Water Efficiency: 5 possible points Overview GOALS A long term goal of Stanford University is to reduce its reliance on municipal water supplies in two ways: Reduce campus water use, and reuse water from non-potable sources on or near campus. To do its own part, and meet its own water reduction goals, the new GSB campus will strive to use water responsibly. In the process, it will earn all five LEED-NC Water Efficiency credits, and possibly one or more additional Innovation Credits. The new campus will benefit by using water reducing resources and methods already in place on campus, and by pushing the design to use water extremely efficiently. These methods -- some well understood, and others more modern -- are discussed in this report. METHODS Native Vegetation -- Stanford has a strong tradition of using native, droughttolerant plants that beautify the campus while requiring minimal or no watering. The new GSB campus can use species successfully grown at Stanford on its new campus to help reduce water use. Stanford’s Grounds Services publishes recommended trees, plants, and shrubs that can be used at the GSB. Stanford Campus photo by John Millea Non Potable Water Sources -- Water is not unlimited at Stanford, and the GSB must help to reduce strains on the municipal water supply by using non potable water whenever appropriate. Stanford already derives irrigation water from its central energy plant, and can use non potable water from Searsville Lake, 4.5 miles from the GSB. Coupled with stormwater and graywater recovery, the new campus can fulfill all irrigation needs without using potable water. Responsible Sewage Conveyance -- By using low flow toilets fixtures (especially waterless urinals), the GSB can reduce or eliminate the need to use potable water for sewage conveyance. Couple these low flow fixtures with additional captured rainwater or recycled graywater, and the need for potable water for this use can be reduced or even eliminated. Potable Water Use Reduction -- Despite all these water saving strategies, the new GSB will still need potable water. By using low flow fixtures in bathroom and kitchen sinks, showers, and drinking fountain, the amount of potable water used can be greatly reduced. Also by using captured graywater for tasks normally completed with potable water, the reliance on this scarce resource can be drastically reduced. Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 1 Water Efficiency: 5 possible points LEED-NC Scorecard LEED for New Construction v2.2 Registered Project Checklist Project Name: Stanford GSB: Knight Management Center Project Address: Stanford, CA Yes 5 1 1 1 1 1 ? No Water Efficiency Credit 1.1 Credit 1.2 Credit 2 Credit 3.1 Credit 3.2 5 Points Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% Water Efficient Landscaping, No Potable Use or No Irrigation Innovative Wastewater Technologies Water Use Reduction, 20% Reduction Water Use Reduction, 30% Reduction Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 2 1 1 1 1 1 WE Credit 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Credit Intent Reduce or try to eliminate strains on the municipal water supply by using non-potable water for 50% or more of total landscape irrigation. Feasibility Stanford has a strong culture in place to limit potable water use, a valuable resource that will only become scarcer in the future. This credit should be pursued not only to achieve the LEED-NC credit, but more importantly to help meet the long term goals of the Stanford community. As ARUP notes: “The new Stanford Graduate School of Business aspires to elevate the level of attention paid to water as a resource, in part as a response to ever increasing demands for the limited supply and in part as a natural progression of what has long been a University wide desire to sustain itself within the natural limits of its environment.”1 To achieve this 50% reduction in potable water use, two steps need to be carried out, most of which luckily already fit within Stanford’s typical practices: (1)Trees, plants, and grass should be native to the region and should not require excessive watering to stay healthy -- this will help reduce irrigation demand immediately. (2) Strategies should be implemented to use non-potable water (rainwater, graywater, recycled wastewater, etc.) sources before tapping into potable water supplies. By applying these two strategies, this credit can be achieved. Analysis (1) Use landscaping that requires minimal watering This is one of Stanford’s strengths; many native plants exist throughout campus that require very little or no irrigation. While it appears that no firm landscaping plans have been set for the new GSB, some simple guidelines can help ensure that the installed landscaping and vegetation requires minimal watering. Use native plants -- Stanford Facilities’ Landscaping Guidelines recommend that the architect consider “landscape design concepts that incorporate water Figure 1: Western Rosebud4 and