LOCATION: Virtual
CREDITS: 1 AIA LU (HSW pending)
PROVIDER: COTE
Achieving, or even aspiring to achieve, net-zero water at the building or district scale requires an integrated design approach with the owner and design team, strategic selection of building, site, and water systems, and a robust regulatory and operational approach. This session, presented by Newcomb & Boyd’s Todd Mowinski and Lord Aeck Sargent’s Ramana Koti, demonstrates how urban sites, which typically involve extreme spatial constraints, challenging soils, and pre-existing infrastructure, also have immense potential as generators of cultural and ecological renewal.
As urban areas continue to develop, demands for energy, clean water, and the treatment of wastewater and stormwater will increase dramatically. Adopting a net-zero water mindset that embraces urban ecology, agriculture, education, and inspiration can transform building and site performance while also protecting watersheds, restoring landscapes, and managing water as the vital resource it is.
Learning objectives
Describe why an integrated design approach is essential when integrating water into the site & building, and when seeking to achieve net-zero water, especially for challenging urban sites.
Define specific high-performance building, innovative site landscape, and water infrastructure technologies, systems, and design decisions that are mission-critical to aspiring for or achieving net-zero water in an urban context.
Comprehend an owner’s long-term operational perspective, including the importance of participation in the design process, permitting, an adaptive management mindset, and ensuring the health and safety of innovative water systems.
Outline how the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech achieved net-zero water and define the challenges encountered for aligning building, site, and landscape features
Photo: Rendering of the Kendeda Building by Lord Aeck Sargent