PUBLIC PROJECT

Award of Excellence (tie)

Woodland Park Zoo - Jaguar Exhibit Photo courtesy of Synergy

Woodland Park Zoo - Jaguar Exhibit, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Synergy Construction, Seattle, Wash.

The new Jaguar Exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo provides a natural environment for the Seattle zoo's jaguars while offering an entertaining and educational exhibit to visitors.

The new exhibit features a 110-ft. steel and shotcrete replica of a fallen Kapok tree, a 28 ft. by 30 ft. Kapok stump entry, cave, waterfall, stream, and live fish pool. The project also includes a holding building with a kitchen service area and three interior animal dens. The waterfall, stream and pool are fed from a new filtration building and the landscaping includes more than 1,500 trees, shrubs and groundcover of more than 150 species.

The new exhibit greatly improves upon the old fashioned cage enclosure that has characterized zoos for many years. It mimics the jaguars' natural habitat and seeks to make visitors aware of the environmental impact our society has on the tropical rain forest and its inhabitants.

The contractor's biggest challenge was completing a project of this size within a fully functional zoo with visitors primarily made up of families with small children. To ensure the safety of visitors, deliveries and removal of large equipment and supplies were limited to before or after normal operational hours. In order to accomplish this without adversely affecting the completion date, detailed and organized scheduling was required. The next challenge facing Synergy was completing the project on time after the owners generated a change order approaching 25 percent of the original contract. Synergy was able to complete this project on time through efficiency, long hours and hard work.

"High quality construction work," noted one juror. "Great attention to detail."

AND

PUBLIC PROJECT

Award of Excellence (tie)
University of Washington Medical Center Surgery Pavilion, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: nbbj, Seattle, Wash.

Emerging from the last available parcel of land adjacent to the University of Washington Medical Center, the new Surgery Pavilion consolidates and focuses all of the hospital's outpatient surgeries to improve and streamline patient care.

The three-level facility greatly expands the number and types of surgical procedures the UW Medical Center can offer while allowing flexibility within the existing hospital for future upgrades. Adding approximately 150,000 sq. ft. of ambulatory surgery and clinic space, it includes 11 operating rooms, 54 short stay patient rooms, and endoscopy suite and five new surgery and specialty clinics.

The structure is carefully sited to maximize the building footprint and minimize its visual impact to the University Rainier Vista and adjacent Montlake Boulevard. Much of the pavilion sits below grade and the curved roof nearly disappears behind a buffer of trees along the boulevard. The glass paneled west side and several skylights bring and abundance of natural light into the interior space, orienting views to Glade Park and the existing hospital and away from the busy thoroughfare.

Two of the facility's three levels are below ground, meeting the neighborhood's criteria for hiding the structure from Montlake Boulevard. The extensive glass curtainwall and skylights in turn illuminate the lower levels with abundant daylight and counteract any sense of being underground.

Inside, a number of innovative designs make the pavilion stand out above other similar facilities. "Universal operating rooms" allow caregivers to treat patients in the first available space, avoiding complex scheduling issues and lost time. Surgical suites have "soft" boundaries to accommodate future growth.

PUBLIC PROJECT

Honorable Mention

Puyallup Public Library Photo courtesy of Lewis Architecture and Interior Design

Puyallup Public Library, Puyallup, Wash.
Submitted by: Lewis Architecture and Interior Design, Bellevue, Wash.

As the first completed component of a civic center that intends to revitalize downtown Puyallup, the Puyallup Public Library is setting the standard for excellence in design and construction in the largely historic district.

The 40,000-sq.-ft., two-story steel framed structure features brick and precast concrete facades as well as copper clad elements. A 60 ft. clock tower marks the entry, and steel and glass entry canopies project outward from the two public access points to the building. A corner rotunda gives building users a panoramic view of the century-old Pioneer Park.

