December 2019 | Construction Update from River Bend Farm
The Living Building Challenge raises thought-provoking obstacles in the approach to contemporary building and asks for unique solutions from our architects, construction manager, and subcontractors. We're pulling out some updates that highlight the Living Building Challenge specific to keep our friends and supporters informed of these incredible moments that define sustainable construction and model regenerative community development. (What is the Living Building Challenge? And what does it look like at River Bend Farm?)
Two articles have been recently written about our project including one about toxicity in building materials from Architectural Record and another from Energy News Network about modelling the future of sustainable building.
Placement of the dormitory is next to the existing tree windrow (a line of trees linking forest to farmhouse) relating to the Health and Happiness Petal, Biophilic Environment Imperative. The dormitory is sited along the tree line to incorporate the biophilic attribute of “sound and touch” into the design, giving occupants the opportunity to be able to listen to the wind through the trees.
The land next to the dining commons is being graded for the leach field, which is where ReVision Energy will install solar panels. Per Living Building Challenge, 105% of the energy consumed on-site will be produced through on-site solar, part of the Net Positive Energy Imperative.
As part of the Water Petal and Net Positive Water Imperative, the site hydrology and project systems will utilize a closed-system. Water will be extracted from groundwater via a drilled well and disposed of in a conventional septic field. We were able to reduce the size of the leach field by 50% through the use of SoilAir, a system that intermittently aerates the drain/leach field and surrounding soils, rather than aerating the wastewater in a tank. All water system piping is HDPE (high-density polyethylene) instead of PVC, a Red List item.
We are proud to recognize two of our project teams—Kaplan Thompson Architects and Integrated Eco Strategy (materials research consultant)—for having JUST labels for their organization. This label is a commitment to social responsibility and social equity in the work place. The JUST program provides a transparency platform to demonstrate how employees and the community are supported by the organization.
Zachau Construction is the construction manager for the project.
