Check out Seattle Design Festival

Please welcome the newest member of our festival-happy town, this one celebrating all things design.

FutureShack is but one of more than 30 events in the 10-day Seattle Design Festival, which began Friday, Sept. 16, and continues until Sept. 25. There are also tours, films, speakers and events exploring and celebrating design. The inaugural theme is "Beneath the Surface," focusing on aspects of design often overlooked or not easily seen.

Find the full festival program at seattledesignfestival.org.

"Increasingly Seattle is a city of design, from world-class parks and libraries to high-tech outdoor gear and digital-game design. Great design aids innovation, creates value for business, and makes our city both more beautiful and more livable," organizers want you to know.

Activities include a walking tour of Seattle's hidden urban gardens, films at SIFF Cinema, a family-friendly workshop, lectures, discussions and a pop-up design center in Pioneer Square. Also, an architect and artist will serve as docents at the opening of Brightwater, King County's state-of-the-art waste-treatment plant with an environmental learning center and 72-acre park. Around the city, look for 25 columns that link to videos about Seattle's cultural history.

Some events are free; tickets for others sold separately.

Introducing the FutureShack jury

Michael Fifield: professor of architecture at the University of Oregon and principal at Fifield Architecture + Urban Design in Eugene, specializing in residential and community design

Fifield's housing projects/writing have been published in Residential Architect, Fine Homebuilding, Progressive Architecture and Newsweek, as well as in books such as "Suburbia Re-examined," "In-laws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats," and "New Top 100 Houses." Fifield was previously chairman of the departments of architecture at the University of Oregon and Penn State University, and director of the joint urban design program at Arizona State University.

Mary Johnston: principal at Johnston Architects

Johnston is a founding partner of Johnston Architects, where she provides design and planning services for custom homes, multifamily and mixed-use developments and public projects. Johnston Architects has received a National AIA Honor Award. Johnston is past chairwoman of the Seattle Design Commission and has served on the Seattle Public Art Advisory Committee and the Central Waterfront Committee. Johnston was named to the AIA College of Fellows in 2008.

Martin C. Pedersen: executive editor, Metropolis

Pedersen has served as executive editor of Metropolis magazine for 12 years. During his tenure, the magazine was named by the Chicago Tribune as one of the top 50 magazines in the country. He writes extensively for the magazine and its website. He is also the co-author of architecture photographer Robert Polidori's book "Metropolis."

Jason Twill: senior project manager, sustainability, Vulcan Inc.

Twill has more than a decade of experience in construction management, architecture, urban planning and real-estate development. His work includes research and implementation of resource-conservation measures, creating investment strategies for alternative energy and water systems, and advocating for policies supporting environmentally conscious design. Twill is also a climate-change communicator for the city of Seattle and the Climate Project. He serves on the boards of the International Living Future Institute and the Green Sports Alliance, and on the steering committee for the Climate, Buildings & Behavior Project at the Garrison Institute.