Petal: Water
Imperative 05: Pet Positive Water
 

Rainfall Management

Our civilization's typical built environment is designed to treat natural occurrences as nuisances. For example, impervious surfaces turn rainfall, which can be beneficial, into stormwater that burdens infrastructure and often negatively impacts downstream communities.

In contrast, The Kendeda Building site treats rainfall as an asset. The building's roof and solar canopy capture approximately 41% of rain that falls on the site each year. This rainwater is stored in a cistern, treated, and then used for drinking, washing, showering, lab uses, and the composting toilet that only use a teaspoon of water per "foam flush." 

The outdoor areas have systems designed specifically to assist in the management of rainwater. Following the natural moderate slope from south to north, the porch terraces, or steps down, at appropriate elevations. This geometry accommodates cascading porch areas that support substantial water storage underneath the permeable pavers. Unlike a traditional stormwater management approach that concentrates water storage in a single area, this method of managing rainwater relies on dispersed locations along the sloped site in order to leverage gravity to assist in controlling the flow of water.

NOTE dated March 25, 2020: The Kendeda Building is undergoing testing to certify its rainwater-to-drinking water purification system. In the meantime, the building is using municipal water. To date, the building has collected and discharged more rainwater than water consumed from the municipal system and is therefore on track for meeting its net positive water requirement.