When we design and build facilities that help our houseless population, we enhance their lives and improve our community. We were honored to work on The Way Station for this reason. The LEED Gold project provides:
By providing these services, The Way Station gives dignity to our houseless population. Access to basic hygiene positively impacts the health and well-being of people experiencing homelessness and improves their likelihood of employment. Investing in hygiene services leads to cost savings by reducing infectious diseases and other health issues.
The Way Station is a collaboration between Opportunity Council, Unity Care NW, PeaceHealth, and the Whatcom County Health Department to provide these much-needed services. This major renovation of a 1970s pre-engineered metal building owned by Whatcom County, required the project team’s diligence to creatively and cost-effectively implement strategies to improve the compromised building.
The scope of work was to renovate the ground floor to accommodate the new Respite Care Suite and separate Hygiene Center and remodel the County Morgue, also adding a new imaging room. The upper floor renovation included demoing an existing health services lab to create three office suites for various County Health Department service units and the Medical Examiner’s office.
Green building strategies that led to LEED Gold certification included high-performing roof and exterior wall insulation, modernized LED lighting, the project’s walkability and accessibility to public transit options, and interior materials that support healthy indoor air quality for building occupants. In addition, over 60% of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill.
The Respite Center, operated by the Opportunity Council and PeaceHealth was designed to support up to 16 patients and includes a small kitchen and dining room. The Hygiene Center is operated by Unity Care NW.
The success of The Way Station is a wonderful example of what can happen when organizations come together for the good of all.
“The Way Station was a complex project that involved remodeling a less than desirable building. RMC worked with our team to ensure the project was successful. When we uncovered surprising challenges with the existing building, which we did frequently, they were quick to respond to keep the contractor on track. They developed plans that met our project goals and ensured that our specifications were in line. Their iterative process in design development was useful because we had several stakeholders on the project. RMC was not only personable, but knowledgeable. They were cognoscente of our desire to be efficient with limited resources. I would often ask if a particular design element was cost-effective, and they would respond with cost comparisons so that I felt comfortable with the decisions we were making.”
Photography provided by Benjamin Benschneider and Claire Ott / Unity Care NW
