Building-integrated graywater phytoremediation systems
Loading...
Authors
Betti, Giovanni
Issue Date
2008-05
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Acoustics
Alternative Title
Abstract
Quantity and quality of urban water supply is expected to be a crucial issue in the coming years, as a consequence of continual urban population growth, pollution and climatic changes. The schematic design of a 'bio-mechanical hybrid' building system is proposed to explore the potential applications and architectural consequences of on-site graywater treatment in dense urban settings. Although water is commonly the heat carrier in buildings, water consumption and energy conservation are regarded as distinct fields of interventions. The proposed system attempts to link water conservation and passive thermal comfort through the proposed integration of vegetation on the building envelope in a hot arid climate. The basic technological component is a planted filter where the mechanical and chemical action of the aggregate system and the phytoremediative action of the rhizosphere are synergistically reinforced. In the form of a speculative schematic proposal, a system is outlined that aims to address synergistically the problems of water and energy consumption integrating living plants in the building envelope.
Description
May 2008
School of Architecture
School of Architecture
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY