Sept. 12, 2008 New Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station earns rare national top rating for green building  When King County residents visit their recently redeveloped Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station, they may not notice the facility’s rooftop rainwater harvesting system, solar electricity panels, recycled content components and many other environmentally-friendly improvements.
The U.S. Green Building Council noticed these features – and a lot more. The national organization dedicated to expanding green-building practices has awarded the Shoreline station with its highest designation – the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification. The facility reopened in February after a two-year rebuilding project on the site of an old landfill. 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. “This platinum rating recognizes the Solid Waste Division’s creative and forward-looking approach to upgrading this facility,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “It also recognizes the talent and hard work of the many division employees involved in the design, building and operation of this new facility. And, it asserts the division’s leadership in environmental design and sustainability.” “We had hoped to receive the Green Building Council’s gold rating for this facility, and we are ecstatic with the news that our project will receive the higher platinum rating,” said Kevin Kiernan, King County Solid Waste Division Director. The facility’s energy-saving and sustainable 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 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. User feedback has been positive since the station’s reopening. “This is a very customer-friendly facility, with larger waste unloading areas, reduced wait times and a broad range of recycling services, including yard waste, televisions, scrap metal and wood,” Kiernan said. “Our customers really appreciate the facility’s expanded services.” The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in six areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design. Earlier this year, the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station 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. Related Information Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station King County Solid Waste Division
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