Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center

When JRMA began to work with the City of Tacoma on the new Recovery & Transfer Center, the project presented challenges. The new facility would be replacing an existing facility, part of which was sitting atop a closed section of the landfill. Construction phasing needed to ensure that all solid waste operations could continue without interruption. The City had other activities underway at the 240 acre site, so JRMA needed to coordinate with the other consultants working on these adjacent projects. The new facility needed to increase capacity, offer long-term operational efficiency and flexibility, and meet high sustainability goals.

The project achieved all of those goals and more by accounting for all these considerations. The Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center is a LEED Gold certified, award-winning facility that can process up to 1,400 tons of materials per day. The nearly 84,000 square foot facility features a clear-span, open-web truss system. It is one of the largest buildings of its type in the Northwest. Sustainable design features include natural ventilation, daylighting and lighting controls, solar panels, harvested rainwater for use in toilets, and water-efficient landscaping.

The new facility sits on previously undeveloped land and an older, closed section of the landfill. JRMA’s design included utilizing part of the old building’s foundation, after waste was excavated and removed, to reduce construction costs by nearly $1 million.