John’s Prairie Operations Center in Shelton, Washington by TCF Architecture, PLLC

Article source: TCF Architecture, PLLC

Mason County PUD No. 3’s new administrative, maintenance and operations facility unites all of the PUD’s functions within a state-of-the-art, highly professional campus. Staff of the John’s Prairie Operations Center and citizens of the surrounding community are pleased to have contributed toward the improvement of County infrastructure by supporting those who maintain local electrical utilities.

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

• Architects: TCF Architecture, PLLC
• Project: John’s Prairie Operations Center
• Location: 2621 E Johns Prairie Rd, Shelton, WA 98584, USA
• Photography: Pete Eckert
• Lead Architect: Randy Cook, Brian Ho
• Project Team: Gerry Pless, Mark Hurley, Jeremy Wooley, Ryan Miller
• Civil Engineer: (Pyramid Engineers, LLC)  Peter Gonzales
• Landscape Architect: (The Berger Partnership)  Steve Shea
• Structural Engineer: (PCS Structural Solutions)  Brian Phair, Owen Bower
• Built Area: 142,000 SF (in 5 buildings) on a 22 acre site
• Completion Year: 2013

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

At the onset of the project, a comprehensive study weighed the impacts of maintaining existing conditions – a widely-dispersed collection of aging structures and leased office space – with the benefits of building new.  As a part of the cost-benefit analysis, operational procedures and interdepartmental logistics were studied, including daily work tasks of line crew, technicians, customer service, administrative, vehicle maintenance, and warehouse personnel.   The culmination of this phase made apparent to the design team the economic and cultural benefits of creating a single facility on a centrally-located County-owned parcel.  As a result of substantially improved labor time and fuel/energy efficiencies, as well as increased productivity, the cumulative savings between a consolidated operation and decentralized, separate facilities, was estimated at more than $60 million over a projected 50-year period.

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Design of the $25 million, five building, 146,000 sf operations campus followed, providing a new home for over 115 staff and crew on a 22-acre parcel.  Treading lightly, the John’s Prairie Operations Center responds to the County’s goals for low-impact site development, and conservation of water and energy.  Harvested rain supplies water for irrigation and toilet flushing. A 225 kv photovoltaic (PV) array atop shop building “D” harvests the sun’s rays, supplementing electricity within the power grid.  Infrastructure is in place for the eventual conversion to Net Zero Energy through additional solar panel installation.

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Architecturally, the campus utilizes the durable and regionally-appropriate materials of concrete, steel, masonry and heavy timber.  A stately civic building serves as the “front door” to the campus, with a high-volume, two story entry mass separating the public and private zones.  Comprised of more industrial materials for industrial functions, the private zone is clad in masonry and steel, while the public area is characterized by its ample use of wood finish.  The auditorium, framed by heavy timber reminiscent of the area’s timber industry, offers the use of community gathering space and safe shelter in the event of an emergency.

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Beyond the walls of the administration building, thoughtful planning provides visibility and transparency in and among the material staging and warehousing, specialty workshops, vehicle and equipment storage and the fuel /wash spaces; simple, logical, building and site circulation place user safety at the forefront. Crew facilities – such as dispatch, locker and mud rooms –promote daily interaction to enhance worker morale, which in turn, leads to increased productivity and employee retention.  Quality detailing and consistent use of materials throughout the campus provide a professional, elegant atmosphere for all department members. Interiors are awash in daylight, and the local, renewable and non-toxic attributes of finishes help create a healthy, productive work environment for all PUD employees.

This project is LEED^® Gold certified.

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © Pete Eckert

Image Courtesy © TCF Architecture, PLLC

Image Courtesy © TCF Architecture, PLLC

Image Courtesy © TCF Architecture, PLLC

Image Courtesy © TCF Architecture, PLLC

Tags: USA, Washington

Categories: Auditorium, Hall, Offices, Services Centre

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018 at 7:12 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.