Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station Earns Recognition

The recently renovated Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station in Washington’s King County has been recognized in an international competition by the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), receiving an Honorable Mention designation.

The facility features a number of green components, including a rain-harvesting roof, natural lighting and recycled content material. The recycling and transfer station is one of 13 projects recently honored by the Seattle chapter of the AIA in its “What Makes it Green? Regional Top 10 Green Awards.”

Ten winners and three honorable mentions were noted for their sustainable design and functionality out of the 56 entries in the “What Makes it Green?” awards competition, which was open to projects in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia, Hawaii, Guam/Micronesia, China and Hong Kong.

“The new facility is more efficient for users, quieter for the neighboring community, offers increased recycling opportunities and helps protect the headwaters of a nearby salmon-bearing stream,” King County Executive Ron Sims says. “All of these elements reflect King County’s goals for achieving sustainably designed and constructed projects that are good for residents, the environment and for future generations.”

The facility, which cost $24 million, was built on the site of an old landfill. It reopened in mid-February, following a nearly two-year closure.

The Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station is targeting a gold rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. Its “green” features include:

• A roof-top rainwater harvesting system collects water to wash station floors and equipment, and to flush toilets.  This reduces water needs by 57 percent, saving 254,000 gallons of drinking water every year.
• 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 per 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.

More information about King County’s sustainable building efforts is available at www.greentools.us.