The library is part of a bigger plan to make downtown Puyallup a civic center. Lewis Architecture and Interior Design developed a master plan for the area as a first step in siting the library. By vacating portions of two streets, the contiguous area of the park was increased and the library was able to border the park rather than be separated by a street.

Designer were challenged to site the library in a way that it would mesh with future development of several other municipal facilities, even though at the time of design the exact nature and program for those facilities was unknown. This challenge was met by developing a "generic" campus plan that provided a circulation system and a site improvement vocabulary adaptable for a variety of future building types.

PRIVATE PROJECT

Award of Excellence (tie)

Seattle Waterfront Marriott Photo courtesy of Turner

Seattle Waterfront Marriott, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Turner Construction Co., Seattle, Wash.

Despite facing a challenging site and numerous design changes, the Seattle Waterfront Marriott Hotel still met its original completion date and stayed on construction budget.

The 325,000-sq.-ft., eight-story hotel features 358 guestrooms and suites, meeting rooms, ballroom and restaurant. A one-level parking garage is located 22 ft. below grade, 15 ft. below the water table.

While under construction, the architect added balconies to the project, which made for late modifications to the exterior wall with additional sliding doors. The exterior skin then had to be expedited, which put extra pressure on thee other exterior components, but with close day-to-day coordination, all systems were installed on time.

A major mechanical/elevator revision late in construction also challenged the project team. It was discovered that the mechanical room on the roof was larger than shown on the approved permit drawings. This room had to be reduced in size to match the approved drawings, which meant changing the already-ordered elevator equipment from an overhead system to a bottom pulled system. A new elevator machine room had to be constructed in the basement and major pieces of mechanical equipment had to be relocated. The project team not only pulled off the design change so equipment was not late, but made sure all changes in the field to accommodate the new work were implemented immediately. Installation timing was tight, but was achieved and the building was opened on time.

"Obviously a strong team put this structure in place," said one jury member. "The project adds a tremendous amount of aesthetic value to our waterfront."

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PRIVATE PROJECT

Award of Excellence (tie)
Interurban Exchange Development, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: nbbj, Seattle, Wash.

The Interurban Exchange Development project is the first in a five-building commercial plan to revitalize an area covering several city blocks in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. It creates a new urban link to downtown Seattle, introducing a pedestrian friendly atmosphere and making the most of the setting's existing artistic and industrial character.

Inspired by the neighborhood's eclectic essence, materials and forms are used to express the local culture. Instead of a mere formal expression, the "skin" of the building becomes the means to define contextual links. The visual and tactile qualities of glass, rough concrete and smooth and textured metals metaphorically accentuate the ever-present man-made interventions prevalent in the immediate area. This visual connection between natural and man-made materials allows the overall development to blend seamlessly into the fabric of the neighborhood.

The project came with its own challenges. A new offic4e complex of this scope - 360 ft. long, 120 ft. deep and 65 ft. high - combined with the market driven desired of the end users, does not automatically incorporate into rustic surroundings. Satisfying both, however, the project retained simple lines and materials to create an unpretentious "smart" shell that accommodates a variety of businesses, including the special needs of biotech companies. Rather than making an iconic statement, it is distinct in its welcoming attitude and will help to integrate tenants into the local community.

PRIVATE PROJECT

Honorable Mention

Georgetown Headquarters, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Charter Construction, Seattle, Wash.

When Charter Construction decided to go "green," it did so in a big way: by starting with its own headquarters building.

The general contractor's new building in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood has achieved the Silver rating in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program by incorporating a number of environmentally friendly practices into the building's design and construction. This was the first time Charter had attempted a LEED project, and company leaders saw the rating goal as an opportunity to train themselves in green building methods.

By incorporating recycled concrete and fly ash into the building, Charter reduced landfill impact. The office parking lot is paved with a pervious grid filled with soil and planted with grass to help slow and infiltrate stormwater. This also reduces the heat island effect created by black asphalt. Much of the material used in the building is recycled or comes from certified forests. Water efficient fixtures were used throughout the restrooms, including a waterless urinal.

