Community Recreation Center Gets an Environmental Facelift

The renovated facility comes with it’s own controversy surrounding the high price-tag public building.  Even with controversy, two things are certain:  1- It will be FUN (you have to admit that) and 2- It meets environmental needs and will be kinder to the earth and the physical community around it.

The existing Recreation Center was built in 1976, and extensive updates were required to make this an energy-efficient and environmental building.  Along with many environmental factors included in the design of this LEED registered community center (certification goal of Silver), Premier Structural Insulated Panels, SIPS,  were chosen to frame the large low slope roof portion of the building.  The General Contractor was pleased with the large roof installation stating, “This stuff is slick, we have never installed a roof so fast.”  Installed in just under 3 days, a SIPS low slope roof adds many benefits to the structure of a building:

• Speed of Construction:  13,000 Sq Ft of Roof Panels were installed in under 3 days! This helps reduce cost of construction for the GC.
• Roof Strength:  SIPS are chosen for their durability to extend and sustain the life of the roof.
• Less Job site Waste:  Over 95% of construction waste was diverted from landfills to recycling centers during the Lynnwood Recreation project with the help of SIPS
• Environmental Impact:  SIPS have recyclable wood facers and high R-value EPS insulation (with no CFC’s), and are made with 10-15% recycled content.  The airtight nature of large SIPS reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 60%, saving energy, and reducing air pollution
• Improved Comfort:  Thanks to extra R-values and tight construction, the ceiling surfaces in a SIP building paired with advanced wall insulation will control temperatures better than in stick-framed construction, resulting in a more comfortable center for the community

What other environmental features are included in this recreation center?

• New Partially Retractable Pool Roof: a retractable roof preserves the highly desirable outdoor pool environment for swimmers in the summer and nearly eliminates energy consumption for HVAC during the warm months.  (The new roof system will reuse the pool’s existing roof structure, reducing the amount of waste during the renovation.)
• New Designated Parking:  stalls for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles close to building entry.
• Water Efficient Landscape & Irrigation:  up to 51% reduction in water use, the irrigation system uses a combination of low volume water-conserving spray heads and micro spray emitters.  The landscape includes native drought tolerant species and selected plants that are drought tolerant once established.
• Solar Pre-Heating System:  provides hot water for showers & sinks, water efficient fixtures used through out the building
• High Efficiency Gas Water Heaters:  provides additional heating when solar system is unable to meet the full hot water demand