Living Buildings®, Water Systems + the Bullitt Center May 27, 2014Larch 498: Soils and Hydrology Leann Andrews, RLA, ASLA PhD Candidate College of Built.

Living Buildings®, Water Systems + the Bullitt CenterMay 27, 2014 Larch 498: Soils and Hydrology

Leann Andrews, RLA, ASLAPhD CandidateCollege of Built EnvironmentsUniversity of [email protected]

The Living Building Challenge™

• Rigorous performance-based sustainable building certificate program

• Created in 2006 by the Cascadia Green Building Council + the International Living Future Institute™

• Required to meet sustainable ‘green’ standards in design, materials, beauty, equity, construction and operation, and be self efficient for energy and water

The Living Building Challenge™

• Water is one of the 7 performance ‘petals’ in the Challenge

www.gensleron.com/www.living-future.org/

The LBC™ Water Requirements

• 100% of the building’s water needs must be supplied by captured precipitation or other natural closed loop water systems that account for downstream ecosystem impacts, or by recycling used building water

• Water must be appropriately purified without the use of chemicals

• 100% of stormwater and used project water discharge must be managed onsite to feed the project’s internal water demands, or released onto adjacent sites for management through acceptable natural time-scale surface flow, groundwater recharge, agricultural use or adjacent property needs

The Bullitt Center

[The Bullitt Foundation]

The Bullitt Center

the greenest commercial building in the world

The Bullitt Center

E Pike StE Madison St

15th

Ave

McGilvra Place Park Bullitt Center

The Project TeamThe Bullitt Foundation fundingSchuchart general contractorMiller Hull Partnership architectBerger Partnership landscape architect2020 Engineering water systemsPoint 32 development partnerPAE Consulting Engineers MEP engineeringFoushee general contract, tenant improvementsLuma Lighting Design lighting

Dept of Planning + Development created Living Building Pilot ProgramSeattle City Light created ‘metered energy savings’ modelSeattle Public Utilities worked on stormwater and greywater treatmentSeattle Dept of Transportation closed 15th

Dept of Parks and Rec efforts to redevelop McGivlra Place ParkSeattle-King County Public Health, WA State Dept of Public Health greywater

The Bullitt Center

[ecotrust]

Tenants @ 80% Capacity:

The Bullitt FoundationHammer + HandIntentional FuturesCascadia Green Building CouncilInternational Living Future InstitutePAE Consulting EngineersPoint 32UW Integrated Design Lab

…

Certification Process beganNovember 2013

Pre-Development Conditions

Comparable Convention Design

Living Building Design

Basis of Water Design• Overall Site area 10,000 SF ( but a 14,300 SF solar panel

awning)• Contributing roof area 7,000 SF• Design Occupancy 166 daily occupants + 100 visitors at

a large event• Average potable water needs 8,194 gal/mo• Collected rainwater 4,363 gal/inch of rain• Cistern capacity 56,000 gallons• Days of storage 100 days of no rain• 100% of building’s water needs supplied by rainwater• 69% of total site water is used in building- rest either

evaporates or is treated on site before going into stormwater pipes (and Puget Sound)

3 Part Integrated Water Management

Schematic Water Flow Diagram

Water Elements• Rainwater treatment• 500 gallon day use tank• 56,000 gallon cistern• (conventional pipes in

1,557 gal/day)

Water Elements

• Low flow foam flush composting toilets (<1 cup water/flush)

• Waterless urinals

• 33 gal/day (conventional 913 gal/day)

Water Elements

• 10 basement composters designed to support 15,000 deposits/day

• Each composter produces 90 gallons (12 CF of compost/year)

Water Elements

• 3rd story constructed wetland (479 SF wetland can treat up to 500 gallons of water/day)

• Water is recirculated 3 times through the wetland

Water Elements

• Gravity flow to ground level bioswale + 20’ deep gravel trench (dry wells)

• 375 SF treats and infiltrates 345 gal/day

Water working in Tandem with other building systems

Water Maintenance Tasks

• Rotate compost, add wood chips to balance moisture 1x/day

• Leachate removal (King County Liquid Waste takes to a bird sanctuary) every 6 weeks

• Manure removal (transport to make ‘loop’ compost) yearly?

• Irrigation upkeep (repairs, adjust settings, flush system etc.) 1x/month

• Plant upkeep (weeding, replacement etc.) 1x/month

• Clean gravel/plants of toxins ?

Water Policy Questions

• What is the appropriate policy approach within a municipality for using rainwater for potable uses when there is a public treatment facility in place?-water purification w/o chemicals-closed-loop system so Water District status-zoning, health

• What policy changes should take place to accommodate sustainable innovations?

Thanks!

Leann Andrews, RLA, ASLAPhD CandidateCollege of Built EnvironmentsUniversity of [email protected]