At 65 employees, MHTN Architects is one of the largest architecture firms in Utah, which it has been serving from its base in Salt Lake City since 1923. That devotion to service applies not only to the many public and private buildings it has designed throughout the Beehive State, but also to the firm's commitment to the social well-being of the people of Utah.
For example, MHTN worked with the Salt Lake CAP Head Start Program in leading the design and construction of two apartment units for a Head Start classroom serving the city's immigrant population. More recently, MHTN volunteers replaced the landscaping at the Safe Harbor Crisis Center, a women and children's shelter in Kaysville. The firm has outreach programs with Habitat for Humanity, the LDS Church Humanitarian Foundation, Rotary International, Envision Utah, and Kiwanis-Felt Recreation Center.
At the professional level, MHTN gives its employees paid staff time to serve on numerous AIA Utah committees. The firm's CEO, Dennis H. Cecchini, AIA, is president-elect of AIA Utah.
MHTN has also made its mark as a leader in sustainability. It was the first company headquartered in the state to join the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders program, and it was an active participant in Utah's 2010 Clear the Air Challenge, to reduce GHG emissions. The firm recently remodeled its corporate office to LEED-CI Gold standards, the first for any Utah-based design firm.
BEST AEC FIRMS TO WORK FOR 2011 WINNERS
Chapman Construction/Design
EYP Architecture & Engineering
Gensler
HMC Architects
MHTN Architects
The firm is an AIA/CES provider whose professional development program is built around nine core values: design, respect, client service, empowerment, accountability, teamwork, environmental responsibility, technical expertise, and community service.
Look for a more extensive report on MHTN in an upcoming issue of BD+C.
Related Stories
| Jan 19, 2011
Museum design integrates Greek history and architecture
Construction is under way in Chicago on the National Hellenic Museum, the nation’s first museum devoted to Greek history and culture. RTKL designed the 40,000-sf limestone and glass building to include such historic references as the covered walkway of classical architecture and the natural wood accents of Byzantine monasteries. The museum will include a research library and oral history center, plus a 3,600-sf rooftop terrace featuring three gardens. The project seeks LEED Silver.
| Jan 19, 2011
Architecture Billings Index jumped more than 2 points in December
On the heels of its highest mark since 2007, the Architecture Billings Index jumped more than two points in December. The American Institute of Architects reported the December ABI score was 54.2, up from a reading of 52.0 the previous month.
| Jan 19, 2011
Large-Scale Concrete Reconstruction Solid Thinking
Driven by both current economic conditions and sustainable building trends, Building Teams are looking more and more to retrofits and reconstruction as the most viable alternative to new construction. In that context, large-scale concrete restoration projects are playing an important role within this growing specialty.
| Jan 10, 2011
Architect Jean Nouvel designs an island near Paris
Abandoned by carmaker Renault almost 20 years ago, Seguin Island in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, is being renewed by architect Jean Nouvel. Plans for the 300,000-square-meter project includes a mix of culture, commerce, urban parks, and gardens, which officials hope will attract both Parisians and tourists.
| Jan 10, 2011
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group: ‘There’s a significant pent-up demand for projects’
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate development firm headquartered in Skokie, Ill., on the growth of urban centers, project financing, and what clients are saying about sustainability.
| Jan 7, 2011
BIM on Target
By using BIM for the design of its new San Clemente, Calif., store, big-box retailer Target has been able to model the entire structural steel package, including joists, in 3D, chopping the timeline for shop drawings from as much as 10 weeks down to an ‘unheard of’ three-and-a-half weeks.
| Jan 7, 2011
How Building Teams Choose Roofing Systems
A roofing survey emailed to a representative sample of BD+C’s subscriber list revealed such key findings as: Respondents named metal (56%) and EPDM (50%) as the roofing systems they (or their firms) employed most in projects. Also, new construction and retrofits were fairly evenly split among respondents’ roofing-related projects over the last couple of years.
| Jan 7, 2011
Total construction to rise 5.1% in 2011
Total U.S. construction spending will increase 5.1% in 2011. The gain from the end of 2010 to the end of 2011 will be 10%. The biggest annual gain in 2011 will be 10% for new residential construction, far above the 2-3% gains in all other construction sectors.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
