Environmental Building NewsTM The Leading Newsletter on Environmentally Responsible Design & Construction

A Publication of BuildingGreen, Inc. www.BuildingGreen.com Volume 22, Number 2 · February 2013 Waste Water, Want Water In This Issue Options for small-scale, onsite wastewater treatment and reuse are Feature Article ...... 1 improving—but can we solve a global crisis one building at a time? • Waste Water, Want Water by Paula Melton What’s Happening ...... 2 • Study: Learning Can Be ALK INTO ALMOST ANY HIGH- the disposal of human pee and poop, where Harmed By Classroom way rest area bathroom in the do those toilets fl ush to? Design U.S., and what do you hear? The W Our wastewater infrastructure is largely • Sprout Space: A Healthier constant whine of hand dryers and an Choice for “Temporary” invisible and little understood. Most of us equally constant drone of high-pressure Classrooms never question the wisdom of polluting fl ush after fl ush after fl ush. Before you grab pristine drinking water, losing valuable • Newsbriefs that cuppa and get back in your car, stop nitrogen and irreplaceable phosphorus in and think: from this building in the middle Product Reviews ...... 6 the process, just so we can make our poop of nowhere, devoted almost exclusively to • BioBarrier Offers New disappear. Our own waste Approach to Treating Waste- is a classic SEP—Somebody water Onsite Else’s Problem. • Sika: Submetering Water at The result? “Aging pipes and the Fixture Level inadequate capacity lead .... BackPage Primer ...... 16 to the discharge of an esti- mated 900 billion gallons of • Water Budgets: A Holistic Look at Effi ciency untreated sewage each year,” warns the American Soci- ety of Civil Engineers in its report Failure to Act. “Water Earn CEUs infrastructure in the Unit- ed States is clearly aging, Get AIA and LEED credit and investment is not able with EBN feature articles at to keep up with the need.” BuildingGreen.com/Learn (For more, see “Failing Water Infrastructure Drains Econ- omy, Report Warns,” EBN Feb. 2012.) Though most rest Quote of the month: areas still use one-way water cycling (onsite septic fi elds “What small-scale projects or long-distance connections do is break down the with centralized systems), a number one impediment few throughout the U.S. are to reuse of wastewater: incorporating constructed the fear factor.” wetlands and other natural – Pete Muñoz, P.E., fi ltration systems that close senior engineer at the loop, permitting safe Biohabitats, on onsite Photo: Eckert & Eckert and sustainable wastewater This Living Machine at the ZGF-designed Port of Portland headquarters wastewater projects treatment and reuse right on treats all the wastewater for the building and made better fi nancial (page 11) sense than rainwater collection, say the designers. the site. (continued on p. 8) What’s Happening

Environmental Building News Executive Editor · Alex Wilson Editor · Tristan Roberts What’s Happening Managing Editor · Paula Melton Products Editor · Brent Ehrlich Editorial Intern · Erin Hathway Weaver Study: Learning Can Be individual performance. Together, Art Director · Amie Walter the parameters meant as much as a President · Nadav Malin Harmed by Classroom 25% difference over the course of a Outreach Director · Jerelyn Wilson Design year for an individual. Marketing Director · Walter Pearce Customer Service · Charlotte Snyder In the only study of its kind to date, Researchers from the University of Advisory Board the design of classrooms and schools Salford’s School of the Built Envi- Steve Baczek, R.A., Reading, MA has been found to have signifi cant ronment and from architecture fi rm Bob Berkebile, FAIA, Kansas City, MO impact on student performance over Nightingale Associates gathered Arlene Blum, Ph.D., Berkeley, CA the course of a year. Published in data from 751 students in 34 class- John Boecker, AIA, Harrisburg, PA Terry Brennan, Rome, NY January 2013 in Building and Envi- rooms across seven primary schools Bill Browning, Hon. AIA, Washington, DC ronment, the study found six de- in Blackpool, England, over the 2011– Nancy Clanton, P.E., Boulder, CO sign parameters—such as color and 12 academic year and also rated each Raymond Cole, Ph.D., Vancouver, BC light—that particularly harm or help classroom for quality on ten different David Eisenberg, Tucson, AZ Drew George, P.E., San Diego, CA Harry Gordon, FAIA, Washington, DC Effect of Classroom Design on Student Performance Bruce King, P.E., San Rafael, CA The following is EBN’s summary of results from the study, “A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the John L. Knott, Jr., Charleston, SC impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning,” Building and Environment, January 2013. See the pub- Sandra Mendler, AIA, San Francisco, CA lished study for statistical detail. Greg Norris, Ph.D., N. Berwick, ME Design Russell Perry, FAIA, Washington, DC Indicators Effect on Learning Progression Peter Pfeiffer, FAIA, Austin, TX Parameter Bill Reed, AIA, Arlington, MA Appropriate colors on walls, Jonathan Rose, Katonah, NY fl oors, and furniture: warmer for Marc Rosenbaum, P.E., W. Tisbury, MA Color younger students (supporting extrover- Strongly positive John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng., Waterloo, ON sion) and cooler for older students Michael Totten, Denver, CO (supporting concentration) Gail Vittori, Austin, TX “This is our classroom!”—a sense of ENVIRONMENTAL BUILDING NEWS (ISSN 1062- Choice ownership and use of comfortable Positive 3957) is published monthly by BuildingGreen, Inc. and familiar furniture EBN does not accept advertising. Subscriptions are Strongly negative, i.e., an increase in this $99/year. Outside North America add $30. Periodicals Clear and orienting corridors; factor led to a decrease in learning postage paid at Brattleboro, Vt. and at additional quick access to classrooms and Connection progression. Surprised with the result, the mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes connections with other spaces; authors note that this factor is clearly to Environmental Building News, 122 Birge St., Ste 30, wide and clear pathways Brattleboro, VT 05301. important but not well understood. Copyright ©2013, BuildingGreen, Inc. All rights Greater site and building area, reserved. No material in this newsletter may be and novelty of surroundings; photocopied, electronically transmitted, or otherwise Complexity Strongly positive reproduced by any means without written permission interior décor that catches attention, from the Publisher. However, license to photocopy in balance with orderliness items for internal use or by institutions of higher educ- tion as part of collective works is granted, provided Adequate space for students; attractive that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Flexibility learning space, confi gurable for Strongly positive Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, varied learning activities MA 01923, USA; 978-750-8400. Quality and quantity of natural light, Light Positive Disclaimer and degree of control Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented in EBN is accurate and that design and construction Availability of distant and close views Initially found to be individually signifi cant at details meet generally accepted standards. However, the infor- Texture through the windows, area to play out- the 10% level, but in a statistical model they mation presented in EBN, by itself, should not be relied on for side, and outdoor learning alternatives were closely correlated with other factors fi nal design, engineering, or building decisions. Level of contaminants such as carbon and not found to be signifi cant, possibly Air Quality Editorial & Subscription Offi ce dioxide, and availability of controls because of low variability among classrooms. 122 Birge St., Suite 30, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Comfort level in summer and winter, 802-257-7300 · 802-257-7304 (fax) Initially found to be individually signifi cant at Temperature and quality of heating distribution [email protected] · www.BuildingGreen.com the 5% level, but in a statistical model they and control were closely correlated with other factors Printed on New Leaf Opaque100: 100% post-consumer content. Chlorine-free process using Green-e certifi ed Frequency of disturbance, and the and not found to be signifi cant, possibly renewable energy. Sound degree to which teachers can be heard because of low variability among classrooms.

