Airport Way Center Police Support Facility Renovation and Alternation, City of Seattle, Seattle, WA
Wood Harbinger provided the mechanical, electrical, security, and technology engineering design and construction administration for the renovation and adaptive reuse of two buildings totaling 202,000 SF. The two buildings, Building A and Building C, are occupied by the Seattle Police Department. The renovation earned a LEED Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for Building C and a LEED Silver rating for Building A.
The site has spring water constantly flowing into it from Beacon Hill. About 5-10 feet below grade, the water stream is so strong that 6 to 60 gallons a minute had to be pumped out of the lower level of Building A to keep it from flooding. Instead of pumping it into the storm drain, Wood Harbinger designed a water reclamation system to use this water for flushing urinals and toilets, landscape irrigation, and vehicle wash operations. This system saves over one million gallons of municipal water and diverts over one million gallons of sewage water each year.
A displacement ventilation system delivers air conditioning to second floor offices in Building C. The system has several advantages over traditional overhead systems, including improved thermal comfort, improved indoor air quality, and reduced energy use. Waste refrigeration heat is discharged into the adjoining interior parking area on cold days, eliminating the need for temporary winter parking heating. In addition, carbon monoxide sensors control parking garage ventilation and carbon dioxide sensors control conference room ventilation.
LEED measures that were studied included photovoltaic power panels and wind power. The studies determined that not enough power could be generated to justify either option.