By Charles Redell
As climate change exacerbates droughts, architects are focusing on water efficiency.
When architects were designing a new 200,000-square-foot biotechnology lab in 2009 to accommodate the University of California, San Diego’s burgeoning student population, the Golden State was in the midst of a withering drought.
No surprise then that water conservation became a focus of the team at Portland’s Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects. They created a system to harvest condensate that collects on the building’s air conditioning coils during hot summers. That water – supplies of which grow as temperatures rise and the air conditioning is cranked up – is piped elsewhere to irrigate the campus during dry months.
The university, which is seeking LEED Platinum certification for the lab, will also reclaim much of the wastewater from the building’s 150,000 square feet of wet bench labs and restrooms as well as from the air conditioning system. That should help slash use of potable water by 360,000 gallons annually. READ MORE >>