2 Environmental Building News · February 2013 What’s Happening

design parameters, each measured Of the ten environmental factors in- quality to be “universally poor” with multiple indicators and calcula- vestigated, eight were correlated at a based on spot checks of carbon diox- tions (see table). Students were even- level greater than 10% with learning ide levels. The authors hypothesize ly spread across the schools, were progress. However, a central feature that air quality, along with sound evenly divided between genders, of the study was the application of a and temperature, varied little be- and spent 50%–80% of their time in type of regression analysis that helps tween classes in the study and thus their fixed classrooms, providing unravel the relationships among didn’t account for variations in stu- some assurance that an individual several variables. That model shows dent progress between classrooms. classroom could affect learning. The that two of the variables initially They also suggest that those factors researchers weren’t able to obtain found signifi cant—air quality and may be quickly acted upon if they government assessments of teachers texture—were not signifi cant in ex- become a problem—for example, at all the schools and so didn’t fac- plaining the variations in learning. by turning up the heat or opening tor this in; however, they note that That result was surprising to the a window—while the color of each the data they did obtain showed a researchers, especially considering classroom was a less changeable consistent level of teaching. that they found the classroom air infl uence.

PROJECT FOCUS

Sprout Space: A Healthier Choice for “Temporary” Classrooms Mindful of the documented impact of classroom inte- riors on student progress (see “Study: Learning Can Be Harmed by Classroom Design,” page 2), Perkins+Will has unveiled a new modular classroom design, dubbed Sprout Space, which incorporates both green building features and features that enhance learning opportuni- ties, while being relatively affordable to schools. According to Allen Post, AIA, of Perkins+Will, more than 7.5 million children are being taught in mobile class- rooms in the U.S. While most of these estimated 300,000 classroom units are designed for temporary use, the actual average use exceeds fi ve years, according to Post, and that provides an opportunity for a hybrid solution. Unlike most mobile classrooms, Sprout Space is designed to be placed on permanent footings—but it can also be

disassembled and moved, and can be constructed in 60 Renderings: Perkins+Will days and delivered nationwide on two semi-trucks. With Sprout Space was the modular category winner of the Open a construction cost of about $120 per square foot (and a Architecture Challenge: Design the classroom of the fu- fl oor area of 1,008 ft2 per classroom), the cost is greater ture by Architecture for Humanity and the Open Architecture than that of cheaper mobile classrooms, but Sprout Space Network. Chattahoochee Hills Charter School (CHCS), located delivers a lot more bang for the buck. 30 miles South of Atlanta, Georgia, will be the fi rst such perma- nent K–12 installation and will be composed entirely of Sprout Targeting LEED Gold for permanent installations, the Space classrooms. classroom design encourages a variety of seating ar- rangements for different teaching styles and for facilitat- emitting interiors,” notes Post. “The key is to have tight ing collaboration among students. Double doors open out control over that and make sure no bad materials get in.” to an exterior space designed for outdoor learning and Daylighting and operable windows were also a focus of equipped with exterior marker boards. the design. Variable-refrigerant-fl ow heat pumps provide Aware of the terrible air quality of many classrooms, space conditioning, along with energy-recovery ventila- and of ballooning asthma rates, Post told EBN that low- tion. Made by Mark Line Industries, the classrooms boast emitting materials and good ventilation were priorities. a mere 100 pounds of construction waste. “It doesn’t take more expensive materials to have low- – Tristan Roberts

Volume 22, Number 2 · Environmental Building News 3 What's Happening – Newsbriefs

The modeling exercise showed that to clock an overall six design parameters—color, choice, average of 55.3°F connection, complexity, fl exibility, nationwide—ex- and light—were individually signifi - ceeding the previ- cant in infl uencing student progress ous record of just 14 at a classroom level. Student prog- years earlier by 1°F. ress was measured on standardized Nineteen individ- aptitude tests for reading, writing, ual states, and cit- and mathematics, with the average ies from Boston to student improving 11 points over Denver, set records the year. As it happened, the study’s for their warmest model showed that “placing the year. The worst same pupil in the ‘best’ rather than drought in decades the ‘worst’ classroom would have an affected 39% of the Photo: Courtesy of CityCentre Research has shown that walkable neighborhoods, especially those country, contribut- impact on their learning that equates with grocery stores offering fresh food, are correlated with lower to the typical progress of a pupil ing to wildfi res that rates of obesity in residents. over one year,” or 11 points. burned 9.2 million acres in the third- According to Peter Barrett, Ph.D., the worst year of wildfi res on record. lead author of the study, “I think this In the southern hemisphere, mean- is the fi rst and only study of schools while, Australia’s summer is setting New Research Shows Walkable that takes a holistic perspective, records as well. With temperatures Neighborhoods Key to Health— guided by a comprehensive neu- routinely averaging above 100°F, the Neighborhood layout can play a roscience and sensory framework, country’s Bureau of Meteorology has signifi cant role in residents’ health, and employing multi-level model- added two new colors to extend the according to new research that cor- ing to isolate the impact of the built range of its forecasting maps, and relates local amenities and obesity. In aspect.” motorists have reported gasoline the study, published in the American In future studies, the authors hope vaporizing while being pumped into Journal of Preventive Medicine, re- to extend the work to additional gas tanks. searchers at the University of British schools, to look at school-level ef- Columbia looked at hundreds of fects, to better incorporate teacher neighborhoods around San Diego and Seattle, assigning them scores performance into the analysis, and AIA Allows Sustainability Label based on factors that included parks, to explore further the environmental to Expire—The board of the Ameri- walkability, and access to stores factors (such as air quality) that were can Institute of Architects (AIA) selling fresh fruits and vegetables not found signifi cant, while further voted in December 2012 to allow a within a half-mile. (The presence of refi ning an understanding of the ef- requirement that its members earn fast-food restaurants in that range fect of other design parameters. continuing education units (CEUs) lowered a neighborhood’s score.) with a focus in Sustainable Design – Tristan Roberts The researchers then examined the (SD) content to expire. When the health information of 681 randomly For more information: requirement was instituted in 2009, selected children between the ages a 2012 date was set for reevaluation Building and Environment of six and eleven in those areas; after www.sciencedirect.com (see “AIA Requires Sustainability in accounting for various other factors, Continuing Education,” May 2008). such as ethnicity, family income, Members had to allocate half of their and parents’ body mass index, they eight required health, safety, and Newsbriefs found that children in high-scoring welfare (HSW) hours to SD through neighborhoods were 59% less likely Hottest Year on Record (Again)— HSW/SD designated courses. Those to be obese than children in low- The U.S. National Oceanic and At- courses will now be folded into HSW, scoring areas. The researchers con- mospheric Administration (NOAA) which will have a broader defi nition. clude that people are more likely to has confirmed that 2012 was the Beginning in 2013, architects are be physically active when they can hottest year in the contiguous U.S. required to accomplish 18 general comfortably walk to nearby ameni- since recordkeeping began in 1895. learning units, 12 of which will be ties, something that proved more The warmest spring on record and HSW. AIA representatives state that common in older neighborhoods ex- the second-warmest summer com- the change refl ects the view that all amined in the study. Grocery stores bined with higher-than-average tem- architecture should be sustainable. peratures over the rest of the year in strip development, for example,

