Omega Center for Sustainable Living

Can you describe your design process for the building?

Though the most obvious function of this facility is to house an ecological wastewater treatment system, OCSL has also become a powerful demonstration of transforming Omega Institute’s vision and values into the form of an integrated landscape and building that serves the campus both functionally and pedagogically.

One way that we approached the design process was to acknowledge the many layers that make-up any building — structure, mechanical, integrated sustainable strategies, etc. — so that we could explore how best to integrate those layers into the most appropriate and high-performing building possible. By understanding the opportunities inherent within each layer or system, we can create a design that integrates each layer into a coherent whole, with each layer mutually beneficial to the others. The goal is to create a building (or campus or community) that is in balance— for optimal performance, interconnectivity and support of its owner’s mission.

How does the completed building compare to the project as designed? Were there any dramatic changes between the two and/or lessons learned during construction?

The OCSL is comprised of two primary spaces, the Eco Machine™ room and classroom. The classroom supports many programs on the campus, including yoga. The Eco Machine™ room has an important function: it harnesses sunlight; fosters the water plants that are critical to cleaning and reclaiming the water; and houses the cellular lagoons that process and purify water.

Early in the process of discovery leading to the design of the OCSL, we confronted questions regarding the warmth and coolness of the water passing through the building while it is being cleaned — was temperature friend or foe? We asked questions, such as “What impact would the embodied energy and humidity have on comfort during the very cold winters or hot humid summers?” It was answering that, and other questions, that led us to simple, elegant solutions in the architecture, landscape, structure, lighting and other layers of the facility.

Integrated design is an iterative process. Intuitive suppositions early in the design led us to employ a sloped roof in the building section, which was high on the north and low on the south. It provided a place for the photovoltaic panels, allowed cross ventilation and readily provided sunlight to the plants growing in the lagoons. Luminous lux, or the notion of illuminance and luminous emittance, changed our approach. Deeper investigation revealed that the plants needed a light saturation point of 30,000 lux in order to flourish. The discovery that the intuitive design strategy did not achieve the required daylight, led us to do more research and adapt our models and tools to achieve the desired result for the performance of the space. Understanding that the light saturation point for the plant species being targeted for the greenhouse meant that we could limit summer sunlight, and thus heat, in the greenhouse – balancing human comfort without compromising the productivity of the plants. The solution was tall glass on the south for harvesting sunlight during the winter and summer, and a much lower north wall. Tracking skylights above the lagoons precisely aim solar radiation to the plants below. In the end, the building is simpler and more elegant. It embodies less material and resources in its building and operations.

How does the building relate to contemporary architectural trends, be it sustainability, technology, etc.?

Water is becoming an issue of extreme importance. The Omega Center for Sustainable Living teaches us that we need to recreate natural cycles for dealing with our water use.

As the world’s population approaches seven billion, the need for even greater amounts of clean water is growing. At the same time, our actions are reducing the amount of accessible clean water. The OCSL attempts to change the patterns of the past, water abuse among them.

Water supply on the Omega Campus at Rhinebeck is provided direct from the groundwater via wells on campus. Prior to the construction of the OCSL, water was drawn from the wells, used for multiple human activities, then piped to a septic/leach field system. The Omega Center’s Eco Machine™ now returns a higher quality of water back to the earth using natural systems that see our waste as food. For potable water uses, well water is still drawn from the earth. For toilet flushing, rainwater is collected from the Omega Center’s roof. For all other water use on campus, black and grey water is sent to the Eco Machine™ lagoons and constructed wetlands at the Omega Center for purification. Within the Omega Center building, and throughout the campus, low-flow plumbing fixtures have been installed to minimize water consumption, including waterless urinals in the men’s restroom. By the end of this cycle that uses natural systems, cleaner water is reintroduced to the groundwater and lake.

The fact that the building is net zero — and is one of the first to achieve “Living” Status from Living Building Challenge, along with obtaining a LEED Platinum rating — has allowed the project to be studied and shared, which we hope will allow others to see this is a replicable model.

Are there any new/upcoming projects in your office that this building’s design and construction has influenced?

BNIM is now working on the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. As the world’s first living laboratory, the building will mimic nature in its ability to harvest what it needs from the site and operate waste-free. The building focuses heavily on the life of water by thinking holistically and pedagogically about water. The students will learn about ecological wastewater treatment and employ the system to revitalize two existing watersheds and restore the site’s stream to its original connect ion with the Chattahoochee River.

The design’s innovative strategies — green roofs, living walls, water treatment system, photovoltaic cells, natural ventilation, daylight, double skin facades and a collaboration corridor — reinforce the spirit of founder Eugene Odum’s approach to ecosystem ecology by creating a living laboratory that will foster regenerative relationships between the student, researchers, visitors and the natural systems at work in the building and site.

E-Mail Interview conducted by John Hill