North Transfer Station Rebuild

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Recognized by AISC with the IDEAS2 National award, the North Transfer Station may be the most beautiful and community-friendly dump in America. The project is comprised of a new tipping and transfer building (67,000 sf), a reuse/recycling building (10,000 sf), and an administration building (2,500 sf) located in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.  

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“A truly innovative, creative solution to program requirements that shows advances in the use of structural steel.”

— Jeff Yoders, Engineering News-Record magazine

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Integrated Design Engineers was tasked with developing a building structure that allowed a 200-ft clear span that did not exceed SPU’s community building height agreement. Our solution was a tri-chorded roof truss system that also earned the project exemplary LEED daylighting credits. 

We also developed the “floating corner,” a 50-ft cantilever truss and a 120-ft main transfer truss system that supports the weight of the entire building at its southwest corner. This upper-level corner—supported without any columns or walls—allows trucks access into the building on the lower level.

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“Overall, the steel elements create an organizational framework and visual interest that defines the open space and thus becomes a significant part of the architectural aesthetic.”

— Lead Architect, Mahlum