Rainwater Harvesting Envelope

An Integrative Building Envelope for Arid Environments

by JOSE JOAQUIN SANCHEZ, M. ARCH

A THESIS IN ARCHITECTURE MASTER OF SCIENCE

ABSTRACT The foundation of this thesis is to provide awareness to the global issue of freshwater scarcity and how architecture may assist to confront the issue. In response to the investigation, the thesis works towards the design of a building envelope implemented for rainwater harvesting that follows a different path from traditional strategies. The integrative building envelope may be implemented with existing or new structures and may be utilized for future research on water conservation strategies in architecture. Research of arid environmental conditions was done to address the challenges these locations experience with extreme temperatures and shortage of precipitation. It has been in many of these arid environments that strategies have been developed, such as the use of rainwater catchment and cistern systems for nearly six millennia, that address the water scarcity issue by reducing water use and treating and recycling wastewater. This research seeks to learn from nature and how biota efficiently manage water consumption and retention. Morphological adaptations seen in nature, more specifically from integument functionality in desert flora and fauna adapted for arid conditions helped develop design proposal Although the research conducted turned out various parameters of events -- water capturing surfaces, drainage and filtering systems, storage cavities, water reuse systems, and hydronic thermal exchange channels -- the design research focuses on rainwater harvesting. Water stored in the envelope may be useful for future needs in dry seasons and droughts. The design research phase includes studies on weather data and how it can be used to design form and performance. Water needs also play an important factor on sizing and component design.

A Thirsty Planet Water covers approximately 70% of the Earths surface Freshwater accounts for about 2.5% of global water (UNEP) About 70%, over 2/3, of global freshwater is locked up in glaciers and permanent snow cover Groundwater, nearly 30% of freshwater Rivers and lakes, account for nearly 0.3% of freshwater Groundwater sources are being depleted at a faster rate than they are able to be replenished global water shortages and safe access to potable water is greatly affecting nearly two billion people around the world, nearly 30% of the worlds population (

Water Footprint freshwater use: 70% irrigation, 20% industry, & 10% domestic use (WWAP) building occupants account for nearly 13% of total water use in the U.S. per day (EPA) estimated 40% water use in large cities in developing countries lost from leaky systems (USGBC) in the U.S., treating, pumping, and heating water accounts for about 8% of energy demand an average female is recommended approximately 2.7 liters (0.71 gallons) (IOM) the average male approximately 3.7 liters (0.98 gallons) of daily total water intake (IOM). 4 liters (1 gallon) of water is maximum amount of water needed for drinking, cooking, and food preparation each day/person (WHO) 100 liters (26.4 gallons) a day/person required to maintain reasonably good quality of life (USAID) average American households uses approximately 187.8 liters (49.6 gallons) a day/person (AWWA, 1999) average water footprint of the USA is 2842 cubic meters (2.842 million liters, 750.777 gallons) a year per capita, compared to global average of 1385 cubic meters (1.385 million liters, 365,878 gallons ) a year per capita (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011). By designing our buildings or city blocks to obtain water on-site by harvesting rain, we could minimize the amount of water lost due to leaks and manage stormwater runoff. Occupants may be able to monitor water levels locally to adjust daily/weekly water intake and help identify and repair leak problems quicker.

Glass Half Empty deserts are classified as zones where precipitation is offset by evapotranspiration, evaporation from surfaces and transpiration by plants extremely-arid, arid, and semi-arid environments take up about 1/3 of the Earths land surface estimated two billion people, 25% of the worlds population, desert environments estimated 1.4 billion people are currently living in river basin areas that are closed, meaning that water use is exceeding the minimum recharge levels, or are near closure (UNEP) it is anticipated that most population growth will occur in developing countries (WWAP) estimated that by 2025, the worlds population will surpass 8 billion (U.N. Population Division) possibility of nearly 2/3 of population in 2025 will be living under water stressed conditions and nearly 1/4, 1.8 billion, living in severe water scarce regions (FAO).

Desert Flora + Fauna stems and leaves of most species have waxy cuticles that render them nearly waterproof when the stomata is closed. water is further conserved by reduced surface areas; most succulents have few leaves, no leaves or leaves that are deciduous in dry times. columnar growth forms maximize exposure to light early and late in the day while avoiding excessive heat from the mid-day sun, many barrel cactus lean to the south, southwest so that a minimum of body surface is exposed to the drying effect of the midday sun one ecological role of the hydrophilic skin of the thorny devil is the direct absorption of rain that falls onto the skin, uptake from puddles, and enables water absorption from moist sand through the capillary system honeycomb-like micro-structure on lizards create a superhydrophilic surface

Rainwater Harvesting provides a water source when groundwater is unacceptable or unavailable, or it can augment limited groundwater supplies reduces volume flow to stormwater drains and also reduces non-point source pollution. helps utilities reduce the summer demand peak and delay expansion of existing water treatment plants. helps reduce consumers utility bills harvesting rainwater is only useful when the volume and frequency of rainfall and size of the catchment surface can generate sufficient water for its intended purpose (Texas Water Development Board, 2005) disadvantages include the operating and maintenance responsibilities users must undertake purification process of water for domestic use is another disadvantage of rainwater, as the building owner must undertake the responsibilities to provide water purification systems and maintenance maintenance of the systems includes purging of the first (foul) flush system, cleaning of the roof washers, cleaning out gutters, cleaning storage tanks, maintaining the pumps and replacing filters basic components of system include: catchment surfaces, gutters and downspouts, leaf screens, storage tank(s), delivery system to end use, and treatment or purification system

 storage size depends on the sites water needs, the weather, the amount of water being captured, and whether the site is connected to a municipal water supply or not systems that do not have municipal water backup (called off-grid) must hold much more water, in case of shortage amount of oversizing depends on how crucial the water needs are variables of rainfall and water demand determine the relationship between required catchment area and storage capacity, catchment surface area should be maximized to capture enough rainwater to meet water demands storage tanks, or cisterns, should be sized to sufficiently store enough water to see the system and its users through droughts. 1.75 in. rainfall x 3,264 sq. ft.(300 sq.m) catchment x 0.62 gallons/in. rain/sq. ft. x 0.95 collection efficiency = 3,364 gallons

