Engineering Inc. - May/June 2008 - (Page 26) AC E C 2 0 0 8 EnginEEr ing ExC El l EnCE AwArds GrAndConCeptorAWArd h Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, Wash. Magnusson Klemencic Associates—Seattle, Wash. Creative engineering has transformed a blighted industrial wasteland into a stunningly picturesque urban waterfront in downtown Seattle. The project team had to overcome soil stability challenges for the 8.5-acre coastal site that rises 40 feet above the original grade. In addition, it had to mitigate contaminants from the site’s six decades as an oil storage facility. More than 200,000 cubic yards of imported soil were strategically placed to form the park’s complex elevated levels. Pioneering “decoupled” shoring walls were used to keep soils in place, and subsequently, also comprising a unique capping system to diminish contamination. An innovative rainwater drainage system redirects runoff to the Puget Sound. A new stabilization buttress in the water reinforces an aging seawall, while the location doubles as a habitat for endangered Chinook salmon. The new Olympic Sculpture Park features a continuously sloping 2,200-foot Z-shaped path linking three land corridors; each has a distinctive panoramic view. The project’s re-created beachfront is the first engineered beach on a major U.S. city waterfront. Now home to 21 works of art and nature, the park provides a breathtaking public recreation experience, an example of urban artistry and sustainability, and a world-class engineering feat. 26 ENGINEERING INC. MAY / JUNE 2008
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