Tri-Cities Research District Master Plan

The Tri-Cities Research District (TCRD) is located in the southeastern part of Washington State in North Richland. The TCRD Master Plan focuses on 292 acres of the overall 1,600-acre district which includes direct stakeholders (Battelle, Port of Benton and a private developer), as well as indirect stakeholders (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Hanford, Washington State University and the City of Richland). The master plan vision is to create a world-class sustainable and socially cohesive community in which companies innovate, promote and collaborate for the advancement of science, technology and education. The district is to promote and demonstrate its technological innovation and focus on sustainability as the main attractors for new businesses and people, retention of existing businesses and people, cultivation of young regional talent, and to foster local and regional growth. Minimal impacts of development and its operations will embrace environmentally compatible technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems. The district is to embody energy efficiency, little-to-no use of finite fuels, more local production, more walking and less driving. An iconic central plant is envisioned south of 1st Street, directly on axis with Q Avenue and the prominent Hanford Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor to the north, completing visual and dynamic bookends to a storied history and future endeavors. For this project, the team has applied the Living Sites and Infrastructure Challenge (LSIC) as the primary rating system for the master plan site, with the eye on LEED-NC and the Living Building Challenge for new building development. The Precautionary Principle will be the decision-making tool when consensus cannot be reached on the relative sustainability of the LSIC. The LSIC includes 18 prerequisites, some of which apply more specifically to individual buildings. During the master planning process, the team focused site-wide strategies including habitat exchange, net zero energy, carbon neutrality, net zero water, sustainable water discharge, inspiration and education. Next Steps: The sustainability metrics are designed as a tool to be modified throughout the design and development of the TCRD. Project teams will continue to measure design decisions against the metrics and sustainability criteria of the LSIC.