WND Architects/Engineers
Don Davison, Davison Larson Associates
Janet Prchal, Hulsing and Associates Architects
in North Dakota. The state has a surplus of money and there is a lot of work coming out of state revenue sources. The federal government, however, with its current financial situation, will be slow to respond to the construction industry.” Most of the clients for Hulsing and Associates Architects are public entities, in which lending institutions influence how representatives in government spend tax dollars. “We need to support spending that is worthwhile and beneficial to the public,” Prchal states. “I hope the financial institutions are being cautious. If we overbuild our communities and the oil activity subsides, the local taxpayers will be left paying the bills” Prchal says the new project type that her company is being exposed to is the ‘man-camp.’ “We are designing the food service and commons area for a proposed camp,” she explains. “We were not involved early enough in the project to help with the development of the housing units, which is unfortunate. I believe the assistance of an architect in these projects could help the image of these camps and make them more acceptable to the communities that are impacted.” Much of the development occurring in western North Dakota is by outside developers using in-house designers or design firms they have worked with in the past, Prchal states. “We are working with a few interesting clients from outside the area which is very educational,” she adds. “However, the oil boom has come and gone before in my career and my philosophy is to concentrate on the clients that are a stable part of our economy and not to chase the opportunists.”
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BOTH COMPANIES SEE THE ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING FIELDS CHANGING For Davison, the business has become fast paced. When he first started, he was drawing designs by hand with lead pencils and using lots of erasers. Now, technology has changed that. “The advent of technology has put it at another level - both for the expectations of the finished product and the time frame to put it together,” says Davison, recalling that when he first started doing larger, multi-million dollar projects he would be spending a year on the project. “Now they want it done in six months.” Davison says that increased demand in the field of landscape architecture is finding its place in the design world. There is increased awareness of ‘Green’ design and sensitivity to the environment. But overall, Davison admits it is “kind of wild right now with the amount of work and pace of it in the area. We have a lot of work going on right now and we’re not very concerned about future work.” Prchal adds that owners are becoming more aware of Green architecture. “We no longer have to ‘sell’ the concept of sustainability and energy conservation,” she says. “The clients are informed and want to do the right thing.” WNDPB Alan Van Ormer - avanormer@prairiebizmag.com
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