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JOEL NIEMI ARCHITECT
Call 425-422-4276
JOEL NIEMI ARCHITECT
Call 425-422-4276
JOEL NIEMI ARCHITECT · SNOHOMISH, WA · REG. WA + OR · EST. 2011

Practical architecture — not architecture for architects.

A sole practitioner with forty years in commercial, institutional and residential work. Direct access to the architect on every project, and buildings that come in useful, sturdy, beautiful — and under budget.

Call 425-422-4276See the work
Service Area
Snohomish County · Puget Sound
Phone
425-422-4276
Practice
Est. 2011 · Sole practitioner
Registration
WA + OR · NCARB · AIA · CSI
The Work

Buildings that solve a real problem.

Institutional, civic and commercial projects across the Puget Sound — each one measured by whether it did the job the client actually needed.

  1. The Volunteers of America food bank warehouse in Everett — a two-storey red-brown brick and concrete-band building on a corner under a clear blue sky.
    01

    VOA Food Bank Warehouse

    Volunteers of America

    Everett, WA

    A food-distribution facility with high-bay storage supporting twenty area food banks.

  2. An Urban Outfitters storefront in a restored two-storey honey-tan patterned-brick building, green sign over the display windows.
    02

    Urban Outfitters

    Adaptive reuse — retail

    San Luis Obispo, CA

    An adaptive reuse of a historic patterned-brick storefront, incorporating reclaimed materials.

  3. The Food Pavilion grocery store in Anacortes at dusk — a lit glazed gable and metal canopy over the entry, carts lined up outside.
    03

    Food Pavilion

    Grocery — commercial

    Anacortes, WA

    A grocery store with a daylit glazed gable entry over the market floor.

The Four Conditions

What a building has to be.

  1. 01 / 04

    Useful

    It does the job the client came for — the program works before anything else does.

  2. 02 / 04

    Sturdy

    It is built to last and to pass review, with the details worked out on paper first.

  3. 03 / 04

    Beautiful

    It is good to be in and good to look at, without reaching for effect.

  4. 04 / 04

    Under Budget

    It is planned to maximize value and to avoid the costly mistakes and oversights.

Well Building hath three conditions: Commodity, Firmness, and Delight.
Services

The full schedule of work.

Everything a sole practitioner with forty years of institutional experience can carry — from first consultation through construction administration.

A1Property Development Consultation

Consultation on property development and redevelopment to maximize value and avoid costly mistakes.

A2Remodeling, Expansion & New Construction

Architectural planning for remodels, building expansions and new construction projects.

A3Peer Review

Review of drawings and specifications to catch errors and oversights before construction.

A4Design-Build Collaboration

Collaborative work with design-build project teams.

A5Construction Administration & Contract Assistance

Owner representation and oversight during construction, including contract administration.

A6Commercial Design

Design of commercial, institutional, food-service and public facilities.

  • Food banks and warehouses
  • Child advocacy centers
  • Evidence and records storage
  • School resource centers
  • Grocery stores
  • Retail clothing stores
A7Residential Design

Architectural design services for residential projects.

A8Accessibility Construction

Design and documentation for ADA accessibility compliance and construction.

The Drawing

How the thinking looks.

A working floor-plan drawing of the Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center — fine black line on white, with dimensioned rooms labelled Interview, Nurse’s Office, Group Therapy, Advocate Offices and Secure Storage, door-swing arcs and numbered annotation bubbles.

Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center — a multi-agency facility planned so victims and offenders never share a path through the building.

  1. 01Interview and advocate offices grouped away from the entry
  2. 02Separate family and secure-storage wings
  3. 03Dimensioned to the inch before a wall was built
The Architect

Joel Niemi.

A Northwest native, born in Oregon, Joel has called Snohomish County home since 1979. He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin from Princeton.

He spent thirty-two years as a principal at Dykeman Inc. — Washington’s largest architectural firm north of King County — before founding Joel Niemi Architect in October 2011, bringing that institutional knowledge to a lean, client-focused solo practice.

He serves on the Snohomish County Board of Equalization, mentored three years in the Seattle AIA’s exam-prep program, and logs roughly double the continuing-education hours the AIA requires.

Registration
Washington · Oregon · NCARB certified
Memberships
AIA · CSI · IFDIA
Certification
AGC Lean Construction (2013)
Experience
40+ years · ~2× minimum AIA CE hours
Education
M.Arch, Univ. of Washington · B.A. Latin, Princeton
In Their Words

What clients and colleagues say.

Yelp rating5.0
I have known Joel for over 20 years. He was a leader at Dykeman Architects and has been among the top architects in the NW.
Allison Raduziner
  • Joel drew up the plans for our swim spa building and was quick and did a great job. Even handled a problem with the Snohomish County Health District.
    Client review
  • Experienced and professional.
    Mark Thompson
Contact

Start with a phone call.

There is no form here. Call or email and you reach the architect directly — tell Joel what you are planning and he will tell you, plainly, how to get it done.

425-422-4276
Email the studio
Studio
12704 88th Street SE · Snohomish, WA 98290
Email
contacts@jniemiarchitect.com
Service Area
Snohomish County · Puget Sound