We recently covered the opening of the City of Tacoma’s new $38 million Center for Urban Waters facility on the east side of the Thea Foss waterway.  Among the features we detailed in our coverage about the highly technical, ultra green science and environment complex were several curious additions to the landscape on the Foss side of the building.

Part of a recent Urban Waters blog post included this:

(And by the way, those “dead trees” you see in front of the building? City officials want you to know they’re not dead trees at

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With contractors putting the finishing touches on Tacoma’s much ballyhooed Center for Urban Waters, city employees have begun moving into the building stationed on the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway. As TNT reporter Rob Carson wrote about earlier this week, the structure is being hailed as a model for green design and construction.

Among other things, Carson reported the $38 million center features a green roof, recycled water for toilets, a natural heating and cooling system, and natural light to reduce dependence on electricity.

City officials also tell me that the building includes some creative features that …

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