Exemplary design and green features that will one day turn wastewater treatment into an opportunity for environmental education placed Brightwater on a list of the region’s top 10 sustainable projects.
The Brightwater Education/Community Center being built alongside the state-of-the-art treatment plant north of Woodinville earned an award from the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment in their annual "What Makes it Green" Awards Program.
“Brightwater offers an excellent opportunity to educate ratepayers and future ratepayers about the importance of clean-water infrastructure and environmental stewardship,” said Wastewater Treatment Division Director Christie True, adding that about 3,000 students currently tour the county’s existing treatment plants each year.
Seattle-based Mithun led the design of the Brightwater education center, incorporating sustainable features that will make use of the resources generated during the wastewater treatment process.
Digester gas will heat the building, and reclaimed water will be used instead of potable water for toilets and landscaping. Other green elements include skylights to reduce artificial lighting and natural ventilation to maintain building comfort without air conditioning. The facility will provide community meeting space as well as environmental education opportunities for thousands of area students from elementary school through university.
“Brightwater combines architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, art and education to establish a new model for environmentally intelligent design,” said Deputy Project Manager Thom Emrich, AIA of Mithun. “This project will inform visitors about the delicate Puget Sound and how the facility’s integration of wastewater treatment, water reclamation and the site’s natural systems will help to sustain our environment and community well into the future.”
Design was also guided by a community advisory group that included local businesses, environmental groups, local Indian Tribes, education administrators and Friends of the Hidden River, a Bothell nonprofit organization comprised of local teachers dedicated to environmental education in the Puget Sound and surrounding regions. The group has to date raised more than $1 million in grant money to cover costs associated with the facility’s sustainable features and furnishings, and to develop its educational programs.
As one of 10 Pacific Northwest award winners, Brightwater’s innovative education and community center will be highlighted in a display that will tour the region before being featured at the organization’s annual conference in Anchorage.
The display will be available for public viewing at the AIA Seattle’s main office at 1911 First Avenue, Seattle.
People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.
Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Newsroom.aspx.
Related Information
King County Wastewater Treatment Division