Kubala Washatko Architects opening Seattle office, adding five new partners

The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. is opening a satellite office in Seattle and adding five new partners, the Cedarburg-based firm announced Monday.

The Seattle office, to be called TKWA PacificStudio, is the firm's second such satellite operation. Kubala Washatko, also known as TKWA, opened TKWA UrbanLab last year at 644 S. 5th St., in Milwaukee's Walker's Point neighborhood.

Led by Ethan Bartos, TKWA PacificStudio will focus on the firm's education projects ongoing in China and the Pacific Rim, as well as commercial and residential projects on the West Coast.

The firm recently completed the Zhongguancun No. 3 Elementary School in Beijing, which serves 2,400 students within a sustainable urban campus. 

Meanwhile, TKWA has announced the addition of five equity partners.

The 25-member firm was co-founded in 1980 by Tom Kubala and Allen Washatko. Both founding partners will remain actively involved in daily operations.

The five new partners are already part of TKWA's existing core staff. They are Bartos, Matt Frydach, Erik Hancock, Vince Micha and Chris Socha, who leads TKWA UrbanLab.

The larger management team will help expand and diversify the firm's design reach, according to the announcement.

The firm's prominent Milwaukee-area projects include the Milwaukee Public Market, Iron Horse Hotel, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Urban Ecology Center, Brix Apartment Lofts and Dohmen Co. headquarters.

Tom Daykin can be reached attdaykin@jrn.com