4 Environmental Building News · February 2013 Newsbriefs

offer fresh food but are often virtu- made up the majority of new home in energy use compared to the 2003 ally inaccessible on foot. construction in New York City and International Energy Conservation several California cities. Infi ll devel- Code (IECC); this has been changed opment takes advantage of existing to reference the 2006 IECC. This is Deaths Related to Air Pollution infrastructure and increases a com- not a substantial change to effi ciency Increase Worldwide—A new study munity’s tax base; most metropolitan requirements, as the 2006 IECC up- in The Lancet shows air pollution con- areas, however, are still expanding date largely focused on simplifying tributing to an increasing number of outward faster than they are gaining compliance; properties qualifying deaths worldwide, with 3.2 million density of housing. For more on the for the credit based on the previous premature deaths in 2010 attribut- study, see www.epa.gov. version are likely to meet the new able to outdoor air pollution. Part of standards. SS25C is an individual tax the Global Burden of Disease Study credit of 10% of the cost of effi cient 2010, the article tracks changes in Energy-Effi ciency Tax Credits Re- appliances or property improve- risk factors since 1990. While com- instated—The American Taxpayer ments, such as insulation. The credit municable diseases and malnutrition Relief Act of 2012, passed on January is capped at $500 and is applicable to cause fewer deaths than they did 1, 2013, to avoid the so-called fi scal all improvements from Decemeber two decades ago, deaths attribut- cliff includes the reinstatement of 31, 2011, to December 31, 2013. able to air pollution have increased two tax credits for energy-effi cient fourfold. Overall, non-communi- residences and appliances. Title 26 cable diseases such as cancer and subsections (SS) 45L and 25C are in EBie Awards Submissions Due in heart disease have become the lead- effect through December 31, 2013, February—The 2013 EBie Awards ing causes of death, and many of and retroactively to their previous will be announced in June, with them are caused at least in part by expiration on December 31, 2011, project submissions due by Febru- pollutants. Much of the increase in making them applicable to both ary 26. The national awards, from pollution-related mortality is in Asia, 2012 and 2013 projects. SS45L is a Urban Green, the New York City where rising numbers of vehicles business tax credit of up to $2,000 for chapter of the U.S. Green Building result in more soot and other ambi- contractors or developers building or Council, recognize professionals ent particulate matter from diesel renovating dwelling units of up to working to bring existing buildings exhaust. Indoor air pollution, espe- three stories, including multifamily into line with standards such as cially from coal- and wood-burning properties; the credit may be claimed LEED for Existing Buildings: Op- stoves, has decreased since 1990— for each unit. The previous version erations & Maintenance. The EBies but it still caused approximately 3.5 of SS45L required a 50% reduction may be awarded to building owners, million premature deaths, largely in India and parts of Africa. Percentage of New Homes Built in Infi ll Areas

Residential Infill Development Increasing—Residential construc- tion in U.S. metropolitan regions is increasingly happening in previ- ously developed areas, according to a new report from the U.S. Envi- ronmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Residential Construction Trends in America’s Metropolitan Regions” looked at 209 such areas and found that, between 2005 and 2009, 21% of new home construction was in- fi ll replacing parking lots, former industrial development, and other existing land cover. Of the 51 largest metropolitan regions in the study, 36 saw an increase in the percent- age of infi ll development compared Image: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency A new EPA study shows infi ll development making up an increasing share of residential to the previous fi ve years, and infi ll construction in U.S. metropolitan areas.

Volume 22, Number 2 · Environmental Building News 5 Newsbriefs – Product News & Reviews

Product News & Reviews

BioBarrier Offers New BioBarrier is a modular system that treats a household’s wastewater us- Approach to Treating ing membrane bioreactors (MBR), Wastewater Onsite simplified versions of technology Photo: Mathias Krumbholz found in many municipal wastewa- Researchers have found that ants’ exoskel- Treating wastewater for onsite use ter treatment systems. It is not a full etons absorb phthalates from the surrounding could take a burden off our aging water reuse system, in that it does environment. infrastructure while creating high- not contain water storage or distribu- quality water that won’t contaminate tion networks; those would have to local watersheds (as septic systems facilities managers, engineers, and be purchased and installed separate- can), but capturing and treating other professionals contributing to ly. BioBarrier units certifi ed to NSF wastewater for reuse is tricky. For signifi cantly increased environmen- 350 use a two-compartment septic example, reusing graywater from tal performance. There are seven tank, an MBR cartridge, a blower, bathing and washing clothes re- categories in this second year of the a pump, and controls. Household quires separating it from blackwater awards, focusing on energy, water, wastewater (infl uent) fl ows into the from toilets and kitchen sinks, and to operations, materials, lighting, and fi rst chamber, where solids settle out prevent growth of bacteria it has to tenant engagement, and all submis- to be pumped out later, like in other be chemically treated or used imme- sions must include project data from septic systems. The company’s Sani- diately for landscape irrigation. Kan- the U.S. Environmental Protection TEE device (essentially a cleanable sas manufacturer Bio-Microbics has Agency’s Portfolio Manager. More pre-fi lter) separates out remaining developed a residential wastewater information and the submission larger pieces before the water fl ows treatment system, BioBarrier, that form may be found at www.ebies. into a second chamber. org. can process combined household wastewater, including blackwater, The second chamber houses the into non-potable water clean enough heart of the BioBarrier system, the to be reused onsite, even indoors. MBR, which contains a block of fi lter Ants Absorb Detectable Levels of BioBarrier is currently the only sys- membrane plates layered vertically Phthalates—Scientists in France tem that meets the ANSI/NSF Stan- together. The cartridge is submerged suggest that ants can serve as bio- dard 350 for Onsite Residential and in the tank and connected to an ex- indicators of phthalate pollution, Commercial Water Reuse Treatment ternal, aboveground blower that aer- after fi nding the plasticizers in the Systems. ates the water so that it percolates up insects’ exoskeletons and internal tissues. In the study, published in Science of the Total Environment, ants from various locations in Europe and Africa tested positive for the presence of phthalates even when the insects were known never to have had direct contact with plastic. Ants kept in a closed, phthalate- free box showed steady amounts of the chemicals over time, while those kept in open boxes showed increasing quantities of phthalates. This indicates the chemicals were absorbed from the surrounding air; phthalates are known to enter the environment as the plastic items con- taining them—such as vinyl fl oor- ing—deteriorate. The researchers Photo: Bio-Microbics found similar results when testing The MBR unit in this 500-gallon-per-day BioBarrier system uses micro- and ultrafi ltration crickets and honeybees. to process blackwater into water suitable for non-potable reuse.

