City of Phoenix 27th Avenue Composting Facility

Phoenix, AZ

Sustainable design comes in many forms, and the 27^th Avenue Composting Facility is a unique example. This industrial facility occupies 27 acres and generates compost from waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill system. Capable of processing up to 55,000 tons of compost per year, the complex aeration, containment and separation systems utilize unique structures that are mostly underground. Buehler designed the large retaining/push walls and weir structures that aid the composting process and incorporated rarely considered concepts such as acid attack on concrete and sacrificial slab design to accommodate the punishment of a heavy equipment environment. Solar canopies cover multiple acres on-site to provide shade and are anticipated to also provide misting for the process beds to increase their efficiency.