Highline Community College

Surface Water Project

SB&A led a team of engineers and environmental specialists in the planning, design and construction of a regional stormwater detention system for Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington. SB&A was selected for this project because of their emphasis on campus planning, environmental sensitivity and value-added design.
Storm drainage planning and detention is essentially a mathematical problem typically addressed by engineers to satisfy requirements and standards from state and local jurisdictions. The storm water quantities are predicted and duration determined, treatment options identified and detention requirements planned. As the numbers are generated and the land area requirement determined, sites for the facilities are assessed. Typically the criteria for the selection of these sites have an engineering basis and other considerations such as environmental issues, circulation, aesthetic quality, and human interaction are sometimes overlooked.
Taking a design approach to the project, SB&A identified opportunities to expand the function of the facility without increasing costs. We were able to design this facility as an environmental learning center for the biological science department of the college and provide social and recreational features. Five landscape zones with eight sub zones were designed and planted creating habitats that provided improved water quality while establishing a living laboratory for study. Pathways were designed for strolling and jogging that double as maintenance access for the detention pond facilities. The college has embraced the facility and dedicated it to the outgoing president.