Pierce County Environmental Services Building
Chambers Creek, WA
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Completion Date
Fall 2002
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The 50,000 s.f. office building is located on the 900 acre Chambers
Creek Properties, which includes 2-1/2 miles of waterfront on Puget
Sound - comparing in size to the distance from Seattles Space
Needle to Safeco Field.
Pierce County recently completed a 50-year Master Plan for the
site focusing on Reclaiming Our Resources, an effort
that will gradually heal & rejuvenate the entire site which
has been mined extensively over the past 100 years.
The site plan extends beyond the property line to the greater Pacific
Northwest region by highlighting visual connections to Mount Rainier
& Mount Olympus through the orientation of major pedestrian
walkways.
Building and site systems have been brought to the surface for
all to see. Interpretive exhibits throughout the building and site
will educate those using the site on how to build, work and live
in an environmentally responsible manner.
The design provides for a more humane work environment through
the introduction of natural light, interior vegetation and views
to the exterior. Space planning was designed according to the European
model where no desk is more than 30 feet to a window.
Staggered office pods, or chimneys, in the open office
area, contain individual offices and act to buffer various departments
while providing visual transparency through the structure. The chimneys
also admit natural light, provide locations for interior planters
and are instrumental in the mechanical system design.