Rafn Co.
Blakely Town Hall
Architect: Weber +Thompson
Owner: Port Blakely Communities
ABC members: Advanced Fire Protection, Benjamin Asphalt, Clearview Mechanical, Ketchikan Drywall Services, Mosbrucker Excavating, North Star Electric, Pro-Staff Mechanical
Blakely Town Hall was designed to be an iconic community center and function as the hub for the Issaquah Highlands development. It is the first building in the United States to win a Green Globes Award from the Green Building Initiative. It is also LEED silver certified.
Rafn Co. provided pre-construction services for the 6,900-square-foot building. Although the project started out over budget, Rafn’s value engineering and suggestions of alternate siding products helped bring the budget down.
The building includes a great room and kitchen for hosting community and private events, a barbecue plaza, meeting rooms, offices for the community association, and a computer server room.
The building’s exposed timber framing encloses the spacious great room, creating the architectural character of a mountaintop lodge. Other architectural elements include steeply pitched roofs, multiple dormers and a bell tower.
Rafn partnered with Nuprecon’s ReNu division to create a waste management plan that diverted 97 percent of the construction waste. Rafn also found ways to use products that contained recycled materials. Products containing post-consumer and post-industrial materials accounted for more than $50,000 and were 5.57 percent of the cost of all materials.
To achieve long-term air quality, the HVAC system for the building was sealed off to prevent fumes and particles from entering the system during construction. Sources of dust were carefully controlled; cutting stations for masons and carpenters were placed outside or in well-ventilated areas. Subcontractors were required to use low-emitting construction products.
There were no time-lost accidents on the project, and only one recordable incident for bruising, abrasions and/or minor muscle strain.