6 Environmental Building News · February 2013 Product News & Reviews

between the fi lter membranes. The Effl uent Criteria Under NSF 350 bubbling action and added oxygen keep the membrane clean and help Class R (Residential) Class C (Commercial) bacteria break down organic solids Carbonaceous biochemical 10 mg/l (25) and other contaminants. According oxygen demand (CBOD5) to James Bell of Bio-Microbics, the Total suspended solids (TSS) 10 mg/l (25) MBR uses “a fl at sheet membrane Turbidity 5 NTU (10) 2 NTU (5) that is sort of like a sandwich.” The water is fi ltered from the outside in: E. coli 14 MPN/100 ml (240) 2.2 MPN/100 ml (200) a small, submersible pump triggered pH 6.0–9.0 by a fl oat switch pulls water through Chlorine 0.5–2.5 mg/l the membrane, into the center, and Source: NSF out of the system for reuse. The Because BioBarrier reduces nitrogen, smaller lots or those not connected to company claims the membranes E. coli, and fecal coliform in the ef- municipal sewer systems buildable, remain clean and have an estimated fl uent to nearly undetectable levels, and they can be installed where soil lifespan of around seven years, but water produced by the system is conditions make drainage a problem the membrane can be cleaned us- clean enough for most onsite uses or where a separation distance is re- ing a mild chlorine solution. The and can be released into some envi- quired between a septic system and company provides a two-year main- ronmentally sensitive watersheds, a body of water. So although BioBar- tenance program with service every but even these systems may require rier is not a drop-in graywater sys- six months for its units. review since codes vary across the tem or an ideal replacement for ev- NSF 350 is the fi rst robust standard U.S. Local codes, for instance, may ery septic or municipal wastewater for onsite wastewater reuse and cov- not allow effl uent to be used indoors system, it does provide the cleanest ers commercial- and residential- or for some irrigation without the water available from a decentralized scale systems. Effl uent created by addition of chlorine. wastewater product. these systems is clean enough that it Though the company does not re- – Brent Ehrlich can be used indoors for toilet fl ush- lease cost data, David Wahrer, owner ing or outdoors for fountains, com- of H2O Reuse, a licensed seller of For more information: mercial car washing, or subsurface BioBarrier, estimates the 500 gpd Bio-Microbics, Inc. and surface irrigation, including unit costs about $7,500 including a www.biomicrobics.com crops (as long as local regulations two-year maintenance program— allow it and the water does not come more expensive than conventional in contact with food). The BioBar- septic systems but comparable to rier MBR system is certifi ed to the the mound systems required for Sika: Submetering Water residential NSF 350 standard for its some soil types. Another down- at the Fixture Level units treating 500 gallons per day side: BioBarrier’s blowers and pumps A new product being introduced (gpd) for one to eight people, 1,000 consume energy, unlike gravity-fed from Europe aims to bridge the gpd (up to 16 people), and 1,500 gpd septic systems (although mound yawning gap between the metering (up to 24 people), but the company systems often incorporate pumps). of water at the building or campus offers HSMBR (High-Strength MBR) NSF testing showed a consump- level, and awareness of water con- systems for commercial buildings tion of 7.85 kWh per day for a 500 sumption by individual tenants and and small communities that can treat gpd treatment system (for context, occupants. Sika USA, a subsidiary of up to 9,000 gpd. the most energy-effi cient refrigera- Sika Aquatec in Germany, is offer- tors are about 1 kWh per day). The NSF data show that BioBarrier resi- ing a water submeter intended for company offers electronically com- dential systems meet the more rigor- mutated motors for its blowers, but installation on individual fi xtures ous commercial standard meant for systems containing these units have and fi ttings. The threaded, in-line larger units, but according to Bell, not undergone NSF testing, and the meter provides a digital readout on the company has not pursued NSF company does not offer them as the fi xture and communicates wire- 350 certifi cation for its larger units. standard. lessly with a central control system “There is no cookie-cutter regulation that building management can use that fits all commercial systems,” BioBarrier’s small footprint and high to track and analyze water use. said Bell, and larger commercial water quality do provide a clear According to Andy Buchanan, presi- systems are designed and reviewed advantage where conventional sep- dent of Sika USA, the meters make locally case-by-case, so product cer- tic systems are impractical. Wahrer sense for any building that wants tifi cation is less relevant. says using the systems can make

Volume 22, Number 2 · Environmental Building News 7 Product News & Reviews – Feature

erstein, but does fi xture- Waste Water, Want Water (from page 1) level water metering make sense? Once an ef- fi cient fi xture is installed, We’re seeing more wastewater recla- he worries that the sav- mation in building types that aren’t ings available from addi- devoted primarily to human waste tional monitoring won’t disposal too, even in cities: com- add up to much, and, he mercial offi ces, multifamily build- says, the installation costs ings, and even hospitals have been and ongoing monitoring experimenting with these systems of dozens or hundreds of for more than a decade, producing submeters “sounds like a not only clean water but also impor- nightmare.” tant lessons that can be applied in the buildings we’re designing today. Fixtures may be the most feasible place to attack Whether onsite wastewater treat- the problem, though, ment is a good choice for your next

Photo: Sika USA counters Buchanan. He project will depend on a lot of differ- Sika's threaded, fi xture-level water meters communicate notes that while most ent factors, from local codes to an- wirelessly with a central receiver, providing fi ne-grained buildings may have a sin- nual rainfall to the age of municipal submetered data for tenant spaces or residential units gle water main feeding infrastructure. If your project team without cutting into pipes for installation. in, that might give way does choose to treat and reuse waste- to a “spaghetti of pipes” water on the site, different types of to control its water usage—any- inside the building lead- systems can have broad implications thing from a single-family home to ing in all different directions, with- for energy consumption and other multifamily residential, hotels, of- out any mapping. If the goal were aspects of the project—but decen- fi ces, or any other building type. At to submeter a single tenant space, tralized treatment and reuse can also $100 per unit, plus $300 for a central bathroom, fl oor, or apartment, that contribute to improvements in cen- data receiver, the units are relatively might not be feasible, and certainly tralized infrastructure, sometimes affordable, but the cost could add not without cutting into pipes. By in more ways than one. up for an entire fl oor or building. going all the way down to the fi x- Larger buildings might also need ture level, Sika meters and monitor- An Integrated Water Plan $200 signal repeaters—one per fl oor ing software allow an aggregation is likely—to bridge the gap in wire- of data to serve the same purpose Fifteen years ago, “it seemed like a less communication from the meters as submetering of an entire space. great idea, every chance we had, to to the central receiver. The receiver Buchanan also noted that there is treat wastewater onsite,” says Rus- includes a software package that nothing preventing installation of sell Perry, FAIA, corporate sustain- allows for data collection, trend spot- the meters upstream of individual ability director at SmithGroupJJR. ting, and usage alarms. fi xtures. “It’s not that clear anymore.” The submeters fi ll a distinct gap for The Sika meters have an expected During his time with William Mc- monitoring water use inside build- lifetime of 20 years, although the Donough + Partners, Perry helped ings. Whether it’s the right gap to standard lithium battery that pow- design the intensive natural fi ltration fi ll is up for debate, however. “The ers them will require replacement system in the Adam Lewis Cen- biggest sticking point in water me- after 10 years. Installation of the ter at Oberlin College, one of the tering is the installation cost of the threaded meters should be a minor first so-called living machines to meters; people hate cutting pipe to plumbing job, while installing and be built. (Living Machine is a regis- stick one of these things in there,” setting up the wireless data receivers tered trademark owned by Worrell Dan Ackerstein, a consultant and will require someone with wireless Water Systems; the more general expert in sustainability for existing Internet expertise. term is simply “natural treatment facilities, told EBN. On that point, system”.) Perry isn’t convinced that Sika’s threaded connections make a While Buchanan said that Sika USA every building needs to do its own lot of sense—they allow installation could make the meters available for wastewater treatment, though: “The without cutting into pipe—assum- individual projects, the company is deeper you get into this, the more ing there is room in the plumbing still looking for a partner to facilitate you realize certain decisions that confi guration for them. U.S. distribution. solve one set of problems cause other That’s all well and good, says Ack- – Tristan Roberts problems.”

