City of Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center, Tacoma, Washington
Posted
01/12/2012
One of the largest bolted,
clear span buildings in Washington, the
City of Tacoma Recovery and Transfer
Center is located at the Tacoma Landfill. The
83,590-square-foot structure serves as a space to receive, sort and
transfer municipal solid waste with an area to separate and recover
recyclable materials from the waste stream.
In developing the center, project goals included improving
operational efficiency, minimizing operating and maintenance costs,
improving safety, meeting current design standards and regulations,
providing operational flexibility to meet future needs and
increasing facility capacity to meet future waste and traffic
projections. Designed by JR Miller & Associates, Brea, Calif.,
the facility is comprised of a pre-engineered metal building from
Varco Pruden Buildings, Memphis, Tenn. JE Dunn Construction Co.,
Seattle, served as the general contractor, and HDR, Omaha, Neb.,
served as the engineer. Prior to erection, Renton, Wash.-based
North Pacific Industrial Coatings coated the steel with a
high-performance coating system.
Erected by CHG Building Systems Inc., Renton, the open web
design of the truss beam frames allowed for HVAC ducts, wiring,
sprinkler systems and lighting to be incorporated through the
trusses. The open web provides enhanced light dispersal for better
visibility. The building also features prismatic strip skylights
for daylighting and energy savings. The roof was built in 25- by
135-foot sections weighing 56,000 pounds each that were assembled
on the ground. The sections were hoisted onto the frame lines using
two cranes and assembled in place saving time and increasing
safety. There were no time loss incidents in the 19,805 man hours
of construction. The project was completed on-time and under the
owners' original budgets.
Varco Pruden Buildings,
www.vp.com