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Puyallup City Hall
The Puyallup City Hall was dedicated on August 8, 2008. The building sits approximately on the same site as the old Redmen's Opera House (JPG), which was used as a City Hall until 1949 (JPG) when an earthquake damaged it so badly the building was condemned and torn down. In 1952 the city hall was located in a building at W Pioneer and 3rd (JPG) until it was vacated in 2005 to build the new Puyallup Activity Center.
The first building in Puyallup's renaissance was the construction of the Puyallup Public Library which opened in 2002. Another two new buildings quickly followed, with the opening of Pioneer Park Pavilion (JPG) in 2004 and the Puyallup Activity Center (JPG) in 2006.
Tracking LEED Gold
Puyallup City Hall is a model for sustainable design and planning-renewing the city's urban core and setting a precedent for future development. A series of integrated strategies in the new building have placed environmental stewardship at the heart of Puyallup's transformation into a vibrant modern city.
Mithun's team of architects, landscape architects, and urban planners championed civic programs, pedestrian connectivity, and ecological functions as a single unified concept. Reaching across South Meridian from City Hall, a new civic plaza, courtyard, and open spaces embrace historic Pioneer Park, long considered Puyallup's town square.
Ecologically Efficient
Water conservation takes center stage, as the Puyallup River watershed-an amenity vital to Puyallup's culture and livelihood-is threatened by population growth and current development practices. A demonstration green roof has 3 different levels of efficiency to show the benefit of rainwater management: standard roof, 2-inch roof, and 4-inch roof. Rainwater run-off from each area flows into individual vertical cisterns exhibited on the building's façade. A sensor-controlled LED-light system displays the quantity of water in each cistern, which is then released in a visual and auditory cascade to a cistern below the plaza, providing a non-potable source for irrigation.
Puyallup City Hall is 20% more efficient than required by the Washington code. The building's top sustainable features purposely engage and educate the public about their role in shaping Puyallup's smart growth future:
- Comprehensive rainwater system
- Demonstration green roof with vertical cistern display
- Excellent indoor environmental quality
- Natural daylight with monitoring and controls
- Natural ventilation with operable windows
- Public open space expansion
- Sun shading
- Transit-oriented, urban infill development
- Underfloor aid delivery
- Urban tree canopy renewal
Design Features
All the city hall systems-ventilation, heat, and wiring are laid under accessible floors.
Another open public space was built above the city hall parking structure.
Cork Panels: Cork is a natural renewable material harvested from the outer bark of the cork oak tree every 9 years. It is used in several areas as a sound-absorbing wall covering, which doubled as a tack surface.
The building's narrow footprint takes advantage of natural light, including the building's stairwells.
Daylighting and Views: Occupied spaces are located at the building's perimeter to ensure access to natural daylight and views. High-performance glass, skylights, clerestory windows, and building orientation maximize the effect.
Green Roofs: Demonstration green roofs reduce the heat island effect, reduce heating and cooling costs, and provide rainwater management. These solutions are applicable to new and existing buildings in the city.
Indoor Environmental Quality: Low VOC paint, sealants, carpeting, and other materials were selected to ensure healthy indoor air for visitors and staff.
Irrigation: All planting areas on site are irrigated with re-used rainwater. High-efficiency drip irrigation delivers water directly to the plants' roots to avoid waste.
Natural Ventilation and Operable Windows: Natural ventilation eliminates the need for air conditioning. People are healthier and work more effectively with access to fresh air.
More open green space and a throughway from 2nd Street to S Meridian help to connect City Hall to Pioneer Park.
Rainwater Management: Vertical cisterns, located on the building's exterior, compare rainwater captured by the green roofs to a traditional roof. Rainwater from the roofs and courtyard is collected in an underground cistern.
Sun shading: An extended roof edge and sunscreens on the 5th floor and south façade reduce glare and prevent heat gain in the summer.
A low-velocity underfloor air distribution system efficiently delivers conditioned, fresh air. Operators fine-tune the volumes for occupied spaces to reduce the building's cooling load.