8 Environmental Building News · February 2013 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

Conservation fi rst these regulations change (see side- seem like a logical solution for a bar, “Net-Zero Nutrients”). Energy given project may not make sense Even by usual standards of green use from pumping wastewater over on paper. Common sense dictates building, the considerations around long distances also “represents a that the Pacifi c Northwest is rainy, projects considering onsite treat- significant portion of the overall but “Portland [Oregon] is a little dif- ment can be remarkably specifi c to impacts” of centralized wastewater fi cult in that we have eight months of the climate, the site, and the local treatment, according to a Cascadia a lot of rain—39 inches total is nor- infrastructure. Green Building Council life-cycle mal—and then four months when it “Salt Lake City has a sophisticat- analysis, detailed in its report Clean hardly rains at all,” explains Doug ed wastewater system, including Water, Healthy Sound. Composting Sams, AIA, of ZGF Architects. While wetlands,” says Perry, describing toilets use relatively little energy and working on new headquarters for the discussions his fi rm has had with do not pollute water, making them Port of Portland, ZGF realized that, the University of Utah about a new the most sustainable choice, accord- to span the dry period, the size of a building that will eventually house ing to the analysis. proposed rainwater collection tank the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, would be so large that the approach Resources and the Environment. Rainwater harvesting simply “didn’t pencil out.” Waste- The project team is open to onsite Most sites have plenty of rainwater water treatment was a better option wastewater treatment because of the that can be harvested and used not in this case, and Sams oversaw the client’s environmental mission, but only in toilets but also as make-up design and installation of a Living it’s not necessarily the most sensible Machine in the building. water for cooling towers and to ir- choice due to the exemplary munici- rigate landscaping (see “Alternative Additionally, many sites do not even pal infrastructure, Perry said. De- Water Sources: Supply-Side Solu- have rights to the water that comes spite the region’s minimal rainfall, tions for Green Buildings,” EBN May off their own roofs, particularly in by using ultra-low-fl ow plumbing 2008). Again, though, what might the West and Southwest. fi xtures and collecting rainwater and graywater to fl ush toilets, the build- ing will already have more water Centralized Water Infrastructure than it needs and can use the excess for irrigation. “In a certain way of looking at it, you’re solving a prob- lem that doesn’t exist,” Perry notes. Project teams looking to address wa- ter consumption and sewer loads— whether for sustainability reasons or fi nancial ones—will want to de- fault to low-fl ow plumbing fi xtures, look holistically at conservation (see “Water Budgets,” page 16), and then consider other options, usually in the order discussed below. Composting toilets They’re not for every client, but they do warrant consideration for almost every project. Composting toilets use very little or no water, depend- ing on the model, thus avoiding pol- lution of potable water just to move human waste around. Although the humus and liquids generated by composting toilets cannot legally be

used to amend soil in some places, Source: KMD Architects composting toilets could eventually U.S. water infrastructure is a poorly designed, centralized system that devalues our most help us recover valuable nitrogen precious non-renewable resource by using it to move pollution and waste from place to place. "Sometimes I hope that water will get more expensive to force us to fi nd solutions," says Megan and phosphorus in the future if Koehler of KMD, which developed this diagram.

Volume 22, Number 2 · Environmental Building News 9 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

Scouts fi rst chose its Jam- boree site in West Virgin- ia’s New River Gorge, “we looked at upgrading the nearby municipal system, which would have been re- ally easy to do there—and from a cost point of view would have been by far the cheapest solution,” says Allison Schapker, director of design and sustainabil- ity at Trinity Works, which has conducted site selec- tion and design and con- struction management for the project. But the area’s rivers and streams attract

Illustration: tourists, who fuel the local economy. “Once we under- stood where we were, we had a firm commitment Source: Trinity Works and Gary Hartley that we needed to manage our wastewater onsite.” The Boy Scouts’ choices have had a ripple effect. “What’s really exciting about this for us,” Schap- ker told EBN, “is that our site was heavily mined and Graywater harvesting and a long-term maintenance com- has extremely degraded mitment that not every client will soils, and returning nutrients back Graywater is wastewater from lava- be able to take on. So why consider to the soil actually helps us rebuild tory sinks, showers, and laundry the soil.” Treatment combines decen- them? facilities that does not include food tralized graywater systems—which waste or human waste; it may also Remote site will reuse shower and sink water for include condensate from boilers. In- toilet fl ushing in more than 300 bath- door graywater reuse requires dual The most obvious time to consider houses—with a blackwater system plumbing with purple pipes for the onsite wastewater treatment and comprising an equalization lagoon reclaimed water; but minimal water reuse is when a site is not connected and trickling fi lters. Stormwater will treatment and no purple pipes are to centralized infrastructure. A re- be carefully managed with rain gar- needed if graywater is used only mote site will have to be hooked into dens and swales, specifi cally to keep outdoors for irrigation. Graywater a municipal system, often at great it separate from both of the other reuse may be a good supplement to expense. Many such sites simply opt systems, preventing concentrated composting toilets, but because of for a septic fi eld, but conventional nutrients from polluting the water- the expense of dual piping, for some septic systems are not always well shed before the wastewater has been projects it may make better fi nancial managed, they don’t treat water for treated. sense to treat graywater and black- reuse, and they don’t do a good job of No matter where your site is, she water together. nutrient cycling, typically overload- ing the groundwater with concen- urges, “Once the water is treated, Why Onsite Wastewater trated nutrients instead. if you could identify a use for the wastewater, you could have nutrient Treatment? Even if connecting with a municipal cycling within your own site. You system is the least expensive option, Onsite wastewater reclamation sys- really start to fi nd the value of your a client may have other reasons for tems represent signifi cant fi rst costs wastewater rather than just sending wanting to treat onsite. When the Boy it downstream.”

