Stearns, Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of Pacific Plaza, a 149,000 square feet steel framed, parking garage and addition of office and retail space. Once an eyesore on Tacoma’s developing downtown streetscape, the renovated building adds a new vibrancy to the area. By implementing green initiatives such as a vegetative roof and rain water collection system, BLRB Architects helped to make Pacific Plaza Washington’s first commercial office building to earn LEED Platinum Certification. The project received the Ghillarducci Award in recognition for successful new development & renovation by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber. Pacific Plaza also recieved the Commercial Revitalization Award from the City of Tacoma.

With the goal of improving and revitalizing the neighborhood, the City of Tacoma and Pacific Plaza Development LLC partnered to renovate the parking garage. Pacific Plaza features a live green roof with a water collection system that implements a centuries old Turkish bath. Built in the 1900s, the block wide Turkish bath was uncovered during construction and will be used as a cistern to collect rain water. The collected rain water will in turn be used to water the roof garden. The live roof reduces overall temperatures of the building and energy consumption.

At the recommendation of Absher Construction, Stearns joined with PCS Structural Solutions, to assist with design development. Stearns furnished and installed all structural steel components, provided shop and construction drawings and implemented smartbeam™, an innovative approach for long-spans that delivers greater strength with less weight and offers aesthetic appeal.

Pacific Plaza has received the following awards and ratings:

Awards

• Ghilarducci Award – Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce (2010)

• Build Washington Award for Green Building – Associated General Contractors of Washington (2010)

Ratings

U.S. Green Building Council LEED in 2010; achievement level: Platinum - highest possible rating