Sustainability - LEED Projects

Increase the Sustainability of Our Facilities (Green Building)

In 2004, DOC established a sustainability goal to design and construct new buildings to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) (www.usgbc.org) Silver standards. The following year, the 2005 legislative session passed a new law requiring LEED Silver standards for state-funded building projects. The Department now has 40 LEED buildings completed and many more underway.

Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women, LEED®Silver Certification

The new housing unit at Mission Creek is located on leased property from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The building is oriented to maximize sunlight along with individually controlled direct and indirect lighting. The use of natural lighting through clerestories in interior spaces minimizes energy consumption. These sustainable attributes as well as others contribute to energy efficient, well-lit, and healthy spaces for offenders. Mission Creek depends on well water, and resources to minimize water usage such as drought tollerant plants and water efficient fixtures were used in the expansion. The DOC project staff, design consultants, and general contractor took every opportunity to use LEED compliant materials.

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, LEED®Gold Campus Certification

The $230 million dollar Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC) expansion is a new and innovative, state-of-the-art, 2,048 bed prison constructed for the State of Washington. Located in Connell, Washington, the project consisted of 578,400 square feet of inmate-housing and support space designed to minimize operating costs while maintaining security and maximizing the opportunity for rehabilitation of the incarcerated population.  Although the CRCC project includes 21 individual buildings, the project submitted a single LEED certification for the entire campus.  The US Green Building Council has awarded 39 points which means that CRCC has the first LEED Gold Certification for a prison campus.

Penitentiary Warehouse, Walla Walla, WA - LEED Silver Certified

Innovative LEED features of the 39,000 square foot warehouse include a high mass building envelope, natural ventilation and no mechanical systems for cooling in the general storage areas, skylights for natural daylighting, a reflective white roof to reduce heat gain, exterior window light shelves that bounce light into the office spaces, and a ground-source heat pump which uses a series of geothermal coils to cool or heat the office spaces and provide hot water.

The Jimmie Evans Training Center, Monroe, WA - LEED Gold Certified

This 10,000 square foot building provides space for training, general education classrooms, a computer training lab, defensive tactics area, and offices. Green building elements include rainwater capture for flushing toilets, waterless urinals, low flow lavatories, construction waste recycling, recycled content and local building materials. To our knowledge, the Jimmie Evans Training Center was the first correctional building in the nation to achieve the LEED Gold rating.

Intensive Management/Segregation Unit, Monroe, WA - LEED Silver Certified

This building - our first LEED certified building to actually house offenders -  was made with recycled-content concrete, steel, and other locally produced materials.  Rainwater is collected and used to flush toilets. Cell windows were redesigned from the original plan to allow for more daylight. Ultra-high efficiency air filters are used in the ventilation systems. Non- or low-toxic paints and finishes were used where possible. A high-reflective roofing membrane was used for the entire roof area.

Maintenance Building, Monroe, WA - LEED Silver Certified

Built on the site of a dilapidated barn, an old wall of ecology blocks was preserved and used as a retaining wall for the new building.  Rock and concrete from the old barn was crushed and used for the parking lot and road base, and old bollards and all shop cabinetry were reused.  Natural lighting was enhanced by adding a row of windows in the roll-up doors and skylights in the high bays. Propane is used for heating, as opposed to electric heat, and the same tank was also fitted as a refueling station for the numerous propane vehicles at the complex. (Previously, all vehicles were filled by an outside vendor truck or taken down the street for refueling.) Fifty percent of the baseline electrical load has been supplemented by "green tags" for two years to comply with the "green power" requirement for LEED.

Correctional Industries Showroom & Warehouse, Tumwater, WA - LEED Silver Certified

Green features of the new Correctional Industries showroom and warehouse building include managing all stormwater on site, water efficient landscaping, and reflective materials to reduce roof and non-roof heat island effects. Low-emitting adhesives, paints, carpets, and fiber board were used in construction, as well as recycled content products, and certified wood. The building is using green power and alternative fuel vehicles. There are views for 90 percent of spaces.

North Close Custody Expansion, Washington State Penitentiary, LEED Silver Certified

Seven buildings in this expansion achieved LEED Silver certification: an administration building, a core services building, an intensive management / segregation unit and four close custody housing units. This represents our biggest LEED project to date. The buildings were made with recycled content, regional, and low emitting materials. A variety of water saving fixtures were used, along with energy saving conditioning systems. Ninety five percent of all construction waste was recycled through the Correctional Industries recycling program.