Colony Construction delivers structural steel across Washington – Boeing-adjacent aviation in Everett and Renton, Pacific Northwest sawmill work in the Olympic Peninsula and Inland Empire, Columbia River hydro, and the Puget Sound and Quincy data-center corridors. Founded in 1985 and responsible for more than 700 completed projects, Colony brings 40+ years of heavy-industrial steel experience to Washington owners. Every frame is engineered to AISC 360-22 and AISC 341 seismic provisions for the Cascadia Subduction Zone, welded to AWS D1.1:2020, stamped by licensed US PEs, and executed under OSHA Region 10 with Washington WISHA state-plan overlay. Colony’s BC portfolio makes Washington a natural extension of our Pacific Northwest delivery model.
Washington Steel Construction Expertise
Washington sits at the north end of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and ASCE 7 puts most of the populated state in Seismic Design Category D. Colony details primary framing with AISC 341 seismic provisions where the building geometry requires – prequalified moment-frame connections, braced-frame panels, and drift-checked envelope attachments. The Washington State Building Code adopts the IBC with amendments coordinated by WABO (Washington Association of Building Officials), and Labor and Industries (L&I) enforces OSHA-equivalent WISHA requirements on every jobsite. Our BC head office, a four-hour drive from the Blaine border, makes Washington projects a practical extension of our Pacific Northwest fabrication and logistics footprint.
Washington’s industrial economy is unusually diverse. The Puget Sound aviation cluster around Boeing, Renton, Everett, and Moses Lake drives clear-span hangar, MRO, and supplier-facility demand. The Olympic Peninsula and Inland Empire sawmill belts anchor the state’s forestry economy. The Columbia River hydro corridor – Grand Coulee, Chief Joseph, Wanapum, Priest Rapids, and dozens of smaller dams – generates dam-rehab and powerhouse retrofit work. And the Quincy hyperscaler corridor on the Columbia Basin has become one of the fastest-growing data-center markets in the country. Colony has long-span mill, fly-in-mine, hydro powerhouse, and fast-track process-facility projects in our portfolio – the building-type pattern matches are direct.
What We Build in Washington
- Aviation Construction – clear-span hangars, MRO shops, and supplier-fabrication facilities for Boeing-adjacent owners in Everett, Renton, Moses Lake, and Spokane under NFPA 409 and FAA Part 139.
- Forestry Construction – sawmill envelopes, planer-mill buildings, and pellet plants for Olympic Peninsula and Inland Empire operators, with NFPA 664 combustible-dust discipline.
- Hydroelectric Construction – powerhouse structural steel, intake buildings, and dam-rehabilitation support for Columbia Basin and Snake River projects.
- Data Center Construction – hyperscale shells and colocation buildings in the Quincy and Moses Lake corridors to Uptime Institute Tier III and Tier IV standards.
- Manufacturing & Warehousing – Tier-1 supplier facilities, cold storage, and distribution envelopes across the Puget Sound and Spokane industrial corridors.
Regional Challenges We Solve
Cascadia Subduction Zone Seismic Design
Western Washington sits directly on one of the most hazardous subduction-zone interfaces in North America. Colony details primary framing with AISC 341 seismic provisions for Seismic Design Category D – prequalified moment connections, brace-frame detailing, and drift-limit-checked envelope attachments. Connection prequalification under AISC 358 is standard on moment-frame buildings, and our engineers coordinate with Washington-licensed PEs for state-stamped submittals.
Boeing-Adjacent Long-Span Hangars and MRO Shops
Commercial-aviation hangar and MRO scope demands clear spans of 200 ft or more, bridge-crane integration, and hangar-door systems engineered to work with bi-fold or sliding door manufacturers. Colony handles primary framing, runway support, and door-system integration under a single-source package – the approach we have proven on Canadian aviation projects and that reads directly onto Everett, Renton, and Moses Lake supplier facilities.
Quincy Hyperscaler Data-Center Fast-Track Delivery
Hyperscale data centers in Quincy, Moses Lake, and Wenatchee run on 12-to-18-month turnkey schedules where steel sets the pace. Colony’s engineers release permit packages in weeks, overlap fabrication with site civil work, and mobilize erection crews to match MEP sequencing. Our fast-track design-build experience on Canadian biomass and process facilities carries directly into hyperscaler shell delivery.