10 Environmental Building News · February 2013 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

Overtaxed municipal system Expensive sewer fees ing water and sewer fees. Because of this incentive, onsite wastewater Even in urban settings, there may be Potable water remains remarkably treatment has become “relatively environmental advantages to treat- inexpensive even in regions where common” in the city, particularly ing and reusing wastewater on your it’s scarce, but municipal wastewater for project teams that are also seek- site. treatment can represent a major cost ing deep potable-water-use reduc- for commercial buildings in some A full 3% of total energy in the U.S. tions for green building certifi cation, places, potentially creating a busi- is consumed by piping water and according to Edward Clerico, P.E., ness case for onsite wastewater treat- waste from place to place, according president of Natural Systems Utili- ment for certain projects. Some cities to the U.S. Environmental Protection ties and a co-designer of the pioneer- may waive considerable sanitation Agency—just one reason the port- ing wastewater treatment system at hookup charges if owners choose manteau word watergy is increasing The Solaire high-rise in Battery Park. to treat their water on the site, and in popularity (see “The Water-En- ongoing sewer fees are also avoided. Education and research ergy Connection,” EBN Oct. 2010). On the other hand, energy use will One of the most compelling rea- Although small-scale wastewater offset cost savings, as will system sons to treat wastewater onsite is to treatment typically consumes more maintenance. energy per gallon than centralized educate building occupants, visitors, treatment, it does greatly reduce the In New York City, sewer connections students, and professionals about use of potable water, which typically aren’t optional, but there is a fi nan- freshwater scarcity and wastewater has a massive energy footprint even cial incentive for water reuse: build- treatment. “What small-scale proj- before we contaminate it with hu- ings that replace at least 25% of their ects do is break down the number man waste. potable water with reclaimed water one impediment to reuse of waste- receive a 25% reduction in remain- water: the fear factor,” explains Pete And although centralized systems can boast economies of scale, many Net-Zero Nutrients are aging, leaky, and overtaxed, and older ones combine stormwater and The aim of wastewater treatment is to protect us from exposure to disease pathogens. In wastewater, which can lead to “com- the process, we remove nitrogen—and, more rarely, phosphorus—to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) before releasing effl uent. These biological nutrients can damage bined sewer overfl ow”—the release ecosystems and are very much a part of the “problem” that wastewater treatment is “solv- of raw sewage into waterways. Treat- ing.” They are rarely viewed as a valuable resource. ing your own wastewater makes At the same time, we’re facing global shortages of the fertilizer we use to grow most of your waste your own problem in- humanity’s food. Peak phosphorus is the term now being used to describe this looming stead of someone else’s. Keeping it problem: people used to replenish phosphates in soil by applying manure and “nightsoil” onsite may also encourage occupants (composted human waste), explains Craig Briscoe, Assoc. AIA, director of integrated to think twice before putting haz- design at Glumac. Nowadays we make industrial fertilizer out of rock phosphate, a ardous or nonbiodegradable waste nonrenewable resource that is rapidly being depleted, and by using an energy-intensive process to harvest nitrogen gas from the air. It’s time we added net-zero nutrients to our down the drain, a common problem list of sustainable design goals, argues Briscoe, right alongside net-zero energy and in municipalities. net-zero water. “You’d be amazed how much we There are some promising techniques for recovering nutrients from human waste for let fl ow off our sites that then goes agricultural use without compromising public health, explains Harold Leverenz, Ph.D., a on to cause another problem,” says researcher at the University of California–Davis. Centralized treatment plants near very sensitive ecosystems like the Chesapeake Bay and the Florida Everglades have developed Erin English, P.E., associate engineer a process for precipitating phosphorus out of wastewater using metal salts or by encour- at ecological restoration and regen- aging bacteria to do similar work. A few plants even sell the concentrated phosphorus erative design fi rm Biohabitats. “If as an industrial fertilizer, says Leverenz. you’re harvesting your water onsite, “Nitrogen removal is a bit more complicated,” he concedes. Nitrogen is abundant, and you’re disconnecting yourself from letting nitrogen evaporate out of wastewater is much simpler than recovering it. The that whole cycle. That’s a pretty ideal solution would be catch the nitrogen before it gets mixed into wastewater in the profound thing to do.” English char- fi rst place—through urine separation, which works best in decentralized systems. (Urine- acterizes potable water as “almost separating toilets are a niche product, more common in Europe.) criminally cheap” and argues that Mindful of existing infrastructure, Leverenz is pushing toward other options. “We could once we begin to pay the true cost have facilities that don’t even have a biological treatment process,” he argues. “You would of water, “the whole [decentralized] separate all the solids and all the organics and take them to an energy recovery process. Then you could strip out the ammonia, precipitate out the phosphorus, and bring it back approach is going to make a lot more to drinking-water quality. It recovers all the nutrients, all the water, and all the energy.” In sense.” practice, it might be hard to implement, he says, but “on paper, at least, the energetics are favorable,” he told EBN.

Volume 22, Number 2 · Environmental Building News 11 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

with it every semester. The will not damage aquatic ecosystems value really can’t be quanti- by starving them of oxygen (for fi ed for us.” example, by causing algae blooms). This is accomplished primarily by The San Francisco Public encouraging bacteria to break down Utilities Commission will the organic materials in the water. be using its new Living Ma- Wastewater treatment typically fol- chine as a research tool as lows these basic steps: well. “There are some excit- ing future possibilities there • Screening that removes sanitary at the district scale,” says products and large items like Megan Koehler, associate sticks and litter that wash down- at KMD Architects, which stream in stormwater (prelimi- designed the building. As a nary treatment) public utility, “they under- • Settling and skimming of solids stand that and are trying (primary treatment) to study this.” An in-house team of wastewater experts • Microbial digestion of suspended is conducting ongoing re- and dissolved organics, typically search on water chemistry an aerobic process using aerated and quality during all stages wastewater, or activated sludge (sec- of treatment and gathering ondary treatment) data the utility hopes to ap- • Nutrient removal to reduce BOD Photo: KMD Architects ply on a much larger scale in further and, sometimes, polish- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will use the future. ing to remove small microbes and its recently installed Living Machine to study natural chemical contaminants (tertiary or wastewater treatment technology with the goal of scaling How Wastewater up; the commission also intends to share irrigation water advanced treatment) with its neighbors, something that's diffi cult in most Treatment Works • Disinfection, using chemicals or cities unless a utility is in charge of the reclaimed water. Every wastewater treatment UV light system, from the smallest Muñoz, P.E., senior engineer at Bio- The solids left behind by the process basement bioreactor to the can also be composted, either aerobi- habitats. “There’s a perception that largest centralized plant, needs to reused water is more dangerous or cally or anaerobically, and in some do certain things to wastewater. places can be used to amend soil. that we don’t have the safeguards in Typically, wastewater is treated just place.” Pointing to high-profi le proj- In very advanced wastewater treat- enough that it can be legally released ment plants, methane produced by ects like the one at Sidwell Friends into soil or waterways; treatment for School—where President Obama’s anaerobic digestion of solids can be reuse, at any scale, requires extra harvested for power generation or daughters fl ush toilets with waste- filtration, or polishing, during ter- water treated in an onsite construct- use as a transportation fuel or heat- tiary treatment. (Even more steps can ing fuel. More commonly, untreated ed wetland—Muñoz argues that make treated wastewater potable, “breaking down that psychological solids are incinerated or trucked to but this is extremely rare—only landfi lls. A full understanding of lo- barrier is reason enough to have NASA, Singapore, and a smattering single-building or small-scale waste- cal wastewater infrastructure should of municipalities do it—and won’t guide project teams in their decision- water treatment. But the economic be discussed here. More common is making about onsite wastewater case isn’t there most of the time.” for treated wastewater to be released management. Onsite systems require frequent test- into rivers and then reused by cities ing and provide research opportuni- downstream—without the psycho- Onsite Treatment Options ties for students and scholars alike. logical barrier of a closed loop.) Once a project team chooses to treat “One of the big things for Oberlin The goal of wastewater treatment wastewater on the site, there are College is the educational value,” is to remove contaminants—which two basic types of systems. Most notes Sean Hayes, facilities manager make up just 0.06% of typical waste- onsite “natural” systems rely on and community outreach coordina- water, according to the Water En- plant roots to create ideal condi- tor at the school’s Lewis Center. “To vironment Federation (WEF)—and tions for bacterial growth and cycle us that is the biggest thing. We have reduce biochemical oxygen demand water relatively slowly through a a dozen students or so who work (BOD) so that released wastewater variety of fi ltration media. Parts of

