“Landscaping is prepared in front of the new composting toilet building by Mandeja, who goes by the single name. Building trades workers are invited to tour the facility next Wednesday afternoon.Jim Larsen / staff photoSeattle has its Smith Tower. New York has the World Trade Center. Chicago boasts the Sears Building. And now South Whidbey adds to the list of landmark structures with its Composting Toilet Building.Bayview Corner’s new environmentally equipped toilet will open soon, but first there will be a special presentation for building trades people.The Composting Toilet Building, located just behind Bayview Hall, is a project of the nonprofit Goosefoot Community Fund. Construction of the novel facility hasn’t always gone according to plan, which is why Goosefoot’s advice to tradespeople is, Learn from our successes. Learn from our mistakes.Admitting to a lot of both, those who are building the fancy outhouse plan to share what they’ve picked up during its design and construction. Described as a small building with a big impact, the toilet facility demonstrates alternative materials and alternative water, power and composting systems, all of which have wide application to residential and commercial building projects. One reason people avoid building with new materials or technologies is that they haven’t had a chance to evaluate the products and systems first hand. The press of construction schedules typically trumps evaluating alternatives. And, if it doesn’t pencil, it doesn’t happen, said Linda Moore, director of the Bayview Corner project. Tradespeople need access to hard practical facts about the materials and information about people who install them.Moore and Nancy Nordhoff, president of the Goosefoot Community Fund, will share with the community the experience they’ve acquired during the building of the composting toilet.Their first workshop, to be held on Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bayview Corner, is designed for people in the island’s building trades. Construction workers, electricians, plumbers, framers, designers, architects, engineers, suppliers, contractors, subcontractors and developers are invited to stop in for a burger and beer and find out what works, what doesn’t, at what price and in what situation.The Composting Toilet Training will feature three major systems: The composting system — with its waterless urinal and composting toilet; the power system – with its photovoltaic roof panels, on-demand propane heater and radiant in-floor heating; and the water system – with rainwater collection and greywater recycling. Rick Brown, a Freeland architect, worked with 2020 Engineering, a Bellingham environmental engineering firm, to design the building. Jay Davenny of Cabin Fever is the contractor.Guests will be able to ask them questions as well as talk to the electricians, plumbers, designers, architects, engineers, material suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors who worked on the project.In addition to an abundance of information, hands-on demonstrations and tours of the building itself, the training will provide an opportunity for material suppliers to display their environmental products. Island County officials will be present to talk about permitting. We felt that one of the biggest contributions we could make to the practical side of environmental building would be to open or smooth the permitting path for people who followed, Nordhoff said. We were happy to find a lot of knowledgeable and creative state and county officials who wanted to work with us. Bayview Hall and the new Composting Toilet Building are located at the intersection of Highway 525 and Bayview Road at Bayview Corner. Tours for homeowners and the general public are planned for the future. “