Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2008 - (Page 21) Visionary LDB 2007: Phoenix, AZ concept, at virtually every turn we found vegetated swales, and treatment wetlands, serves as a state-of-the-art model The new water purification facility a way to increase the integrity.” The approach was evident from the for effective watershed stewardship. The needed to be designed and constructed beginning when the project shifted from facility demonstrates low-impact site with sensitivity simply building development compatible with recreation, to the immediate a facility to habitat, and educational access. The inteenvironment. accomplish a rior facilities include an exhibition lobby, Not only located basic purpose, to laboratories, an acoustically-treated lecwithin a residenthe creation of ture hall, conference spaces and extensive tial neighborw o r l d - c l a s s operational facilities. hood and adjaPurifying millions of gallons of water architecture and cent to historil a n d s c a p e per day, the facility and park is comcally significant design, which prised of six sectors, analogous to the six sites, it adjoined won over the stages of water treatment. Purification a sensitive tribuneighborhood processes were selected for efficiency, tary to the Long and has won relying on gravity instead of pumping for Island Sound internationally flow. Following the natural laws of gravEstuary, and was Stylized high tech building form and materials contrast attention, hardly ity, water flows across the site and within highly visible with green infrastructure for stormwater management typical for a the facility avoiding the cost of mechanifrom a cliff-top public works cal pumps. Energy systems were based urban park. project! Worth mentioning is the receipt on geothermal loops. Stormwater hanThe RWA also wanted a facility that would be accessible to the public, from of the 2007 Committee on the dling was achieved through use of vegeschool tour groups to professional out- Environment Award from the American tated swales and treatment wetlands rather than catch basins and pipes. reach. The entire site could serve as a Institute of Architects. A c c o rd i n g l y, “A lot of the state-of-the-art model for effective wateroff-site impacts more unorthoshed stewardship through integration of of the site such dox sustainable best management practices such as vegeas energy elements of this tated swales, treatment wetlands, and demand, waste project were other measures. handling, and The Bioengineering Group collaborat- roundly quesrunoff were tioned and chaled with the other project-team members responsibly lenged during to identify opportunities and methods to addressed. integrate building, landscape, utility, and the value-engi“Here we neering process,” permitting needs. have a case Goldsmith said. “First of all, we identified very specifwhere, fulfilling ic goals to achieve and said, ‘Wouldn’t it “But at every a very concrete turn, we defendbe great if we raised the bar and used this need for water ed the important Drought tolerant alpine plants rooted in a lightweight site as an example of what’s possible, as if supply and ones. It was a drainage medium add habitat and beauty while reducit were primordial forest and healthy meeting ever b e n e f i c i a l ing runoff meadow?” Goldsmith said. “Wouldn’t it increasing, be great to achieve that kind of watershed process to help refine and further integrate those ele- stringent regulations has been done in a function while still accommodating a ments to achieve, ultimately, cost-effec- fashion where yet another thing is accommajor public works program?” plished along the way,” Goldsmith said. tive, stakeholder-supported solutions.” “Instead of ‘Not in my back yard‘, we The Results Costs vs. Long-Term Benefits ”Most public works projects are achieved a ‘Please in my back yard’ projThere were challenges along the way viewed as ugly but necessary. This project ect.” SLDT to attaining those goals, many associated demonstrates that doesn’t have to be the with sustainable elements that on the bal- case,” Goldsmith said. ance sheet appeared to be extraneous The Connecticut Water Purification Owner/Developer costs. Facility and Park serves as a significant Regional Water Authority “There were many turning points on outreach tool for the area by promoting the project where it appeared to be at an low-impact approaches to development Key Consultants impasse. Very often the way the team got within the rapidly growing region of Bioengineering Group through was to raise the bar higher,” Connecticut known for the water-quality Steven Holl Architects Goldsmith said. “Instead of some com- impairment of the Long Island Sound. Michael Van Valkenburgh, Associates Inc. promise that sacrificed a piece of the projIntegrating best management pracCH2M Hill ect or reduced the integrity of the original tices, the entire site, including green roof, The Vision www.SLDTonline.com 21 http://www.SLDTonline.com
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