McKinstry
McKinstry will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus with waste heat.
McKinstry will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus with waste heat.
McKinstry will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus with waste heat.
McKinstry will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus with waste heat.
McKinstry will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus with waste heat.

McKinstry helps Amazon save on energy, heating costs

Nov. 13, 2014
McKinstry will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus by utilizing waste heat.

One of the country’s biggest mechanical contractors is working with one of the country’s most well-known companies. According to a report from The Seattle Times, McKinstry, a building design firm, will help Amazon heat its new Seattle campus with waste heat from a neighboring skyscraper data center.

The McKinstry logo.

This is the first known project of its kind in the U.S., according to the Times, as it will send water between pipes under Sixth Avenue. If successful, Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien said this could pave the way for even more companies in the Emerald City to save money and energy.

“I think it’s outstanding,” O’Brien told the Times. “It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve seen in a while. I see it as having huge potential for our community.”

Waste heat will come from the Westin Building, owned by Clise, which houses a large data center and Internet exchange point.

This project may go a long way toward helping Seattle reach its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. O’Brien cited the reduction of waste and the management of energy as two things that need to change for carbon neutrality to happen.

John Lang, director of design services for McKinstry, told Contractor Magazine earlier this year that his company prides itself on anticipating what moves need to come next and where the industry needs to be. Lang said McKinstry wants to be a leader in that effort, something that projects like this truly highlight.

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