The Central Plant Cooling Towers at Sea-Tac International Airport were designed with durability in mind, aesthetics were important too. The design team's careful attention to detail helped the project take top honors for artistic merit.

The towers are integral to the airport's extensive heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system that tempers the ambient air in almost 2 million square feet of the airport's main terminal and two satellite terminals. The project site - located near the airport's central parking garage - is highly visible.

Using concrete as the primary construction material allowed the project designer to incorporate fluid shapes for a sculptural element, as well as functional. Also, the flexibility of cast-in-place concrete allows for a future expansion of the facility if needed, while maintaining the integrity of the shapes and functions of the initial towers.