to announce our new president, past president’s new role and the addition of three new principals. After a year of preparation,…

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Industrial Rebound – Warehouses and Distribution Centers Fueling Growth in 2021

The warehouse market sector is the only commercial/industrial sector to see net gain in 2020, with projections of continued growth…