Rico Quirindongo

Rico Quirindongo, AIA, has been working for 30 years to revitalize and reimagine Seattle historic landmarks and neighborhoods. He is Director of the City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development. Rico believes that through vision, authentic community engagement, and multi-agency cross collaboration, opportunities for social change can be realized through community-invested civic projects.

Rico was a mayoral appointee to the Historic Seattle Council for six years, was a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects Northwest Chapter and Rico sat on the AIA+2030 national steering committee, a group that has seen to it that 24 cities nationally provided curriculum to help design teams and owners meet the 2030 Challenge and create carbon neutral built environment projects.

Rico works with organizations to positively influence communities through design and is committed to the betterment of his hometown, Seattle, through public engagement, design, and civic service. Rico was chair of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority Council, was a Downtown Seattle Association board member, and was AIA Seattle President in 2012-13. In 2020, Rico completed his first Ted talk and was recognized by AIA National as a Citizen Architect. He was given a Commercial Real Estate Leadership Award as a Neighborhood Champion by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2021.

Rico was a Northwest and Pacific Regional Representative on the AIA Strategic Council, a national think tank of the member organization. He was awarded the Jennie Sue Brown Lifetime Achievement Award by the AIA Washington Council in 2022 and the UW College of the Built Environment Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023.