MURASE ASSOCIATES by Robert K. Murase, FASLA Murase Associates was part of a select, multidisciplinary design team in charge of the development of the Oregon Convention Center. The final design features a major urban plaza which creates a space for people, civic events and exhibits. Street trees follow the sweeping curve of the lobby facade and a diagonal, landscaped pedestrian way bisects a 1,000 vehicle parking lot. The landscaped open space provides room for public art and a pedestrian circulation system. The parking lot bioswale at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry mitigates the visual impact of the large paved area, and transforms an essential service into an educational opportunity. Wetland trees and shrubs were incorporated within the parking areas to facilitate on-site water retention and biofiltration. Shrubs, vines and groundcovers were planted along the riverbank slope to facilitate restoration of the natural riparian edge. Established in 1982, Murase Associates, Inc. currently employs 20 professionals. The firm's key personnel possess from ten to 32 years of experience. The firm has capabilities of providing all necessary construction documents on AutoCAD 14, and can provide 3-D computer modeling and computer simulations. Murase Associates has gained a reputation within the Pacific Northwest for design quality and execution of projects which have resulted in the development of naturalistic and built spaces that are sensitive to detail and material use, appropriate to place, and distinctive in visual form. Founding Principal Robert Murase, FASLA, with over 32 years of experience in the design of Landscape Architecture, urban design and planning, services as lead designer for the firm's work and is the subject of a monograph by Spacemaker Press- Robert Murase: Stone & Water. The firm's practice is diverse in both type and size of projects. With a rich background of award-winning landscape and urban design projects, the team can provide clients with creative solutions that are responsive to the total environment. Currently, the office is finishing design studies for Tanner Creek park, a major urban open space in the emerging River District in Portland. Also nearly completed is the new Garden of Remembrance honoring war veterans in downtown Seattle. The Garden was integrated within the existing structures on the sloped hillside, the Harbor Steps, the adjacent Seattle Art Museum, and the new Benaroya Concert Hall. In recent years, Murase Associates has received recognition for its site sensitive designs incorporating sustainable design principles such as the Water Pollution Control Laboratory and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Projects. The office's practice includes urban design, planning, waterfront, parks, institutional, campus, office/laboratory, wastewater treatment plants, and transit. Since 1996, the firm's two offices have exchanged employees with a Tokyo firm, enabling staff to learn how marketing, design, construction, maintenance, office practices, and office gatherings are done in the respective countries. For Murase Associates, the cultural discoveries and professional friendships which have been formed have been very rewarding to the firm's Landscape Architects. lasn