energy conservation methods, including appropriate irrigation methods…”2 Luckily for Stanford, this can mean many different things. Here is a brief list of native California drought-tolerant plants, grown successfully on the Stanford, and recommended by Stanford Grounds Services on their website:3 1 ARUP, Pre-SD Plumbing Narrative, 4/30/07 Stanford University, Landscaping Guidelines, http://facilities.stanford.edu/fdg/docs/Landscaping%20Guidelines.pdf. 3 Stanford University Grounds Services, California Native Plants at Stanford, http://grounds.stanford.edu/topics/calnativeplantchart.htm# 2 Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 3 WE Credit 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Trees ● California Buckeye -- Drought tolerant, can have moderate watering in summer ● Valley Oak -- Best without any watering ● Western Redbud (see Figure 1 above) -- Can tolerate moderate summer watering, but this water isn’t required. Shrubs ● Dark Star California Lilac -- Requires no watering ● Julia Phelps CA Lilac -- Requires no watering; needs good drainage (see Figure 2, to right) ● Flannel Bush -- No watering needed Grasses ● Deer Grass -- Moderate watering OK in summer Figure 2: Julia Phelps CA Lilac4 While designing the landscaping for the new GSB campus, special consideration should be given to these and other plant species that thrive on and beautify the Stanford campus while requiring zero or minimal watering. Such an approach to landscaping conforms to LEED-NC Credit 1 recommendations of choosing plants that will easily adapt to the site. The LEED-NC guide also notes that in many projects, non-potable water use has been reduced by 50% simply by selecting drought-resistant or low maintenance vegetation. (2) Use non-potable water sources before tapping potable resources After reducing watering demand by using campus-friendly plants, the design team should make use of non-potable water for irrigation before using any potable water. In ARUP’s plumbing narrative, it notes preliminary intentions to reclaim water: “The schematic intent is to reclaim process water sourced from the Central Energy Facility (CEF) cooling tower blowdown and boiler condensate bleed-off,” which is strategy Stanford has used on other campus projects.5 Immediately, this campus-originated water will help to reduce potable water demand, and in many cases may meet the landscaping demands of the new GSB site. This strategy is also beneficial because the CEF is on campus, and will require minimal infrastructure improvements to tie to the new GSB campus. Also, Stanford’s landscape design guidelines note that much of Stanford’s irrigation system is connected to the Searsville water system, a non-potable source.6 However, it appears that allowances may be made to use potable water if needed. In its plumbing narrative, ARUP also notes that a potable water backup supply will be kept to supply the campus if non-potable sources are temporarily exhausted. This may endanger the achievement of Credit 1.2, which is discussed following Credit 1.1. 4 Stanford University Grounds Services, California Native Plants at Stanford, http://grounds.stanford.edu/topics/calnativeplantchart.htm# 5 ARUP, Pre-SD Civil Narrative, 4/30/07 6 Stanford University, Landscaping Guidelines, http://facilities.stanford.edu/fdg/docs/Landscaping%20Guidelines.pdf. Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 4 WE Credit 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO While at this preliminary stage it is difficult to arrive at hard numbers proving a 50% potable water reduction, the LEED-NC WE Credit 1 process is followed below to illustrate the calculation. Assumptions are made where appropriate. Calculation of Potable Water Use -- Design Case For simplicity, we follow LEED recommendations, breaking landscaping vegetation into 4 components: Trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and turfgrass. We neglect ‘mixed use’ to keep the analysis straightforward, but it can certainly be included. Stanford also recommends drip irrigation wherever appropriate, but to be conservative in our design estimation we assume only 75% drip irrigation on the GSB site. Also, in this analysis, we assume 378,000 square feet of open space on the GSB site, estimated previously in SS Credit 5.2 (568,000 site area - 190,000 building footprint area). Ks (species factor) is assumed to be low for shrubs and groundcover, but slightly higher for turfgrass planned in the main GSB courtyard areas. Plants for the new GSB also call for many palm trees along the Academic Walk (pictured at right), which can require greater watering than other tree species and are not native to Stanford.7 Kd (density factor) is generally assumed to be low, because there will be minimal shading on the GSB site from relatively low building heights and low numbers of trees. We assume that turfgrass and groundcover get slightly more shade, increasing their density factors slightly. Kmc (microclimate