Because the LEED program was new to Charter, employees attended seminars and held numerous design charettes to disseminate information and learn about the program. As a result, Charter was able to overcome challenges associated with a new way.

Award of Excellence

University of Washington - Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering Photo courtesy of Mortenson

University of Washington - Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Mortenson, Bellevue, Wash.

The Paul G. Allen Center on the University of Washington campus is a concrete framed building with exposed architectural concrete elements and structural precast features. The shell is composed of a combination of brick veneer, architectural concrete, aluminum windows, a zinc panel system and sunshades. The facility houses new high-tech lab spaces, faculty and student offices, conference rooms and a six-story atrium It will serve several fields of computer science.

The project team was initially challenged with a lack of funding for the project. Upon completion of site demolition, the entire project was put on hold. The project team reviewed multiple options in order to continue with the project utilizing available funds. Although the project experienced a three-month delay, the Computer Science and Engineering department was still able to move in and set up for the fall quarter in its new facility as originally planned.

The electrical engineering interface phase of the project was also very challenging. This phase, which included completing the unfinished areas of the existing facility, was required to be started and completed over a summer quarter to avoid disrupting classes. Long hours along with finding creative ways to begin portions of the phase without disruption resulted in the delivery of the space ahead of schedule.

ROAD/TRANSPORTATION PROJECT

Award of Excellence
West Lake Union Improvements, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: MidMountain Contractors, Kirkland, Wash.

The West Lake Union Improvements project has transformed an unorganized and unpaved parking area along Lake Union's west shore into an attractive, more accessible area that improves parking and highlights public access to the water. The improvements are part of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' vision to attract biotech industry to the South Lake Union neighborhood

The project consists of a new drainage system, a pedestrian pathway, an electrical duct bank and vaults for Seattle City Light's underground feeder system, the construction of 55 striped parking stalls, arterial roadway reconstruction and resurfacing, and landscaping.

The pre-construction condition of the parking lot consisted of only gravel and broken asphalt and concrete. A recurring complain from residents and business owners was the lack of organized parking, large potholes and unsafe pedestrian access. Upon completion, motorists and pedestrians will enjoy a freshly paved and striped parking lot with new landscaping and an urban walking path complete with two view decks.

One challenge crews faced during the project was the lack of specific information on underground utilities. Because of many years of development in the area, it was impossible for jurisdictions to accurately represent the existing complex infrastructure. This lead to difficulty in the design phase of the project, which in turn provided numerous challenges in construction. Throughout the storm system construction, MidMountan Contractors workers were forced to continually make adjustments to pipe runs and structures to avoid existing utilities that could not be properly addressed during the design phase.

RENOVATION/RESTORATION

Award of Excellence

Pioneer Square Historical Areaway Reconstruction Photo courtesy of MidMountain Contractors

Pioneer Square Historical Areaway Reconstruction, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: MidMountain Contractors, Kirkland, Wash.

A massive fire in 1889 swept through downtown Seattle, literally burning the Pioneer Square district to the ground. Rebuilding efforts included raising the street level to combat drainage and settlement problems, thus creating a an underground city of sorts that curious tourists can visit today.

Since the rebuilding in the late 1800s, the iron beams and brick arches that supported the sidewalks over the underground rooms and areaways have succumbed to time and Mother Nature. In June 2002, MidMountain Contractors was awarded the federally funded, $1.4 million job to stabilize the areaways while ensuring that the historic district's character remained unchanged.

The original, corroded iron beams were replaced with exact replica steel beams. These beams were placed perpendicular under the sidewalk and connected to abutting structures. Wood form arches were built and brick masons brought in to reconstruct the historical-looking brick arches to support the sidewalk. An overlay of structural rebar and concrete were installed to finish the sidewalk construction. In all, more than 32,000 bricks were laid in a 3,600 sq. ft. restoration. To keep the original appearance intact, three-ft. by six-ft. skylights were installed in the sidewalk. Purple glass tiles were used to filter light into the underground areaways.

