Spokane Central Service Center

Fueling conservation of public funds and natural resources.

A design-build competition determined the selection of the team for this commission to consolidate the city’s Fleet Services and Solid Waste Management departments on one site (from three locations). The total area of the new building had to be at least one-third less than the combined space of the three separate existing buildings.  Through meticulous programming, elimination of duplicate services and hyper-efficient design that goal was achieved with the bonus of creating additional storage space.  To address the objective of converting the Solid Waste refuse fleet of 100 diesel-fueled vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG)-fueled vehicles, the new center provides 50 CNG fueling stations initially to expand to 100 later.

The city desired a simple, functional structure. A pre-engineered steel building was the most cost-efficient, practical solution.  Designed to be LEED Silver certifiable, the building is organized in three wings by function, branching out from a central core-tool area: administrative support, heavy-fleet maintenance and light-fleet maintenance.  To accommodate large trucks on hoists, the maintenance wings were made 24 feet high.  The administrative wing was designed the same height, creating two levels, saving on the footprint and providing extra space for storage.