Urban Waters — Tacoma, WA

The Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma, Washington was designed not only as a center for environmental research, but as a leading example of the green building revolution. The 51,205 square-foot facility, built next to the historic but environmentally troubled Thea Foss Waterway, is a story of redemption. The LEED Platinum building is part of a campaign to reverse the area’s environmental record, providing a truly green location for cutting edge environmental research. Part of the building’s story of redemption is the use of wood reclaimed from an old dock at the job site. The entry lobby features 9Wood Grilles and Linears, as well as millwork re-milled from 100′-long Douglas Fir timbers.

Designing a ceiling using reclaimed wood presented certain unique challenges. Urban Waters required close coordination between TerraMai and 9Wood, the architect, and contractors to dial in the allowable “character” of the finished wood (knot sizes, fastener holes, pitch pockets, etc.). The carefully monitored hands-on approach, however, produced an interior with a rich story and finish. The atrium even has a kiosk that tells the story of the building’s construction process and LEED attributes.

TerraMai, based in Northern California, took the lead as the “one stop shop” for the removal of foreign matter of reclaimed wood, and re-milling to net sizes for the panels, including thick veneers for Acoustic Plank. 9Wood received the re-milled material and fabricated the panels.

Although most of the foreign matter was removed, 9Wood’s Ken Floyd was more than surprised to find an embedded copper bullet at his chop saw! Apparently, the metal detectors weren’t 100% “bullet-proof”.

It is a project that showcases what can be achieved with a high level of collaboration between the architects, contractors, installers and 9Wood throughout the process.
Reclaimed wood is a growing segment of our industry. It is true the extra coordination requires a premium, however each reclaimed wood project requires a different approach and some are more involved than others. 9Wood will offer the gamut of support and coordination needed to deliver these truly special projects. At the outset, they may appear daunting, but your “reclaimed wood ceiling experts” will provide the capabilities to deliver a project like Urban Waters.