"I respect the immense effort that must have been put forth to maintain the project schedule and budget while preserving the historical nature of the work," commented one jury member.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Award of Excellence
Wade King Student Recreation Center at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.
Submitted by: Opsis Architecture, Portland, Ore.

The new 98,000-sq.-ft. Wade King Student Recreation Center on the Western Washington University campus serves as an anchor and gathering place for the new south academic core of the campus. The $18 million facility nestles into a wooded hillside, capturing dramatic views to the east across the valley towards the mountain as well as to the track and field to the north.

The new center features a two-level weight training/fitness center and a sport climbing wall. The natatorium, comprised of a six-lane lap swim and leisure pool and a spa is available for use by intramurals, sport clubs, student organizations and the general student population. In addition, the facility includes a three-court gymnasium with an elevated running track, a multi-purpose activity court, locker rooms, and several multi-purpose rooms for aerobics, martial arts, yoga and fencing.

The student center incorporates a number of green building practices into its design, and the building's owners are pursuing LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainable features include the recovery of 142 trees with root balls used to enhance salmon stream habitat, the use of non-toxic and chemically inert carpets, paints and adhesives, and energy performance that is 20 percent better than required by the energy code.

One juror noted "the great use of shapes and materials" in the facility.

The student center's design is the result of a collaborative process between students, staff, administrators and the design team. Part of the design process included bringing students together in a group work setting, providing "gaming" sessions to help develop an understanding of priorities and trade-offs in the programming and design process.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Honorable Mention

University of Washington - Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Mortenson, Bellevue, Wash.

The new Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering on the University of Washington Campus fulfills the needs of the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering departments with new high-tech lab spaces, faculty and graduate student offices and conference rooms.

A unique design aspect of the center is its six-story atrium. The space, which was designed to be used as a student commons and for special events, features a precast walkway system connecting the building occupants and the adjoining electrical engineering building to the atrium on all floors. A large cantilevered feature stair circulates individuals from floor to floor inside the atrium without taking up space on the main floor. Acoustic cherry wood panels coordinated with exposed architectural concrete and metal panels create a warm space and enhance the acoustics for music venues.

The use of clerestories and the atrium allow ample light into the building. The occupants on the eastern side of the building enjoy views of Lake Washington, Husky Stadium and Mount Rainier. Facing south, occupants can see historic Sylvan Grove, and to the north, the atrium.

Energy conservation was maximized through the use of motion sensors, energy efficient transformers and fan powered air terminals.

ENGINEERING DESIGN

Award of Excellence

Rocky Reach Dam Juvenile Fish Bypass Project Photo courtesy of Coffman

Rocky Reach Dam Juvenile Fish Bypass Project, Wenatchee, Wash.
Submitted by: Coffman Engineers, Spokane, Wash.

The Rocky Reach Dam Juvenile Fish Bypass project provides an innovative way for young salmon to negotiate downstream around the Rocky Reach Hydroelectric Project.

The bypass includes two main components. The first is a surface collector system, which utilizes 29 large pumps to create strong water currents that appeal to the natural instincts of the young fish and attracts them to the dam's forebay. Previous sonar and flow studies had determined that fish prefer to travel in the upper 60 ft. of river depth. The surface collector system creates currents in the upper 60 ft. of the river flow by using natural and turbine-induced surface currents. This flow offers the fish an alternative to diving into the electricity-generating turbine intakes where mortality rates are high.

Once the fish are in the surface collector, the water flow moves them into the second part of the system - a large steel tube up to nine ft. in dia. The tube passes through the forebay wall of the dam and extends 4,600 ft. around the tailrace and the face of the spillway. The fish pass through a sampling facility and re-enter the rive one-third mile downstream.

