Recognizing the need to improve conditions so employees could work more safely, efficiently, and with pride, Chelan County PUD partnered with TCF to reimagine their Rock Island campus. Together, they planned and constructed three new buildings: A combined office and gathering space, a shop/warehouse, and a new crew facility. This trio now unites previously dispersed operations into a cohesive new hub for the district’s work at the Rock Island Dam Maintenance Complex.
Chelan County PUD
The Past
The Power of Columbia was harnessed in 1933, when four turbines at the Rock Island Dam were set in motion, bringing clean, cost-effective power to the citizens of Chelan County. The Dam’s design was defined by the intersection of engineering innovation and pride-of-place, creating monumental and lasting infrastructure. Yet compared the iconic Art-Deco style of Powerhouse 1, Powerhouse 2, built in 1974, was utilitarian and unadorned. Nearby, low quality buildings for use by maintenance and operations personnel gave little consideration to longevity, nor how best to support an increasingly expanding workforce.
The Future
Over the years, the challenges of maintaining aging and inadequate support structures became significant, borne by site-wide operational inefficiencies, safety concerns, and technological obsolescence. Looking forward, the PUD saw both economic and cultural benefit in providing new facilities for mechanics, wiremen, warehouse personnel, and more — all essential to fulfill the District’s values of Safety, Stewardship, Trustworthiness, and Operational Excellence. This new era is defined by an appreciation that: “People Work Here.”
Planning
The design team engaged with multiple work groups to analyze choke points in the daily workflows throughout the site. A 50-year lifecycle cost analysis demonstrated that adding new facilities would yield significant operational and economic benefits through:
Three new buildings now create a cohesive center amidst several existing ancillary structures, forming a small industrial village on the river’s western side: the crew building (C21) acts as a portal where crews pass through to begin and end their day. An office and gathering building (C19) promotes employee collaboration and equity across all positions. At the heart of the operations, the shop and warehouse building (C22) accommodates a 70-ton shuttle crane and shop facilities. Together, this trio of buildings now forms the new Rock Island center of operations.
Building 1
Formerly without an adequate home base, mechanics, wiremen, utility staff, engineers, inspectors, safety personnel, and administrative staff now have proper space to collaborate as a unified team. Former barriers to workflow and positional levels are reduced or eliminated, creating common purpose and equity across the workforce.
Director of Shared Services, Chelan County PUD
Building 2
Responding to the goals of bringing people together and providing facilities that promote productivity and professionalism, the Crew Building cares for the daily routines of workers who work tiring hours.
Building 3
At the heart of the operations, this building accommodates a 70-ton shuttle crane and shop facilities. The location and layout of C22 dramatically improves logistics by streamlining maintenance and rebuild services in safe, well-lit and durable spaces.
Work
