Clover Island lighthouse and plaza

Location: Kennewick

Owner/developer: Port of Kennewick

Project team: Mountain States Construction Co., general and concrete contractor; HDJ Design Group and Herath & Associates, architects; DCI Engineers, structural engineer; American Rock Products, ready-mix supplier

Washington’s newest lighthouse is a four-section, ready-mix concrete precast structure set in a 15,000-square-foot stamped concrete plaza.

The 62-foot-tall Clover Island lighthouse was built to help transform the island into a waterfront destination for Kennewick. The concrete public plaza’s design was intended to look like a beacon’s light shining from the lighthouse. Landscaped seating walls, benches, bike racks and a concrete ramp and staircase complete the plaza.

Ready-mix concrete was chosen for its cost, aesthetics, durability and compatibility with the project environment.

Clover Island is an urban commercial area on the Columbia River with limited space for on-site construction.

Ready-mix reduced the amount of storage space required as well as the amount of noise pollution and dust that would impact the aquatic environment.

The lighthouse structure was sandblasted to emulate weathered limestone, creating a finished texture that reflects eastern Washington’s desert landscape, and giving the traditional-style structure with a modern look.

An advantage to using concrete was the ability to control the mix design to ensure the quality of the finish and texture. At the plant, specific batch materials were identified, set aside and used throughout the project to produce a consistent look on all four panels. Then the concrete sections were cast and finished on site. The result was that the four sections blended seamlessly when tilted and secured into place, creating an appealing exterior finish.

The use of tilt-up concrete panels instead of stone or the concrete block method traditionally used for building lighthouses helped reduce labor costs and the amount of time spent on construction.