Archinect - News

Could reusing the condensate from air conditioners be a feasible solution to mitigating water scarcity?

2021-05-21T15:41:00-04:00

What do a handful of Microsoft Corporate offices, the Austonian in Austin, the University of Arizona's College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture building, and San Diego International Airport (SAN) have in common? Each building practices air conditioner condensate reuse for alternative irrigation methods, cooling, and water conservation efforts.

While these are a few examples of buildings around the globe adopting this practice of water reuse, professor Jonathan Bean from the University of Arizona's College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture explains the realistic outlook on condensate reuse. "Reusing condensate is important but not a critical piece in counteracting climate change," he shared with Chris Malloy of Bloomberg CityLab. Instead, Bean believes there are more effective strategies out there like "making buildings smaller and reconsidering refrigerants."

Image © har__q via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

"While the water volume from air conditioners h...

Will Gehry's L.A. River plan result in water savings?

2016-08-04T12:53:00-04:00

For decades, the concrete-lined L.A. River has been more famous for being a bone-dry iconic conduit for films like Terminator 2 than a major watery artery, but that may change: in a talk with Christopher Hawthorne on Monday, Frank Gehry mentioned that his design may just save the city significant amounts of cash when it comes to buying water. Per the Hollywood Reporter:

The river, which was bound in concrete beginning in the late 1930s after a series of damaging floods, is also frequently blamed for wasting water, one of Los Angeles’ most embattled resources. Because the river’s concrete binding was designed to channel floodwaters swiftly into the ocean and away from properties on the banks, the city now loses more than 28.6 billion gallons of water a year, according to River L.A., a nonprofit working with Gehry’s firm and funded in part by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

“We think we can save the city one-third of what it now pays for imported water,” Gehry said in conversati...

Better Buildings Leading to Big Energy Savings

2016-05-24T00:04:00-04:00

Thirty-five partners have achieved their Challenge energy or water savings goals, all ahead of schedule...These partners accomplished their energy, water and financing goals through a combination of innovative solutions and proven strategies, which are openly exchanged through the Better Buildings Solution Center website.

The latest data from U.S. DOE Better Buildings program shows that partners have saved more than $1.3 billion on energy costs. A new infographic explains how Better Buildings works and why it’s important.