Water+Architecture

Water is the biggest asset in life, yet its limited usable supply is running low and water is being wasted to an extreme extent in the current architectural built environment. The U.N. estimates that 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity and another 1.6 billion people face economic water shortage. A typical household uses approximately 260 gallons of water every day. Within my thesis, I will investigate the polyvalent properties of water used as an architectural element. I will use a systematic approach to design by incorporating multifarious technical water designed systems and set parameters to develop a building that is located in a severe condition of water shortage(SW USA). By using performance architectural design to ultimately generate form, I will develop a set of systems and design strategies that openly, visually, and experientially express the water use, conservation, and reuse of water within the built architectural environment. The architecture will result in a net-zero or net-positive water cycle within the building.

Precedent _Cascading Creek HouseThe roof structure is configured to create a natural basin for the collection of rainwater. These basins harness additional natural flows through the use of photovoltaic and solar hot-water panels. The water, electricity and heat which are harvested on the roof tie into an extensive climate conditioning system which utilizes water source heat pumps and radiant loops to supply both the heating and cooling for the residence. The climate system is connected to geothermal ground loops as well as pools and water features thereby establishing a system of heat exchange which minimizes reliance on electricity or gas.

Precedent_Cape Russell Retreat Off-the-grid lakeside pavilion with integrated water reclamation and photovoltaic technology for weekend use. The butterfly roof directs and delivers rainwater to a collection cistern located beside the structure. An internal charcoal filter and ultraviolet light treat the water for potable use. Rooftop mounted photovoltaic cells provide the necessary power to run the water pump, refrigeration, fans and lighting providing for a truly independent overnight living situation.

Precedent _Bullitt Center Systems fed: All Potable & Non-potable systemsGrey water: 29,384 gallons of greywater treated onsiteSystems fed: Recirculating Gravel Filtration System & Green Roof Black water: Approximately 7,200 gallons of leachateSystems fed: compost to be used by King CountyEstimated total water use per capita: approximately 470 gallons / yearSimulated/designed water use: 10,750 gallons / weekSub-metering data: see water meter data (Imperative 6-3)Design tool(s) and calculation method(s): Hand Calculations by Engineer of RecordPotable Water; Although captured rainwater has long provided potable drinking water to homeowners in rural areas, it has not yet been approved for a commercial building. The Bullitt Center team worked directly with the Washington Department of Health and Seattle Public Utilities to meet national and local requirements for safe drinking water so that rainwater collected on the roof and stored in a below-grade cistern could ultimately meet all of the building’s needs. The building is being regulated under the Washington State Department of Health’s Group A water provided designation.Wastewater:Prior to the Bullitt Center, there was no clear precedent for the permitting of an onsite composting system and greywater treatment facility in Washington State. The Bullitt Center team worked with regulators from Washington State, King County and the City of Seattle to design rainwater collection and onsite waste treatment systems that have not previously been permitted in an urban setting.The Bullitt Center’s six-story composting toilet system creates a usable fertilizer at the end of its process. Because this fertilizer is from human origin, it must be treated as a bio-solid and processed at a secondary facility that meets the State Department of Ecology’s criteria. King County and the Bullitt Center have partnered to create a process by which the project can send its leachate to King County’s Carnation facility, where it will be filtered using natural processes and used to restore a native wetland.Greywater The building’s greywater—which comes from sink and shower drains—will be filtered, stored, and then treated in a constructed wetland (visible on the building’s second story roof). Once treated and cleaned to City and State-approved standards that were established as a result of this project, water will infiltrate into a green planting strip, where it will replenish the natural aquifer. These systems are designed as a complement to the municipal infrastructure, andprovides a demonstration of how the demands of a growing population can be met withsustainable innovation.

Annual water use: Utility-supplied for potable usedue to regulatory requirement: 50,730 gallonsSystems fed: Potable water systemsHarvested onsite: Year End Cistern Level:47,626 gallonsCollection strategies: Rainwatercollection on the building’s roof membraneand diverted into a cistern in the basement.

