February 14, 2008

$24M transfer station sets a new standard for county

Photo courtesy KPG [enlarge]

Giant skylights provide lighting, a clerestory allows for ventilation without fans, and a roof-top system will harvest rain water for washing floors and equipment.

This weekend, King County opens its star example of what it hopes to accomplish with green buildings. But the project isn't your usual mixed-use or commercial development. It's a recycling and transfer station.

The $24 million Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station officially opens for business Saturday. It replaces the First Northeast Transfer Station, built in 1967 and closed since May of 2006, and is on the site of the former Corliss Landfill.

King County Executive Ron Sims said, “This facility is simply a magnificent embodiment of what King County wants to achieve in green building in all its construction and renovation projects.”

The 76,000-square-foot project is seeking a LEED gold rating, though it must operate for some time before being certified. Doug Brinley, principal architect with project architect KPG, said the team was able to try innovative approaches because this is such a large and open building.

For example, the building's roof is inclined, creating a clerestory that allows air to move more efficiently than by using fans. This reduces the energy needed for ventilation by 80 percent, but only works in a large unheated space.

Another innovation came in daylighting. The building uses translucent plastic panels on the east and west walls, and a 184-foot-long, 32-foot-wide skylight, to light the space, which should reduce energy costs by 50 percent. “These products are really a new thing in this kind of application,” Brinley said.

A roof-top water harvesting system will collect rain from the one-acre roof to wash floors and equipment, and to flush toilets. That should reduce water needs by 57 percent, saving 254,000 gallons of drinking water every year, the county says.

Brinley said even a “small misting rain” that produces one-tenth of an inch of water will provide enough water to clean the building for two days.

The transfer station used green building materials, like Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood and recycled content steel. Brinley said by using fly ash concrete, the project saved 83 tons of carbon dioxide pollution.

Thornton Creek, which runs parallel to the plant, was also a priority. Kevin Kiernan, director of King County's Solid Waste Division, said bioswales will filter stormwater, plants will filter contaminants and there is a 100-foot buffer between the plant and the creek.

“I think that now you'll find we have the best little piece of Thornton Creek either up or downstream from us for some way,” he said.

The station will be a model for the county as it updates recycling and transfer stations. Brinley said the project is important because it connects green techniques in a new way. “This really brings everything together, all in one project.”

The next station on the county's list is the Bow Lake Transfer Station at 188th South, also being designed by KPG. Construction should begin in 2009. The Factoria Transfer Station in Bellevue will follow.

Sims is presenting a new green building ordinance to the King County Council today. It would replace a 2005 green building policy, soon to expire, that requires all King County buildings, renovations and remodels to seek LEED certification.

It would also require that all county buildings save energy and conduct energy audits. Buildings would also need green guidelines for operations and maintenance.

The station owner is the Solid Waste Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

Lydig Construction was the contractor. The design team includes: KPG, architect, civil engineer, landscape architect and master planner: FSi Consulting Engineers, mechanical and plumbing design; ECS Engineering, electrical and photovoltaic design; CivilTech, geotechnical and structural engineer; Paladino and Co., sustainable design; KPFF Special Projects Division, construction management; Neudorfer Engineers, building commissioning; and Seattle City Light, green power and photovoltaic program for public facilities.