James Cary, Architect pc
Leads residential, commercial, and public building projects. Specialties include library design, historic preservation, and green buildings. The downtown Seattle office combines personal service with innovative and solid design.
Public Library Design
Public libraries are important civic centers and meeting places, and great facility design reinforces the vital role that libraries play in each community. Public library design is an exciting, collaborative and rewarding process, and a specialty at James Cary, Architect pc. Prior projects include new libraries, library additions, library reorganizations, and historic renovations of Carnegie Libraries. Our scope of services includes site selection, programming and feasibility studies, building design and construction documentation, interior design, furniture and shelving selection, and construction administration. Jim has worked with sixteen public libraries in Washington and Montana, and his work emphasizes sustainable and energy efficient design.
Seattle University Admissions & Alumni Building
The Admissions & Alumni Building is Seattle University’s new campus entry building and the University’s symbolic and actual front door. Within 11,360 square feet, the building houses undergraduate and graduate admissions offices, alumni relations offices, two art galleries, several small meeting rooms, and a large meeting space designed to be the University’s living room. The project creates a forward-looking professional environment that supports workplace productivity and effectiveness, creates a genuine University connection to the neighborhood, and strengthens the Seattle University campus experience. An addition and full remodel to a 1970s warehouse structure, this sustainable building incorporates extensive daylighting, raised floor mechanical and technology distribution, low VOC finishes, rainwater collection and irrigation, verdant low-impact landscaping, and rooftop gardens and photovoltaic panels. The project achieved a LEED Gold rating from the United States Green Building Council.
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce - 19 November 2008
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce - 1 September 2009
SU A&A Sustainability Features
Residential Architecture
No two residential architecture projects are the same size, style, budget or personality. Our design team is organized and prepared, proactive in problem-solving, and responsive to your questions and concerns. We provide clear project communication, are sensitive to project budgets and schedules, and offer solid design skills and integrity. The adjacent projects represent a small sample of our residential design work, and we look forward to hearing about your project.
Seattle University Marketing & Communications Office
Seattle University asked our office to help it meet challenging campus space demands with creative design. This project recognizes that all University spaces, not just the classrooms, make up the learning environment. Within the footprint of a traditional office, our team was able to create a lively, inspiring learning/working environment for the Marketing & Communications Office. The design highlights the existing bones of the old warehouse building — steel columns and beams, exposed wood structure and decking, and unfinished masonry walls. In contrast, bright white partition walls, skylights, and new seismic structural steel form a fun and dynamic work space.
Remarkable Projects
The expertise of James Cary, Architect pc extends beyond standard architecture projects and into singular, extraordinary design. One such project was the design of a 400-foot long pedestrian and bicycle bridge spanning the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. Carter Burgess was the project’s engineer of record, and Jim designed the steel, cable-stay bridge as an architect at Missoula’s O’Neill & Zimet Architects. The bridge design won awards from both the American Institute of Steel Construction and the Montana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Jim also designed a new steel and glass sculpture pedestal and building entry for a monumental glass sculpture installation at Seattle University’s business school atrium. Jim designed this project as an architect at Seattle’s Cardwell Architects.
Jim Cary was born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri, and gained his architectural experience with subsequent stops in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida, New Zealand, Oregon, Missouri, Montana, and Washington. Jim is versatile and adaptable, and he solves problems. He will be the champion for your project, and his efforts will help you realize your vision. Jim enjoys an active project leadership role, as well as the rewards from great team communication and collaboration.
Jim graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Yale University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, is a LEED Accredited Professional, and holds architecture licenses in Washington, Montana, Idaho and Oregon.