Construction of the system was carefully planned so all work in the river would be done between fish migration seasons. Some of the large components of the collector system, such as the pump house, were built on a peninsula upriver from the dam during the summer and then floated into place on barges when the fish migration season had ended for the winter. Due to the challenging schedule, construction continued around the clock through the winter.

TENANT IMPROVEMENT

Award of Excellence

Graham and Dunn Law Firm, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Turner Construction Co., Seattle, Wash.

The 55,000-sq.-ft tenant improvement project for Seattle's Graham and Dunn law firm brought the company to a vibrant new space on the far end of Pier 70 over Elliott Bay.

The project scope included construction of an internal stair, several new conference rooms, a kitchen, locker room and offices.

Some of the unique finishes include stone, Douglas fir flooring, rift cut walnut cabinets, art glass and carpet. The lobby and conference areas consist of a two-story space open to the structure with views overlooking Elliott Bay. Because most of the ceiling areas are open, distribution of mechanical and electrical systems required extensive coordination with the wood structure of the pier.

In order to maximize the views from the third floor, the north and south clerestory roofs were raised approximately 18 inches. To accomplish this, Turner crews cut the roof along a beam line approximately eight inches from the perimeter and used it a s a pivot point to create what was essentially a shed dormer along both sides of the pier. New exterior walls, taller windows and additional structural support were added to finish the look.

"A challenging building to move into," noted one juror. "I liked the fact that they raised the roof to let in light."

TENANT IMPROVEMENT

Honrable Mention

Puget Sound Energy - Summit Building, Floors 8-12, Bellevue, Wash.
Submitted by: Lydig Construction, Bellevue, Wash.

The tenant improvement project for Puget Sound Energy occupied 116,000 sq. ft. on five floors of the Bentall Summit Building in downtown Bellevue, Wash.

Four of the floors are similar in nature and aesthetics as they function as large, open office areas. Meeting rooms, private offices, copy centers and special purpose rooms are clustered in the center of the floor integrated within the building core.

An architectural signature in the space is an interior steel stair with granite treads, perforated stainless steel riser panels, stainless steel handrails and a wood cap connecting three floors. Lydig crews were challenged to coordinate the delivery, fabrication and assembly of the stair. Stair stringers and guardrail parts were fabricated in sections as large as possible in the shop top minimize on-site welding. The longest pieces were fed through the hatch in the elevator car ceiling and moved to the floors with the help of two elevator techs - one on top of the car and one operating the car from the inside. Once the stair parts were delivered to the floors, crews still had considerable assembly work to perform. While the stair parts were sandblasted prior to their delivery to the site, further sandblasting was needed to prepare the metal for finishing. Crews tented the stair on three floors and ran air hoses up a building stair to clean up welds and imperfections.

ELECTRICAL PROJECT

Award of Excellence

Seattle City Hall Photo courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Seattle City Hall, Seattle, Wash.
Submitted by: Sparling, Seattle, Wash.

The new Seattle City Hall's power, telecommunications, audiovisual, security and lighting control systems feature an integrated design that speaks to innovation throughout the structure.

The design solutions responded to the challenges of integrating multiple systems, achieving U.S Green Building Council LEED certification and reducing operational costs.

The National Electric Code requires that high-rise buildings have a surplus of generator capacity to support the fire and smoke removal pumps. Sparling recommended capturing that surplus generator capacity to support mechanical air systems, lighting, receptacles and telecommunications equipment feeding the council chamber, boards and commissioning conference rooms, public reception space and Seattle Channel broadcasting services in a non-fire related emergency. Since the generator backs up Seattle Channel broadcasting equipment, there is now functionality to support live broadcasts in the event of a major crisis. As the city was planning to find and build an alternate site to perform this function, Sparling's approach saved them millions of dollars.

Sparling also wrote an original specification to support the modular, under-floor wiring system for power and telecommunications cabling. Doing so greatly reduces the size of on-floor HVAC electrical loads.