Columbia River Hydro Powerhouse and Retrofit
Columbia Basin and Snake River dams run on decades-old structural framing that increasingly needs retrofit and rehabilitation. Colony’s Mayo B powerhouse work included plate-girder framing, crane-runway coordination, and ICE-sequenced erection – capabilities that transfer directly to Columbia, Snake, and Lewis River powerhouse rehabs and intake-building replacements.
NFPA 664 Sawmill Dust Discipline
Washington sawmill and pellet-plant work lives under NFPA 664 combustible-dust requirements. Colony designs and details mill envelopes, dust-collection enclosures, and explosion-relief venting to NFPA 664 and coordinates with process engineers on deflagration paths. The discipline from our BC sawmill portfolio – Adams Lake, Quesnel, and others – carries directly onto Olympic Peninsula and Inland Empire mill rebuilds.
Washington Projects
Conair Hangar
A clear-span aircraft hangar combining PEB primary framing with custom hangar-door integration, delivered as a single-source Colony package. The long-span hangar experience reads directly onto Boeing-adjacent Everett, Renton, and Moses Lake supplier-facility work and Puget Sound regional MRO.
Interfor Adams Lake Sawmill
Large-format PEB envelope over a modern sawmill with long clear-spans, integrated crane supports, and heavy-duty cladding. Representative of the long-span mill-envelope work Colony delivers for Olympic Peninsula and Inland Empire forestry operators.
Mayo B Powerhouse
Plate-girder powerhouse framing, crane-runway support, and intake-building structural steel for a northern hydroelectric facility. Directly applicable to Columbia, Snake, and Lewis River powerhouse rehabs and USACE / Bureau of Reclamation dam-rehab programs.
SeaStar Chemicals
Custom chemical-plant structural framing with MEP-heavy process integration. The mechanical-dense delivery model reads directly onto Quincy and Moses Lake hyperscale data-center shells and Tier-1 manufacturing facilities along the Puget Sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Washington industries does Colony focus on – Boeing-adjacent aviation, Pacific Northwest sawmills, Columbia River hydro, Puget Sound data centers?
Yes to all four. Our Pacific Northwest footprint was built on BC sawmill, hydro powerhouse, and aviation work that reads directly onto Washington operators. We focus on heavy-industrial scope – supplier facilities for Boeing-adjacent owners, long-span mill envelopes on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Inland Empire, hydro rehab on the Columbia and Snake, and hyperscale shells in the Quincy corridor – rather than downtown commercial or residential construction.
How does Colony approach Cascadia Subduction Zone seismic design under ASCE 7?
We detail primary framing to AISC 341 seismic provisions for Seismic Design Category D, with prequalified moment-frame connections under AISC 358, braced-frame panels where appropriate, and drift-checked envelope attachments. Our engineers coordinate with Washington-licensed PEs for state-stamped submittals and work directly with L&I-plan-review requirements.
What Washington State Building Code editions and L&I requirements govern steel construction?
Washington adopts the IBC on a three-year cycle with state amendments coordinated by WABO, and L&I enforces WISHA state-plan OSHA-equivalent requirements. Current editions reference IBC 2021 with Washington amendments; ASCE 7-22 governs loads; AISC 360-22 is the structural design standard. Colony tracks adoption cycles and works with each AHJ’s specific amendment package.
Can Colony deliver long-span hangars and MRO shops for Boeing-adjacent suppliers in Everett, Renton, and Moses Lake?
Yes. Clear spans of 150 to 250 ft, bridge-crane integration, hangar-door coordination with Megadoor / Schweiss / Hydroswing manufacturers, and NFPA 409 fire-protection interfaces are all in our current portfolio. We deliver engineering, fabrication, cladding, and erection under one contract so Boeing-supplier owners have a single accountable team.
How do Washington cold-storage and ag-processing projects differ from Colony’s BC work?
Washington cold-storage and ag-processing scope is structurally similar to our BC work, with the main differences being Title 24 energy-code overlay in some jurisdictions, USDA FSIS and FDA FSMA envelope requirements on food-processing plants, and L&I plan-review cycles. Colony adapts sandwich-panel and IMP cladding, refrigerated envelope, and sanitary finish detailing to Washington-specific code requirements.
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