About the Washington State Department of Ecology

Padilla Bay is one of those serene spots full of relaxing vistas and teaming with scenes of nature. Near Seattle, it is also the site of a Washington State Department of Ecology preserve and interpretive center.

Their Need

The Washington DOE needed a bunkhouse and research center for an environmental critical area, but after shopping site built construction were confronted with prices that would have killed the project. 

The Whitley Solution

Someone in DOE had the foresight to consider modular.  Williams Scotsman, a major distributor of modular structures, heard of the problem.  Sales representative Pat Muchmore became involved and worked to fully understand the needs of DOE, the lay of the land and the budget constraints.  Then he turned to Whitely Evergreen.  Together, Muchmore and the Evergreen staff created a project design that fit DOE's budget, as well as accommodating every design feature requested, and then some. DOE was impressed with the price, as well as the can-do attitude of W-S’s Patrick Muchmore who managed the account from beginning to grand opening. Whitley built the 3,248sf two-story structure that features ample windows on each wall, especially the one with a view of the bay, and a variety of “green technologies” to take advantage of the natural heating and cooling of the site. The "green features" were included to reduce the long term maintenance and operational costs of the project.  To give the building a more conventional look a hinged 4:12 roof was built in factory and an exterior of Hardiplank was installed to protect the building for years to come from the marine environment. “We chose to work with Whitley because they were willing to “design out of the box,” and because they showed a willingness to engineer and to design features the way the customer wanted them.” Mike Ransbottom, Whitley VP of Operations says Pat  brought the project together “without a hitch” and was “super to work with.”