Case Studies_ Hydro Wall : Rael-San Fratello, 2006 designed as an advanced thermal mass wall and proposed for a hot-arid region through direct gain design, radiation from the sun is absorbed by the wall and is converted to thermal energy water collected in the wall would store excess heat inside the wall and either dissipate the heat to the exterior during hot days or interior during cold days wall system consists of a concrete and thermoplastic wall combined as rainwater catchment, storage, filtering and recycling systems wall captures rainwater and stores it in a flexible rubber sac imbedded within the folds of the wall. The wall filters the water which could be later used for irrigation after serving as a thermal conductor for the wall.

Case Studies_ Canteen Farm House : Endemic Architecture, 2011 assistance to existing irrigation infrastructures in agrarian farm land skin is designed to collect, store, and distribute storm water in an elastic, expandable exterior skin for agrarian irrigation. exterior skin, of the compact 800 square foot home, is made with rubber canteens that fill with water which can be used in times of lower water supply as canteens fill, the skin stretches, revealing an underlying patterning of the exterior rubber skin at full capacity, the house could potentially hold 50,000 gallons of water

Case Studies_ The Life Aquatech: THINK Tank, 2013 investigation of relationship between building systems, such as mechanical systems, that mediate between interior-exterior and architectural design by shifting from air-based systems to waterbased systems, hydronic systems. focus on behavior of fluid as part of the generative design methodology, the project proposes a building mechanical system that is in the same tectonic prevalence as structure through the collection of water from a contoured fiberglass shell and the storage and distribution of water in a soft expandable silicone membrane, the building prototype aims to create a cohesive architectural environment through the interaction of different water-based building systems resulting in a fusion of design aesthetic and building performance. proposed water management system is conceived as operating in relation to seasonal and daily cyclical needs in relation to water, where the behavior of the building expresses how it engages with these criteria both in real-time performance and in the design process through the use of lightweight rigid material and soft expandable material

Materials Hydrophobic Materials hydrophobic materials, with contact angles more than 90 degrees, cause droplets to form in a bead sphere with minimal droplet surface touching the material surface. hydrophobic materials prevent water from spreading over a surface, and allow it to form droplets that easily fall away or drained most hydrophobic materials are commonly made from thin polymer coatings that degrade when heated and are easily destroyed by wear Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics fiberglass, has a high ultimate tensile strength, a high melting temperature, behaves elastically, does not undergo significant stress relaxation nor creep, light weight, and has an inherent strength to provide a weather resistant finish with a variety of surface textures components may be an arbitrary shape, limited only by the complexity and tolerances of the mold used for manufacturing the fiberglass shell widely used for small boats and storage tanks may be manufactured to have hydrophobic properties fibers may be arranged permanently in a preferred direction within a material -- by laying multiple layers of glass fiber on top of one another, with each layer oriented in various preferred directions, the stiffness and strength properties of the overall material can be controlled efficiently

 storage tanks become integrated with the building envelope as a design feature catchment, drainage, and storage systems mesh together within the building envelope Roof and facade system boundaries become blurred developing an interwoven relationship between both. water located to the perimeter of the building envelope may be used for a hydronic thermal system. Storage of water is still present on the lower portion of the building to minimize heat gain from the sun and minimize evaporation. dividing water reserves to multiple storage units will allow the user to monitor their daily, weekly, and monthly water use user may gain control of their water use and allocate collected rainwater throughout the building envelope wherever required.

El Paso, TX elevation: 3740 ft (1140 m) Chihuahuan Desert Jan Avg Max Temperature Avg Min Temperature Minimum Precipiation Maximum Precipitation Median Precipitation Average Precipitation (in) Average Snowfall (in) Avg Precipiation days Avg evapo-transpiration 57.2 32.9 0.00 2.23 0.29 0.45 0.8 3.8 11.1 Feb 63.4 37.5 0.00 1.69 0.34 0.39 0.5 3.4 9.2 Mar 70.2 43.7 0.00 2.26 0.18 0.26 0.2 2.4 8.9 Apr 78.1 51.1 0.00 1.42 0.09 0.23 0.6 1.9 7.7 May 86.7 60.6 0.00 4.22 0.10 0.38 0 2.7 5.9 Jun 95.3 68.8 0.00 3.18 0.36 0.87 0 3.9 3.6 Jul 94.5 72 0.04 5.53 1.18 1.49 0 8.3 2.5 Aug 92.0 70.2 0.00 5.57 1.06 1.75 0 8.7 2.7 Sep 87.1 63.7 0.00 6.68 0.96 1.61 0 6.3 3.5 Oct 77.9 49.6 0.00 3.12 0.55 0.81 0 4.7 6.1 Nov 65.5 39.8 0.00 1.63 0.24 0.42 0.6 3.0 8.2 Dec 57.4 33.4 0.00 3.29 0.42 0.77 2.2 3.9 9.8 9.43 4.9 53 79.26 Annual 77.4 51.6