Episode 14: CLT, The Present & Potential feat. Susan Jones, Rico Quirindongo & Ethan Martin |

CLT, The Present & Potential is the first panel discussion that Ruth and Michael hosted during the Seattle Design Festival.  Featured guests were Susan Jones, Rico Quirindongo, and Ethan Martin and the conversation includes insight into each of their design journeys.  The panel discusses the work that has been done so far around CLT, while providing some ideas about the direction we can all go for the future.  Topics included building lifespan comparisons, the medical benefits of being exposed to natural materials, the power and privilege of education, access disparities, the necessity of pursuing equity in design teaching, and more.

About the panel…

Susan Jones, FAIA, is a renowned CLT architect and national leader in the mass timber community.  Susan is the founder of architecture and urban design firm Atelier Jones, which entwines design, research, and community engagement to create projects of urban reclamation of sites, buildings, materials, waste, and ways of living.  Jones’s work has been recognized by numerous national, regional, and local design awards, including an AIA National Honor Award.

Rico Quirindongo is the Director of Seattle’s Office of Planning & Community Development and his work often closes the gap between urban development and community needs.  He is a past president of the American Institute of Architects Seattle Chapter, former mayoral appointee to the Historic Seattle Council, and founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects Northwest Chapter.  Needless to say, Rico is a relentless advocate for empowering communities to have a positive influence through design.

Ethan Martin, PE, is an engineer with DCI Engineers, Associate Principal & Director of Sustainability & Mass Timber Portland, and co-founder of the International Mass Timber Conference with Forest Business Network in Portland (now one of the leading mass timber conferences in the world). Having helped develop CLT in the US, Ethan assists general contractors with mass timber constructibility and works with architects on construction types and acoustics to create exciting projects for clients. Ethan also collaborated with state officials in Oregon to set up the permitting process for tall mass timber buildings, which helped develop the prototype buildings creating the Type IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C construction types that allowed for mass timber up to 18 stories.

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