Social Security Teleservice Center Becomes a Model for Reclaiming, Salvaging and Recycling an Undervalued Asset
GSA PUBLIC BUILDINGS SERVICE NORTHWEST REGION
“The facility is being hailed as a model of integrated and synergistic sustainability for projects of its type, and is currently on track for LEED Silver certification.”
GSA’s adaptive reuse of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Teleservice Center based in Auburn, Washington became an exercise in reclaiming, salvaging and recycling an undervalued and minimally utilized asset from a bygone-era for conversion into workspace worthy of the 21st century. The facility is being hailed as a model of integrated and synergistic sustainability for projects of its type, and is currently on track for LEED Silver certification.
The SSA 800 number call center serving citizens and residents of the Pacific Time Zone was slated to be housed in Warehouses 7, a drab former military structure on the 138-acre GSA Auburn Campus — one of eight virtually identical World War II-era warehouses comprising the regional Federal complex. GSA recognized that an adaptive reuse of the existing structure offered a unique opportunity to fulfill its mandate to provide sustainable government buildings, while giving taxpayers added value by transforming a minimally used Federal asset into a first-class, contemporary office space. The rationale followed that the renovation could serve as a model for the revitalization of the entire GSA Auburn Campus.
The project was intended to be housed in 80,000 square feet of the original building, which consisted of an asbestos-clad 160,000 square foot timber-framed warehouse, supported by bare trusses and columns. The addition of a 40,000 square foot mezzanine expanded the project to a total of 120,000 square feet, and increased the occupied area by 50 percent. Over 75 percent of the original building structure was preserved, while completely abating the hazardous asbestos siding and removal or encapsulation of all lead paint.
An underfloor air distribution system provides supply air. This system also provides individual adjustable diffuser controls, greatly enhancing the personal comfort and productivity of each employee. The mechanical and electrical infrastructures are concealed below the floor, freeing the open volume and preserving the dynamic structural truss system. A milestone for this project is proving that, unlike past GSA experiences, an efficient and effective raised access floor system can be successfully installed to meet or exceed expectations, and to minimize air leakage.
Other sustainable features include stormwater management, increased water efficiency, low VOC products and the use of regional high-recycled content products, indoor air quality and monitoring. Indigenous plant materials and the implementation of a drip irrigation system helped reduce landscape water by 50 percent. Overall water usage is projected to be reduced by over 30 percent via ultra efficient fixtures and dual flush valve control on all toilets. Excavated soils were either recycled into the project or used for other projects—in one instance, a local school. In addition, GSA has purchased renewable energy certificates to cover 100 percent of the building’s electricity for a two-year period.
Contact:
Mike Nuernberger
Project Manager (Construction)
GSA/10PCP Public Buildings Service Northwest Region
mike.nuernberger@gsa.gov