factor) is assumed to take an average value of 1.0 across the entire site. More detailed heat island and shading effects will need to be analyzed to give more exact values to different types of vegetation. This calculation will be accurate after the majority of design decisions are determined, especially given the size of the site. Evapotranspiration (ETo) is calculated in July for the Stanford campus to be 5.58 inches (Zone 3), as shown to the right in Figure 3.8 Figure 3: ETo map9 7 Stanford University Grounds Services, California Native Plants at Stanford, http://grounds.stanford.edu/topics/calnativeplantchart.htm# 8 CA Irrigation Management Information Systems, ETo zones map, http://www.cimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/info.jsp Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 5 WE Credit 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Irrigation Efficiency (IE) is calculated by assuming 75% drip irrigation and 25% sprinkler irrigation. (0.75*0.9) + (0.25*0.625) = 0.831 Controller Efficiency (CE) is also assumed to be 0.75, because we simply have no way of calculating this number at present. Gallons reuse is assumed to be zero in design and baseline cases, to provide an objective comparison. Also any reuse value calculated now would be preliminary and not necessarily accurate. Design Case Summary Total Open Space ETo IE CE Vegetation Type % of Open Space Area (sf) 378000 5.58 0.831 0.75 Trees (75% drip) Shrubs Groundcover Turfgrass 10 37800 15 56700 15 56700 10 37800 Ks, Species Factor Kd, Density Factor Kmc, Microclimate Factor KL (equation 1) ETL (equation 2) TWA (equation 3) 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.8 0.7 0.8 1 0.35 1.953 41529 1 0.1 0.558 17798 1 0.16 0.8928 28477 1 0.56 3.1248 66446 TOTAL TWA, gals Gallons reuse TOTA TPWA, gals 154251 0 154,251 Equation 1: KL = Ks x Kd x Kmc Equation 2: ETL = ETo x KL Equation 3: Design TWA = (Area x (ETL/IE)) x CE x 0.6233 Calculation of Potable Water Use -- Baseline Case For the baseline case, Ks, Kd and IE are assumed to all take on average values, except for higher allowances for new palm trees at the GSB site. Kmc and ETo are the same as the design case, while CE is neglected (taken as 1). Irrigation Efficiency (IE) is calculated by assuming 50% drip and 50% sprinkler irrigation. (0.9+0.625)/2 = 0.7625 Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 6 WE Credit 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce by 50% LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Baseline Case Summary Total Open Space Eto IE CE Vegetation Type % of Open Space Area (sf) 378000 5.58 0.7625 1 Trees (50% drip) Shrubs Groundcover Turfgrass 10 37800 15 56700 15 56700 10 37800 Ks, Species Factor Kd, Density Factor Kmc, Microclimate Factor KL (equation 1) ETL (equation 2) TWA (equation 5) 0.7 1 0.5 1 0.5 1 0.7 1 1 0.7 3.906 120693 1 0.5 2.79 129314 1 0.5 2.79 129314 1 0.7 3.906 120693 TOTAL TWA, gals Gallons reuse TOTA TPWA, gals 500013 0 500,013 Equation 5: Baseline TWA = (Area x (ETL/IE)) x 0.6233 Percent Potable Water Reduction Percent Reduction = (1-154,251/500,013) x 100 = 69% reduction So we see that in this simplified analysis, we achieve a 69% reduction in the use of potable water, assuming that no water is reused. This meets the requirements of LEEDNC credit 1.1. It may be possible that the irrigation needs of the campus can be met entirely with non-potable sources, which is the subject of Credit 1.2. For instance, the prepared Outline Specifications note that “stormwater will be captured for irrigation or other purposes in a stormwater collection tank.”9 9 Schematic Narrative and Outline Specifications, BCJ Architects, 4/30/07, pg. 1.7. Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 7 WE Credit 1.2: Water Efficient Landscaping, No Potable Water Use or No Irrigation LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Credit Intent Completely eliminate reliance on potable water sources for irrigation by using only nonpotable water for landscape watering. Feasibility This credit should certainly be pursued. In his presentation, Cole Roberts of ARUP noted that the water strategy for the GSB includes “no potable water for irrigation”. In fact, the only two uses for potable water at the new campus will be for faucets and processes. Roberts also notes that the non-potable water will come from three sources: rainwater, lake water, and graywater. Non-potable water not used for irrigation will be used for flushing toilets in GSB buildings.10 Analysis Achieving this credit is fairly straightforward: Use no potable for landscaping and prove it. We know that initial plans call for the achievement of this credit, but there are several things the design team can do to ensure that adequate non-potable water is supplied for all landscaping needs. Figure 4: Non potable water use in the GSB10 Stormwater should be retained, especially in the winter when it rains quite frequently at Stanford. The outline specifications note that a stormwater collection tank will be used at the GSB site for this purpose.11 Use water from the Searsville water system, as noted in Stanford’s landscaping guidelines.12 This water, used for Stanford irrigation, comes from Searsville Lake, which is roughly 4.5 miles from the new GSB campus (see Figure 5 below). This is positive because the link between Searsville Lake and campus had already been established. However, other non-potable sources should be used before tapping into the Searsville system, so the new GSB does not strain existing campus landscaping needs. 10 Roberts, Cole. ARUP, Presentation: GSB Engineering, 4/30/07. Schematic Narrative and Outline Specifications, BCJ Architects, 4/30/07, pg. 1.7. 12 Stanford University, Landscaping Guidelines, http://facilities.stanford.edu/fdg/docs/Landscaping%20Guidelines.pdf. 11 Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 8 WE Credit 1.2: Water Efficient Landscaping, No Potable Water Use or No Irrigation LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Searsville Lake and Stanford 4.5 miles Figure 5: Map showing distance between Searsville Lake, a non-potable irrigation water source, and the new Stanford GSB campus. From Google Maps. As Cole Roberts showed in Figure 4 above, the majority of irrigation water will most likely come from graywater, which is defined as any wastewater that hasn’t been in contact with toilet waste or kitchen sinks. In this case, graywater will come from sinks in restrooms, water fountains, showers, and laundry facilities on the GSB campus. Another source of graywater, as mentioned in credit 1.1 above, will come from the Central Energy Facility (CEF) on campus. This graywater, supplemented with captured rainwater and water from Searsville lake, can be expected to meet the irrigation needs of the new GSB campus. Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 9 WE Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Credit Intent Decrease potable water demand while reducing wastewater discharge and recharging local aquifers. This will help Stanford meet its water reduction goals. Feasibility Again, this credit should be pursued. It is probably more likely that this credit can be achieved through Option 1 (because detailed on-site wastewater treatment guidelines have not yet been established), which requires that potable water used for sewage conveyance be reduced by 50%. The preliminary thrust of this project seems to encourage water-saving strategies that will help to achieve this credit. Analysis To achieve this credit, we must show how potable water used for sewage conveyance will be reduced by at least 50% when compared to a baseline case. Several assumptions are made in this process, because finalized plumbing plans have not been published. From ARUP’s pre-SD plumbing narrative, we know the following:13 ● Waterless urinals will be used in Men’s restrooms (see Figure 6 below) ● Dual flush toilets will be used in all Women’s restrooms -- allows user to choose between low and regular flow. ● A non-potable system for water closest flushing is planned Design Case Assumptions ● From SS Credit 4.2, we assume the GSB will have 1,400 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) occupants -- the FTE must remain consistent for all LEED credits. ● Per LEED-NC guidelines, it is assumed that the GSB will house half males and half females (700 each) ● In a typical day a male will use a urinal twice and the water closet once, while a woman will use the water closet three times. ● Assume that water closets are low-flow (1.1 gallons per flush). ● Because graywater or stormwater amount used for sewage conveyance are not known, in the design cases we assume the amount to be equal to the amount of water closest sewage generation. This is a strategy, as noted above, that is planned by ARUP. ● Assume number yearly workdays to be 300 -- many GSB users will probably be around on weekends. Figure 6: Typical Waterless Urinal14 13 ARUP, Pre-SD Plumbing Narrative, 4/30/07 Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 10 WE Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Design Case Fixture Type Daily Uses Waterless Urinal (Male) Waterless Urinal (Female) Watercloset (Male) Watercloset (Female) Flowrate, gpf 2 0 1 3 Occupants 0 0 1.1 1.1 Sewage Generation, gal 700 700 700 700 0 0 770 2310 Totally Daily Volume, gal Annual Work Days Annual Volume, gal Rain/Graywater volume, gal 3080 300 924000 924000 TOTAL ANNUAL VOLUME 0 Baseline Case Assumptions Same number of daily uses and occupants as design case assumed. Flow rates of water closets increased to 1.6 gallons per flush, and urinal flow rates increased to 1.0 gallons per flush. We also assume that no rain or graywater is used for sewage conveyance. Baseline Case Fixture Type Daily Uses Conventional Urinal (Male) Conventional Urinal (Female) Watercloset (Male) Watercloset (Female) Flowrate, gpf 2 0 1 3 700 700 700 700 Sewage Generation, gal 1400 0 1120 3360 Totally