Living Science Wing Frequently Asked Questions

Q.

What is the Living Building Challenge?

A.

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is a philosophy, advocacy platform, and certification program that addresses development at all scales. The purpose of the Living Building Challenge is straightforward – it defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today and acts to diminish the gap between current limits and ideal solutions. Whether a project is a single building, a park, a college campus or even a complete neighborhood community, Living Building Challenge provides a framework for design, construction and the symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment. (See the ILFI web site for more information)

Q.

What are the seven petals of the Living Building Challenge?

A.

The seven petals of the LBC define the performance areas: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. The seven petals are broken down into twenty imperatives that must be met to achieve Living Building status. The Bertschi School Science Wing building is designed to meet all 20 imperatives as defined by the Living Building Challenge version 2.0 standard.

Q.

Why did Bertschi School decide to build a living building?

A.

Bertschi School has long been active in teaching our students about their impact on the environment through their classroom and Science curriculum. In 2008 Bertschi School completed the first LEED Gold elementary school building in Washington State. When it came time to build a Science building, it made sense to build "green" and the Living Building Challenge is the highest green building standard in existence. With the help of 100% pro bono design and pre-construction services provided by the Restorative Design Collective, the school decided to go for the green and build to meet the LBC.

Q.

How does the water system work?

A.

Net Zero Water - All water used in the building must be collected on site. All water must also be treated on site. No water can go down any city drain lines.

Water is collected from the Church building roof and the butterfly roof on this building. It travels through downspouts into the runnel in the classroom floor. It then goes into the potable cistern. When that fills, water overflows into the outdoor runnel and travels into the irrigation cistern under the garden. When that fills, water overflows back into the exterior runnel to be infiltrated into the rain garden. This process exposes the hydrological cycle so the students can see how it works.

Rainwater collected in the interior cistern can be treated to a potable level with the on-site treatment system and be used in the classroom sinks. Current local City and State codes do not permit use of on-site treated water so domestic City water is used at the sinks at this time.

Rainwater collected in the exterior cistern is used for toilet flushing, for irrigation of the ethnobotanical garden, and for supplemental watering of the interior green wall.

Grey water from sinks flows into a collection tank below the sinks in the lower cabinets. It then is pumped up to the green wall. The plants soak up the water and evapotranspire it into the air.

Blackwater from the toilet is vacuum flushed into a composting unit in the restroom. Mulch, heat, and an accelerator are added to the waste to help break it down into compost soil that can be used in the campus gardens. This process takes 6 months to a year.

Q.

What is the roof structure made of?

A.

SIPS (Structurally Insulated Panel System) panels: FSC Certified oriented strand board with rigid insulation between. They are structural so they can span long distances, which is why we only have the four beams in the classroom space, and no joists. This reduces material while providing a high level of insulation to keep the heat in.

Q.

What is the materials Red List?

A.

The Red List is a list of 14 chemicals or substances that cannot be in any product used in the building. The list includes PVC, pthalates, lead, and mercury. These include things that are biocumulative toxins (never biodegrade), are known to cause cancer or other human health problems and create toxic environments in the way they manufactured or by what they can leach back into the Earth.

Q.

How were the Bertschi students involved in the design process?

A.

The design process was in part based on the desires of the students for their new Science room as told to their Science Teacher. Some of their ideas included:

  1. A river running through the classroom
  2. A bamboo fountain to relieve stress
  3. A wall where something was always growing
  4. Windows and skylights where they could see the sky
  5. A garden where berries and fruit would grow

The students stayed involved during the design and construction process, tracking progress from their view from the classrooms above, checking the construction update page on the school website, and through tours of the building during construction. By the time the project was built, they could read the plans and describe the building's features.

The students are also our data collectors now that they are using the building. They monitor the building’s performance as part of their curriculum. They are helping us achieve Living Building status and learning how their choices impact the performance of the building they study in.

Q.

What is an Ethnobotanical Garden?

A.

An Ethnobotanical garden contains plants that are indigenous and were used by Native Americans for various purposes. Bertschi students can make paint brushes out of the grasses and paint from berries. The students also planted every plant in the garden with help from the design team.

Q.

Where does the water go after it falls on the green roofs and the butterfly roof?

A.

Rainwater that falls onto the metal-clad butterfly roof travels through an in-line downspout filter and into the downspout leading to the runnel in the classroom. From there it flows into the indoor cistern.

Rainwater that falls onto the two flat moss-covered green roofs is first soaked up by the moss and soil of the green roof. After soaking through the soil, the water collects in downspouts, including one made of recycled glass bottles, and then flows into the exterior runnel. From there it flows into the exterior cistern and rain garden.

Q.

Where does the water from the sink go?

A.

Used water that goes down the sinks is stored short-term in a grey water tank. The tank has a series of filters that remove larger particulates as the water passes through them. When the tank gets full or at least once every twenty-four hours, the water is pumped to the green wall in the EcoHouse. There, the plants use the nutrient rich water and evapotranspire it into the air.

Q.

What is grey water?

A.

Grey water is generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing. In this building grey water comes from the three lab sinks in the classroom and the lavatory sink.

Q.

What is potable water?

A.

Potable water is water safe enough to be consumed by humans or used with low risk of immediate or long-term harm.

Q.

What is a living wall?

A.

A Living wall is an indoor wall of living plants, which for Bertschi, is used to treat grey water.

Q.

What is a runnel?

A.

A runnel is a narrow channel in the ground for liquid to flow through. The runnel in the Science Room floor is lined with recovered stone from Cold Water Creek retail store in Seattle. Our runnel is often referred to as “the river” by our students.

Q.

What does biophilia mean?

A.

Biophilia is defined as an innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world and human attraction to natural systems and processes. Biophilic design elements include:

  • Environmental features
  • Natural shapes and forms
  • Natural patterns and processes
  • Light and space
  • Place-based relationships
  • Evolved human-nature relationships
Q.

What is a butterfly roof?

A.

Unlike a traditional roof that has a peak, a butterfly roof is a roof that slopes toward a valley in the middle of the building. This type of roof is good for collecting rain water from a central location at one end of the valley.

Q.

How can the building make enough energy during the dark winters?

A.

The building can use power from the city during times when the solar panels are not able to collect enough energy to meet demands. In the summer, the building can give electricity back to the city, thereby creating a net zero usage over an annual cycle.

Q.

Tell me about the toilet!

A.

The toilet system consists of Envirolet VF 750 Composting units with a vacuum flush toilet designed for 55 uses per day capacity, needing emptying every six months to a year.

Q.

How many solar panels are there?

A.

There are 90 solar panels collecting energy for the building. These panels make up a 20.1kW solar array that powers everything in the building.

Q.

What is the Restorative Design Collective?

A.

The Restorative Design Collective, founded by KMD Architects, is an organization comprised of design professionals committed to advancing the movement toward truly restorative buildings. Everyone on the Project Team donated their time to design this building.

Project Team
Architecture: KMD Architects
Preconstruction/Construction Services: Skanska Building USA
Landscape Architecture: GGLO
Civil Engineering: 2020 Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering: GeoEngineers
Structural Engineering: Quantum Consulting Engineers
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing: Rushing
Sustainability Consultant: O’Brien and Company
Urban Ecologist: Back To Nature Design, LLC
Public Relations Services: Parsons Public Relations
Building Envelope Engineers: Morrison Hershfield

Key Collaborators
Organizational: Cascadia Region Green Building Council
Jurisdictional: King County GreenTools
Jurisdictional: City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development Green Building Program