Literature• Novak, Celeste Allen. Harvesting Rain: System Design for Strategic

Rainwater Capture. July 2015. web. <http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=242&C=760&P=3>

Conserving water through rainwater harvesting saves natural resources, providing water for use in buildings and for site irrigation.• International Living Future Institute. Cascadia Green Building Council. Living

Building Challenge. Web. <http://living-future.org/ilfi/research/research/water>

Strategies towards net-zero water independence in buildings. • Moore, Charles. Water and Architecture. March 1, 1994.

basic design/phenomenal principles of water and architecture.

LiteratureResource list was guided by these questions:• how to collect, use, purify, and reuse water on site• strategies towards achieving net zero and net positive water within a project• # Name of the Paper Name of the Author/s Year Published3 Interesting

Observations from the paper

1 BullittCenter.org Miller Hull Partnership 2013 1. potable water use

2. disaster preparation

3. hazards of water storage

2 Policy-Making for Healthy, Resilient Water Systems in the Puget Sound Cascadia Green Building Council 2010• value of rainwater• water harvesting calculations• estimating a site’s water needs

3 Regulatory Pathways to Net Zero Water Cascadia Green Building Council 2011• green roof positives; filter, "first-flush", protect UV radiation, decrease urban heat island

effect, etc.• water management; potable water, rainwater, greywater and blackwater handled

differently.• constructed wetlands; remove pollutants, low-cost, minimal maintenance, retention ponds

4 Clean Water, Healthy Sound Cascadia Green Building Council 2011• uptake of water in architecture• flood-resilient architecture• necessity of incorporating water systems in buildings5 Making The Switch Cascadia Green Building Council 2013• rainwater harvesting system• equipment for man-made catchment system• details for passive collection6 Toward Net Zero Water Cascadia Green Building Council 2011• rainwater collection and instrumentation• water saving efficiency• non potable and potable reuse methods

7 Achieving Water Independence in Buildings Cascadia Green Building Council 2009• drainage system design, pre-filtering the water before it enters the cistern is a

crucial part of the rainwater system• "first flush" strategy, where rainwater is only harvested after the first start of rain

where contaminants and dusts are flushed away; low cost; small-medium scale buildings

• Hydrotech’s Hydrology Tool (HHT) calculates how vegetated roofs impact stormwater runoff volumes and the rate at which runoff is slowed, demonstrates potential LEED compliance and performs long- and short-term simulations

8 Rainwater storage tank sizing: Case study of a commercial building Matos, C. ⁎Santos, C. Pereira, S. Bentes, I. Imteaz, Monzur 2013• Rainwater that is stored can be used in non-potable purposes; toilets, pavement

washing, irrigation, washing machines, etc;• storage tank is the most expensive cost• Rippl method; to find the correct size of water storage tank using formulas and

situations.

9 Simulation-based Spatial System for Rainwater Harvesting Systems Yie-Ru Chiu 2012• the performance of the rainwater collection of most RWHSs (rainwater harvesting systems)

depends on 4 major components; tank volume, rainfall depth, rooftop area, and water demand.• using simulation-based spatial system (SBSS) and using hydraulic simulation and Life-Cycle Cost

Analysis (LCCA) allows for obtaining economic evaluations.• The SBSS tool is very useful for promoting RWHS on a large scale because it provides a more

realistic and accurate comprehensive support for the RWHS designed.10 Living Roofs In Integrated Urban Water Systems Roehr, Daniel 2015• living roofs as part of holistic systems• stormwater runoff• step by step process for planning11 Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply Ludwig, Art 2005

• ways to store water• rationale of water storage• ferrocement tanks12 Sustainable Water and Waste Water Systems Brautovich, Ryan 2014• cistern logistics• harvesting rainwater• storing rainwater

13 Water Sustainability: A Global Perspective J.A.A. Jones 2010

• water cycle• global warming and water supply• cutting water demand14 Architecture and Water Documentary Architecture Review 2014• relationship between architecture and water• challenges and opportunities presented by rivers and canals• explores notion of amphibious houses15 Water Science & Technology, Sustainable Water and Waste Management in Urban Areas Ralf Otterpohl, Matthias grottker, Jorg Lange 1998• alternative solutions to sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants• Grey-Water management• storm water collection• http://www.dezeen.com/tag/water/