Daily Volume, gal Annual Work Days Annual Volume, gal Rain/Graywater volume, gal 5880 300 1764000 0 TOTAL ANNUAL VOLUME 1764000 1 1 1.6 1.6 Occupants So we see that we definitely have reduced potable water used for sewage conveyance, in this case by using no potable water at all. It should be noted that if the calculations for the design case hold in the actual GSB (i.e., all waterless urinals, and no potable water used in water closets), then an Innovation Credit would be earned. Also, if we disregard the planned use rainwater or graywater for sewage conveyance, we still achieve a 47% decrease in potable water use. With some additional adjustments (i.e., using even a minimal amount -- 28,000 gallons -- of graywater) this credit could still be achieved. [(1-(924000/1764000))*100 = 47.6%] 14 Oikos Green Building Source: Waterless Urinal, http://oikos.com/products/mechanical/waterless/ Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 11 WE Credits 3.1 & 3.2: Water Use Reduction, 20% & 30% Reduction LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Credit Intent Reduce municipal water supply and wastewater system burden by increasing the water efficiency of interior building functions such as kitchens, showers, and restrooms. Feasibility This credit, as well as Credit 3.2 (30% reduction) should be pursued, and their attainment can be proven in the same analysis by showing that overall interior water use is reduced by 30 percent, which will earn two points (achieving 40% reduction also earns an Innovation Credit). Again, the thrust of this credit fits with the spirit of Stanford’s own water reduction goals, and the desire of the GSB to be an environmental leader. Analysis Like previous WE credits, we compare an assumed GSB design scenario with a baseline case, and show how much water use has been (or is estimated to be) reduced. For consistency, fixture values identical to those used in WE Credit 2 are used in this analysis. Also, although we have no quantitative evidence, we assume that the GSB will be used low flow fixtures wherever possible. ARUP notes that “low flow faucets/showerheads will be provided for all lavatories and showering facilities”.15 Also, given the emphasis on environmental leadership, as well as LEED Platinum certification goal, we feel this is a valid assumption for the analysis below. Design Case Assumptions ● Flush fixtures (urinal and water closet) assumed to identical WE Credit 2 values ● Low flow lavatory sinks assumed (1.8 gpm) ● Low flow kitchen sinks assumed (1.8 gpm) ● Low flow showers assumed (1.8 gpm) ● Rain or graywater used for all water closet conveyance Design Case Fixture Type Waterless Urinal (Male) Waterless Urinal (Female) Watercloset (Male) Watercloset (Female) Fixture Type Low-flow Lavatory Sink Low-flow Kitchen Sink Low-flow Shower Daily Uses 2 0 1 3 Daily Uses 3 1 0.1 Flowrate (gpf) 0 0 1.1 1.1 Duration (flush) 1 1 1 1 Occupants Flowrate (gpf) 1.8 1.8 1.8 Duration (sec) 15 15 300 Occupants 700 700 700 700 1400 1400 1400 Totally Daily Volume, gal Annual Work Days Annual Volume, gal Rain/Graywater volume, gal TOTAL YEARLY VOL 15 Water Use (gal) 0 0 770 2310 Water Use (gal) 1890 630 1260 6860 300 2058000 924000 1134000 ARUP, Pre-SD Plumbing Narrative, 4/30/07 Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 12 WE Credits 3.1 & 3.2: Water Use Reduction, 20% & 30% Reduction LEED-NC Credit: YES | UNSURE | NO Baseline Case Assumptions ● Flush fixtures (urinal and water closet) assumed standard ● Conventional lavatory sinks assumed (2.5 gpm) ● Conventional kitchen sinks assumed (2.5gpm) ● Conventional showers assumed (2.5 gpm) ● No rain or graywater used Baseline Case Fixture Type Urinal (Male) Urinal (Female) Conv. Watercloset (Male) Conv. Watercloset (Female) Fixture Type Conventional Lavatory Sink Kitchen Sink Shower Daily Uses 2 0 1 3 Daily Uses 3 1 0.1 Flowrate (gpf) 1 1 1.6 1.6 Duration (flush) 1 1 1 1 Occupants Flowrate (gpf) 2.5 2.5 2.5 Duration (sec) 15 15 300 Occupants 700 700 700 700 1400 1400 1400 Totally Daily Volume, gal Annual Work Days Annual Volume, gal Rain/Graywater volume, gal TOTAL YEARLY VOL Water Use (gal) 1400 0 1120 3360 Water Use (gal) 2625 875 1750 11130 300 3339000 0 3339000 Here we see that water use has been greatly reduced: (1-(1134000/3339000)*100 = 66% Water Use Reduction We also see that this reduction also results in an Innovation Credit, because we have exceeded a 40% reduction. However, given the assumptions in this analysis, it is prudent to assume that only credits 3.1 and 3.2 are attained at this time. When more exact flow values become available (from the plumbing supplier or sub-contractors dealing with the plumbing system), these analysis should be conducted again to see precisely how much water use is reduced. Also, after the GSB is occupied, water use should be monitored to ensure that the campus buildings are performing as they were intended. Billings, Millea, Victorsson | LEED-NC Analysis: New GSB Campus | WE Page 13