Public works award granted

Shoreline Transfer and Recycling Station, located in King County, Washington, was re-opened in early 2008 following a ground-up redevelopment and features numerous environmentally- sustainable attributes. It was chosen as a Public Works Project of the Year for 2009 by the American Public Works Association.

The award honors excellence in public works projects and recognizes the alliance between managing agencies and the innovative minds that create and implement these projects.

The features that earned the platinum rating include:

• Solar panels that will provide up to five percent of the building’s energy needs.
• The use of natural daylight as the primary light source through translucent wall panels and skylights, reducing energy costs by 50 percent per year.
• A natural ventilation system, reducing energy needs for ventilation by 80 percent.
• Green building materials include: recycled content steel, Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, and fly ash concrete.
• Plants filter contaminants and sediment from surface water runoff.