Page 216 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

192 CONCEPTUAL AND SCHEMATIC DESIGN

Water-Related Questions

Many people think that water will be the “oil” of the twenty-first century, the defining
resource for civilization in many locations, energy use for water supply, and treatment
accounts for more than 10 percent of building energy use. Therefore, questions about
water are quite important to integrated building design.

1 Have we considered how to reduce, reuse, or recharge rainwater falling on the
building? Do we have the budget for dual-plumbing systems, so that rainwater can
be reused in the building?
2 Will the local jurisdiction allow graywater or rainwater to be reused for landscape
irrigation and/or building water uses such as toilet flushing, cooling tower makeup
water, parking lot washing, and so on? If not, can we appeal to their better instincts
to begin allowing such systems?
3 Is there enough rainwater on the available roof area for catchment to supply public
WCs and urinals for the building? Is the rainfall highly seasonal (as on the West
Coast) or more evenly distributed throughout the year?
4 Is there adequate space within the building or on the site for underground or even
surface storage of harvested rainwater?
5 Have we set explicit water conservation goals for this project, versus the 1992
Energy Policy Act plumbing fixture requirements (ultra-low-flow fixtures, water-
free urinals, and the like)? Can we reduce water use by 30 percent or more com-
pared with conventional buildings?
6 Are there local more stringent requirements for water conservation, owing to local
climate or current drought conditions?
7 Have we established a baseline water use for this building that can be used to eval-
uate water conservation opportunities?
8 Can we reduce the use of potable water to flush toilets and urinals by at least
50 percent through the use of low-flow fixtures, dual-flush toilets, water-free
urinals, and other means?
9 Have we considered the use of native and/or adapted vegetation for the site land-
scaping? Can we use plantings to create habitat for local wildlife?
10 Have we instructed the landscape architect to reduce water use for the irrigation of
this site? By 50 percent? By 100 percent? Is everyone in agreement on a Xeriscape
approach to landscaping?
11 If this is a high-rise building, can we use part of the fire sprinkler onsite storage
tank also for rainwater storage, in this way combining uses and saving money?

PLATINUM PROJECT PROFILE
Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Annapolis, Maryland
The Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, Maryland serves as the head-
quarters for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Completed in December of 2000, the
total project cost for the 32,000-square-feet, 2 story building was $7.5 million. The