Architect builds on public work

Business growth in northern Nevada ultimately results in growth of the public sector, and nothing could make Jerry Eich happier.

He's principal in charge of the Reno office of HMC Architects, a firm that devotes much of its effort to projects for government and non-profit agencies.

When Eich opened the company's Reno office on Wells Avenue in 1996, one other architect worked with him.

Today, the company's staff totals 18, and HMC expects to add as many as seven architects to the Reno office this year alone.

The firm, which bills itself as the largest in northern Nevada, traces its growth in the region directly to increasing demand for public services.

Its recent projects have included:

* Expansion of Washoe Medical Center South Meadows, which is just wrapping up.

The project helps meet demand for medical services in fast-growing southern parts of Reno.

* A new fire substation in Sparks, yet another fast-growing part of the region.

The fire station is scheduled for completion this year.

* Several new medical research laboratories for the University of Nevada, Reno, where enrollment is rising.

* New office facilities at the Desert Research Institute for incubator businesses involved in wireless communications and other technology fields.

* A new 34,000-square-foot facility for Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

The new church at North McCarran Boulevard and Pyramid Way will ease overcrowding at the existing church on Pyramid Way.

While public-sector projects fuel HMC Architects' growth in northern Nevada, Eich acknowledges that the niche is complicated.

For one, public agencies almost always are financially strapped.

That means that HMC often provides assistance in winning funds.

At UNR, for instance, the company provided assistance in writing grants to finance construction projects.

Assisting with grant-writing in nothing new for HMC.

The company based in Ontario, Calif., operates a full-blown division that helps California school districts find their way through the thicket of funding alternatives.

Work in the public sector is challenging, too, because construction usually is awarded strictly on the basis of lowest bid and because litigation is more common in public projects than private work, Eich says.

Still, he says, "We do it because we like doing it." As it designs buildings for public agencies, HMC Architects seeks to balance the demand of taxpayers for frugality against the needs of workers for a productive working environment one with good lighting, good acoustics and attractive interior design.

"People working in a public building deserve the amenities we all should have," says Eich.

The balancing act means, too, that HMC-designed projects don't have a distinct look.

Instead, Eich says, the company seeks to listen carefully to clients and design buildings that meet the needs of the client rather than the dreams of the architect.

HMC first entered the Reno market in 1993 when it began providing architectural master planning and design services for Washoe Health Systems.

Its decision to open a full-blown office in Reno three years later reflected the health systems' growing needs.

The Reno office is one of 10 operated by HMC Architects in Nevada and California.

Along with supervision of the Reno office, Eich is president of HMC Nevada.