12 Environmental Building News · February 2013 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

these systems may include lagoons, and endocrine disruptors in addi- and rainwater harvesting, and it indoor or outdoor constructed wet- tion to reducing BOD and removing produces non-potable water that’s lands, and a variety of gravel or contaminants that are more conven- reused to fl ush toilets; this system sand fi ltration beds (along with less tionally removed from municipal is commensurately more complex attractive pumps and polishing and wastewater. and includes a trickling filter in disinfection tanks). Other onsite sys- addition to the wetland, making it Recent Biohabitats projects include tems enclose the bacteria in a tank a hybrid of natural and enclosed. a very simple system for the Dixon and cycle water relatively quickly; English provides a cautionary tale Water Foundation in partnership the bacteria are doing all the heavy about the project, though: “There lifting here, too, so in a sense these with designer Lake|Flato Architects. were some issues with quality of systems are just as “natural” as the The remote, rural building will be construction. If you’re going to do kind that involve showy plantings used only a few times a month, and this as an architect, make sure con- and water features. In general, the the system involves a septic tank tractors are getting things like liners more compact the system, the more that meters out about a hundred and planting media down correctly; energy it will require. gallons of wastewater per day into a it’s really essential. Make sure it’s not constructed wetland, which slowly just overlooked as ‘some landscape Natural fi ltration treats and polishes the water; it will component.’” be used only for irrigation. “These There’s not a sharp difference be- are ranchers who are committed One of the advancements since the tween the simplest natural systems to rotational grazing and have a days of tropical greenhouse Living and the more intensive ones: it’s profoundly pragmatic approach to Machines is that not every “natural” more of a spectrum from the most watershed management,” explains treatment method needs plants—al- basic constructed wetland to an en- English. “The system is almost en- though most use them anyway. Some ergy- and space-intensive indoor tirely hands-off, as it should be.” recent projects, like the San Fran- natural fi ltration system. This is part- cisco Public Utilities Commission ly because, in general, the industry The system at KieranTimberlake building, involve very deep plant- has moved away from tropical plant- Associates-designed Sidwell Friends ers, explains Pete Muñoz. Although ings (at least in temperate climates) School, by contrast, is urban and the systems are being called tidal that require greenhouse conditions intensively occupied during most of wetlands, he argues, “plants don’t and lots of water aeration. “Our Liv- the year. It’s also one small portion of grow ten feet deep,” so their root ing Machine was built in 2000,” says an onsite water management system systems don’t have a major role to Sean Hayes at Oberlin. “There’s been that includes wastewater recycling play, making the systems more like a lot of improvement to the design.” Erin English of Biohabitats confi rms The Living Machine System that natural filtration technology has advanced considerably since the earliest Living Machines were 1 Offi ce building: piloted; her fi rm uses “a range of dif- toilet, sink & ferent approaches,” employing natu- shower ral treatment that’s characterized by 2 Primary & longer retention times and a variety equalized tanks of “different ecologies” that may 3 Tidal fl ow wetland include septic tanks, wetlands, and biofi lm systems. “That way you have 4 Polishing vertical a variety of opportunities for differ- fl o w w e t l a n d ent microorganisms to access waste 5 UV sterilization in the water,” English explains. And disinfection for systems that go through soil, 6 Clean effl uent tank “that additional step tends to help 7 HVAC offi ce things get broken down.” Although cooling tower she cautions that all systems are different and that there are fairly few to study so far, preliminary Source: ZGF Architects evidence suggests that constructed Intensive natural fi ltration, which is used in systems like the Living Machines designed by Worrell Water Technologies, relies on the bacteria in a constructed ecosystem to treat both wetlands can “substantially reduce” graywater and blackwater. The processed water can then be used for cooling towers, for fl ush- compounds like pharmaceuticals ing toilets, or for irrigation.

Volume 22, Number 2 · Environmental Building News 13 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

Wastewater Treatment & Reuse Technologies from a membrane bioreactor for a project under way in Fort McMur- Energy Type of Treatment Example System Site Footprint ray, Alberta. Consumption Constructed Medium to For more about how membrane bio- Natural fi ltration Minimal wetland large reactors work and the quality of the “Natural” Low to high water they produce, see “Biobarrier systems Intensive natural Living Machine Small to large (older systems with Offers New Approach to Treating fi ltration tropical plants) Wastewater Onsite,” page 6. Small to Biofi lm treatment Trickling fi lter Medium to high Enclosed medium Think Purple systems Membrane Ultrafi ltration Very small High As Clerico notes, when it comes to bioreactor wastewater treatment and energy, the question of scale can be crucial. “tidal gravel fi lters.” But the plants energy profi le and achieve effi ciency The more expensive and energy- have aesthetic and educational val- comparable to municipal-type en- intensive your system is, the more it ue, and such systems “are still an ergy consumption,” he claims. “In may make sense to rely on a central- effective method of treatment for the 200,000-gallon-per-day range, ized system’s economies of scale— small footprints,” he told EBN—and you’re comparable to municipal on particularly if the local infrastruc- they are far less energy-intensive energy.” That’s roughly 1,000 multi- ture is reasonably sustainable. Since than enclosed mechanical treatment family residential units, Clerico says. that’s not often the case in the U.S., systems. He also sees new promise for the though, many wastewater experts are advocating for larger decentral- Enclosed systems idea of recovering energy from mem- brane bioreactor systems. “There’s ized systems. “We’re always working on the spec- great technology coupled with ther- “It’s great to have onsite wastewater trum of space and energy,” says Mu- mal energy recovery of the water treatment at the building scale,” Mu- ñoz. “Our practice is defi nitely more in the building,” meaning that heat ñoz maintains, “but we fi nd the most of a land bias, larger systems with from the bioreactor can be used to bang for our buck is with eco-district smaller energy footprints.” In cities, heat domestic hot water. “That you wastewater systems.” Rather than a though, that approach doesn’t al- can do in a building on a small scale LEED Platinum or Living Building ways make sense. “A small footprint much more readily than on a large Challenge “island of sustainability,” and larger energy load does have a scale,” Clerico adds. “When you start he argues, “it makes much more place in certain communities.” The bringing that type of solution to real- sense to do it at a block scale or most common enclosed systems, ity, then the whole distributed model neighborhood scale.” membrane bioreactors, are very com- takes on more immediate value.” His pact and work relatively quickly fi rm is proposing energy recovery “You can’t become a utility” compared with natural fi ltra- tion systems, but they require Unfortunately, some of the very high energy inputs. best opportunities for on- Biofilm-based systems like site wastewater treatment trickling fi lters also push wa- involve remote greenfield ter through fi ne membranes, development: if you’re build- though they tend to use less ing a suburb, a medium-scale energy per gallon (and also wastewater treatment system work at a slower rate). When that cycles water more than might these higher-energy once—rather than mimick- approaches make sense for a ing large-scale, once-through building? systems—should be a no- brainer. Probably when a few build- In already developed areas, ings are able to process Illustration: SERA Architects wastewater through one sys- Multi-building wastewater treatment may make sense in some it’s much harder to share tem, argues Edward Clerico urban areas, especially where infi ll development is creating small wastewater treatment with of Natural Systems Utilities. eco-districts. By "scalping" water from a combined municipal your neighbors. “We can’t stormwater and wastewater system, such districts could treat “With multiple buildings, necessarily collect water in and distribute reclaimed water while helping prevent combined one building and use it in you quickly improve your sewer overfl ows that wash raw sewage into waterways.

