Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station earns two more awards for sustainable design

The facility, which re-opened in February following a two-year-long, ground-up redevelopment and features numerous environmentally sustainable attributes, has earned the Northwest Construction Consumer Council’s “Grand Award - Project of the Year” and the “Green Project of the Year” awards.

The awards were presented to King County Solid Waste Division staff at the council’s Oct. 30 seminar, “Integrating sustainability into design and construction of capital projects,” in SeaTac.

The meeting featured presentations on the future of architecture, developing sustainable communities, designing industrial facilities with sustainability in mind and other issues.

“We are extremely proud of the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station, and we look forward to emulating this success with future redevelopment plans for our other facilities,” said Kevin Kiernan, director of the King County Solid Waste Division.

The facility’s energy-saving and sustainable features include:

• Solar panels generate electricity even during cloudy days and will provide up to 5 percent of the building’s energy needs.
• The facility uses natural daylight as the primary light source through the translucent wall panels and overhead skylights, reducing energy costs by 50 percent a year.
• A natural ventilation system pushes air through the building, reducing energy needs for ventilation by 80 percent.
• Low volatile organic compound paints and adhesives contribute to healthy indoor air.
• Green building materials include: recycled content steel, Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, and fly ash concrete.
• Landscaped bioswales slow water flow to reduce stream bank erosion along Thornton Creek, a nearby salmon-bearing stream.
• Plants filter contaminants and sediment from surface water runoff.

Earlier this year, The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the Shoreline station with its highest designation – the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification. There are only 60 projects in the United States and 65 projects worldwide with a LEED platinum certification, and Shoreline is the only transfer station to achieve the highest rating.

The facility also earned accolades in an international competition from the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The group awarded the facility with an “Honorable Mention” designation in its “What Makes it Green? Regional Top Ten Green Awards.”

Information about the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station is available at
http://www.metrokc.gov/DNRP/swd/facilities/shoreline-transfer.asp?ID=346.

About the Northwest Construction Consumer Council
Founded in the late 1980s as a collaboration of industrial owners, the Northwest Construction Consumer Council is one of 42 regional councils, formed in response to a mandate from the Business Roundtable (BRT). The BRT's research has documented the need for more cost-effective construction practices in the US. Along with improving construction cost effectiveness, NWCCC programs now focus on all aspects of the capital project and maintenance process.

Related Information

Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station

Northwest Construction Consumer Council (External Link)

King County Solid Waste Division