Transcript The Omega Center for Sustainable Living

The Omega Center for
Sustainable Living
By Andre Batocabe
• The building is called The Omega Center for Sustainable Living
located in Rhinebeck, NY
• It is an education center with classrooms and a laboratory and it also
is a water purification facility.
• The building was built for the Omega Institute campus as a water
filtration center.
Overview
• The Omega Center for Sustainable living was
designed by the BNIM Architect team.
Materials Used
• It is made from salvaged materials like dimensional lumber, plywood,
interior doors, beech wood paneling, and toilet partitions. All of the
materials came from warehouses, schools, office buildings, and
plywood from the presidential inaugural stage.
• The majority of the materials for the project were from local areas
• Some of the parts of the building were made from natural wood.
• The roof is made of standing seam metal, so it lasts a long time and
is resistant to decay.
Energy Efficiancy
• Shading devices in the building provide light while keeping a
comfortable temperature. There are efficient geothermal wells and
heat pumps provide the warmth for the building. The insulated
thermal mass of the building and of its water passing through the
water treatment cycle reduces the need for cooling.
• The design of the building is able to have maximum sunlight through
its windows skylights and shading devices. For the portable or
drinkable water, the building uses well water. However, rainwater
collected from the building’s roof is used for toilet water. The
buildings black water and gray water are sent through the Omega
Centers purification natural process.
• The Omega Center has efficient geothermal wells and heat pumps
that provide the building with its necessary warmth. The building and
the building water have an insulated thermal mass that provides
proper temperatures for the building. Shading devices allow light but
don’t over heat the building.
• The building has not used PVC, mercury, CFCs, HFCs, and other
harmful materials.
• During the construction of the building 99% of the metal, cardboard,
rigid foam, and wood scraps were recycled. Also, 100% of the plastic,
glass, and paper used during construction were recycled.
• This is a wall made of recycled
cypress lumber and doesn’t need
to have paint, which helps the
environment
• The roof of the building is used to collect rain water for toilets.
• The Omega Center has a positive impact on the environment by
putting the water used through a natural filtration method. It passes
through gravel beds in wetlands filled an environment with birds and
insects. The black water and gray water that passes through the
swamp is clean and introduced to the water and lakes.
Site Ecology
• The Omega Center for Sustainable Living is able to retain water by
putting it through a natural filtration process. Damaged areas in the
landscape are replanted with natural vegetation.
• The concrete used for the facility are made from local aggregates, a
collection of building materials like sand and gravel.
• All the plants in the landscape are from local vegetation.
• The Omega Center gets its organic food from local farms and
vendors in the New York Hudson Valley area. They serve 16,000
guests at their campus each year.
• There are few parking spaces at the Omega Institute only 0.27
spaces per person. 60% of the transportation on the campus uses
other methods instead of cars.
Water Resources
• Rainwater is collected on the roof of the building and is used for
toilets.
• The Omega Center for Sustainable Living doesn’t use water in the
urinals.
• The water controls of the Center are not automatic fixtures.
• Gray water is recycled in the Omega Center through a process of
natural filtration. The water is run off through a swamp with graveled
beds. This cleans the water for future use while some is returned to
ground water and lakes.