14 Environmental Building News · February 2013 Feature Article: Waste Water, Want Water

other buildings: we end up with cision as an object other jurisdictional issues,” says Lisa lesson for designers: Petterson, AIA, associate principal at “How do we build SERA Architects. “You can’t become a larger fabric and a a utility; that’s why you might con- larger pattern of re- sider it on a single-building scale.” silience in the com- munity? Some of that If you are a utility, it might work out. has to be visual; it According to Megan Koehler, the can get people excit- San Francisco Public Utilities Com- ed. But clock speed mission is currently dumping almost and visual impact are half its treated wastewater back into entirely different.” the sewer system, but they are look- ing into irrigating the landscapes of Purple-pipe several surrounding buildings with districts Photo: Oberlin College the excess. The system at The Solaire Although energy-intensive, the wastewater fi ltration system at was intentionally oversized when The ultimate goal, Oberlin College has provided students with more than a decade of installed in 2002 and now serves many designers feel, research opportunities; the project has also helped system design- should be better mu- ers refi ne the most energy-effi cient strategies for achieving onsite two buildings owned by the same natural fi ltration, such as moving away from tropical plants. developer. District-scale systems nicipal infrastruc- can also work on college or business ture, and architects campuses, Petterson suggests. may be able to par- ture would help solve this prob- ticipate in that in ways that don’t lem by “scalping” wastewater from Working with the city involve multi-million-dollar water sewer pipes (taking the clearer water features. from the top of the pipe), treating it And then there are opportunities for at small neighborhood plants, and a college or other major developer to Clark Brockman, AIA, principal at delivering it to nearby buildings. work directly with a municipality to SERA Architects, has been work- “You could create an overlay zone improve local infrastructure. ing with his colleagues to get the and say that buildings in these zones City of Portland, Oregon, to rethink Oberlin College is creating a 13-acre, have to build with purple pipes.” San its systems and to get developers net-zero-energy and potentially net- Francisco, he notes, now requires rethinking their neighborhood in- zero-water “Green Arts Block” as dual piping for all new buildings. frastructure—possibly even creating part of a public/private effort to make micro-utilities for sharing reclaimed Brockman recognizes that his Oberlin, Ohio, a “climate-positive” water among multiple building own- scheme is “very specifi c to Portland,” city that also supplies 70% of its own ers. but he encourages all architects to food. Right now the project team is think bigger. Although small-scale wrestling with “tradeoffs and issues Looking at existing systems and wastewater treatment certainly has around scale and effective cost,” areas with lots of infi ll projects go- a place, he says, “I don’t want ar- says David Orr, Ph.D., professor of ing on, he and district systems lead chitects to start imagining they all environmental studies and politics Scott Shumaker, P.E., have proposed need to put membrane bioreactors at the school. On the one hand, they four purple-pipe districts that would and constructed wetlands in their could choose to do onsite water treat- make sense for Portland. (Purple projects with cool videos on their ment for the Green Arts Block and pipes convey reclaimed water, and websites. They should be looking at “integrate the system in a compelling a few cities have purple-pipe infra- their community and their place and way,” with a gorgeous two-story structure that carries reused waste- their watershed. What can you do?” waterfall and various other features water both to and from buildings.) Brockman challenges. that “make an iconic statement.” On “We have abundant water in Port- Although the answer will be differ- the other, they could “do something land but combined sewer overfl ow,” ent for everyone, it’s clear that we cheaper but larger-scale” by build- he told EBN. Although Portland re- all need to be asking ourselves that ing an industrial-scale constructed cently built a big-pipe system to question. wetland outside of town that would deal with most of the overfl ow and partially treat the water for the entire to come back into compliance with For more information: community but would not attract as federal standards, the system still International Living Future Institute much interest. dumps raw sewage into waterways www.living-future.org/research about four times a year, Brockman Although a hybrid of the two ap- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says. Their decentralized infrastruc- proaches is likely, Orr sees the de- www.epa.gov/region9/water/recycling

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BackPage Primer

Water Budgets: A Holistic Look at Effi ciency Have we been focusing on the wrong water-effi ciency measures all along? Even though low-fl ow and low-fl ush fi xtures have become common over the years, fewer project teams have been aware of the water savings that could be realized by looking at cooling towers, commercial kitchen equipment, medical equipment, and even municipal steam systems. The water consumption Illustration: Peter Harris from these can dwarf that of bathroom fi xtures. not being aware that the cooling tower planned by the Fortunately, there are tools available to help look holisti- mechanical engineer will consume tens of millions of cally at how to get the biggest—and most cost-effective— gallons per year—a lot of toilet fl ushes. water savings in a building. A “water budget” is a frame- By talking about these and other uses in the same con- work that has long been used to look at the relationship versation (likely as part of an integrative design process), of input and output of water fl ows in a region. By looking a team might explore opportunities to reduce or reuse at the interplay of precipitation and evapotranspiration, cooling tower blowdown water; use another mechani- planners and hydrologists can understand when an area cal system, paired with energy-effi ciency measures, to has a water defi cit or surplus. reduce the size of the cooling tower (thus making energy Applying the water budget concept at the building level effi ciency gains as a water conservation effort—a dual is similar but puts a focus on identifying and quantifying “watergy” approach); or look at rainwater catchment to water uses in plumbing fi xtures, irrigation, mechanical provide cooling tower water while reducing stormwater systems, and any processes in the facility—and in turn runoff. identifying possible water supply sources other than the The water budget can also be used to look at landscape conventional municipal source or onsite well that might irrigation, aiding landscape design based on an amount be used to meet some of those needs. Those might of water appropriate for the region and the site. There is include collected rainwater, mechanical system conden- even a tool that does most of this work for you: using a sate, graywater, or treated wastewater. project’s zip code, the WaterSense Water Budget Tool If done at a time when a lot of options are on the table, automatically looks up rainfall and evapotranspiration such as early in design, the water budget exercise can data and then provides a menu of appropriate plantings illuminate water conservation opportunities that might and irrigation technologies for each landscape zone. otherwise go unnoticed. For example, the water use Although developed for single-family homes, the Water- represented by a cooling tower can often come as a Sense tool works for landscapes around other building surprise; members of the project team could be debating types and is referenced in LEED v4’s proposed irrigation specifying 1.0 versus 1.2 gallon-per-fl ush toilets while effi ciency credit.