The First Facility Management Blog

The new roll-formed downspouts from MBCI are designed to offer advantages over traditional press-broken rectangular downspouts. Measuring 4″x5″, the roll-formed downspout provides nearly 43% more area than a 3½”x4″ downspout—while still working with MBCI’s existing gutter profiles. This larger area can help to reduce the number of downspouts required on a building, which generates additional savings in both material and installation labor.

The roll-formed downspouts also facilitate ease of assembly on tall facilities. This is because one end of it is swaged, which mitigates the need to notch one end of the downspout to connect it to the next downspout. This swage feature is advantageous on facilities with eave overhangs where the downspouts must return to the wall requiring the use of at least two elbows. (Click on image to view detail.)

These downspouts are available in 26-gauge in all of MBCI’s standard colors. They are manufactured in lengths of 10′-6″ and 14′-6″ with custom lengths up to 20′-6″. Separate kick-outs and elbows are available.

Looking ahead to what 2010 might bring, a new survey conducted the first two weeks of December 2009 asked facility managers and other building professionals about water conservation, water costs, and other related issues in their facilities in the coming year. The survey was conducted by AlturaSolutions Communications for Waterless Co., manufacturers of waterless urinal systems.

E-mail invitations to take the survey were sent to about 500 facility managers and building professionals. A total of 154 people answered some of the questions; 84 people completed the entire survey. Virtually all, 89 percent, indicate that, compared to past years, concerns about water conservation will increase in 2010. Participants were also asked if they thought the cost of water would go up in the next few years and by how much. Their responses were as follows:

• Forty-three percent believe water costs will go up 15 percent or more;

• Thirty percent foresee costs going up about 10 percent;

• Twenty-three percent believe costs will go up about 5 percent; and

• Four percent do not believe water costs will go up in 2010 or in the near future.

Most of the other survey questions dealt with actual water use and fixtures in their facilities. For instance, 58 percent indicated the facility they work in has not installed water-conserving fixtures or systems. This statistic is surprising because 72 percent of the respondents indicated installing water-conserving fixtures and systems is either important or very important.

Sixty-two percent said that most of the water used in their facilities is used in restrooms; this was followed by landscaping, according to 13 percent of the respondents; the remainder selected kitchen and food service areas, cooling and heating systems, or they indicted they were “not sure.”

Finally, the participants were asked what types of water-conserving fixtures and systems their facility is considering installing to reduce water use. The following were their responses:

• High-performing toilets, 28 percent;

• Reduced-flow faucets, 23 percent;

• Reduced-flow showerheads, 15 percent;

• Waterless urinal systems: 15 percent, and

• Water-conserving landscaping systems, 19 percent.

SOURCE: VISTA, CALIF.

The Dewpointe® CH line of atmospheric water generators is designed to produce pure drinking water for businesses, emergency preparedness, and commercial applications. So how does it work? It creates drinking water out of moisture in the atmosphere by using computer assisted water purification technology.

Here is the process, broken down into five key stages:

STAGE 1: Air Filtration
The first electrostatic air filtration stage removes dust, pollen, mold, and other airborne contaminants as humid air enters the unit. Atmospheric water production immediately eliminates 95% of contaminants found in municipal ground water.
STAGE 2: Chilling the Air
The airflow through the filter system is then chilled to dew point, transforming water in the air from a gas to a liquid.
STAGE 3: Condensation
Condensed moisture collects on the coils covered with an FDA approved food-grade coating to prevent potential metal pollution. Once the moisture “extraction” process is complete, the water is delivered to an advanced multi-stage filtration system.
STAGE 4: Purification
The water passes through 10 specialized filters, four coconut hull carbon membranes, a zero-waste R.O. filter, and a powerful UV light sanitation system to remove contaminants and microorganisms. At this point, the output is 99.99% pure.
STAGE 5: Water Temperature Optimization
The hot and cold water lines pull from a sealed stainless steel holding tank, providing chilled and hot water on demand.

This video takes you through the process:

Back in April, I posted an article about the new headquarters for Mayr-Melnhof, an Austrian wood processing company. And while this building appears to float, Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio in the Netherlands has done that one better by designing a whole community that actually floats.

So instead of fighting rising tides in the region, the world’s first floating apartment complex, The Citadel, will work with this natural resource to incorporate its benefits into the infrastructure of the development. As a result, the complex will use 25% less energy than a conventional building on land by tapping into water cooling techniques.

From Inhabitat:

The project will be built on a polder, a recessed area below sea level where flood waters settle from heavy rains. There are almost 3,500 polders in the Netherlands, and almost all of them are continually pumped dry to keep flood waters from destroying nearby homes and buildings. The New Water Project will purposely allow the polder to flood with water and all the buildings will be perfectly suited to float on top of the rising and falling water.

Built on top of of a floating foundation of heavy concrete caisson, the Citadel will house 60 luxury apartments, a car park, a floating road to access the complex as well as boat docks. With so many units built into such a small area, the housing complex will achieve a density of 30 units per acre of water, leaving more open water surrounding the structure. Each unit will have its own garden terrace as well as a view of the lake.

A high focus will be placed on energy efficiency inside the Citadel. Greenhouses are placed around the complex, and the water will act as a cooling source as it is pumped through submerged pipes. As the unit is surrounded by water, corrosion and maintenance are important issues to consider. As a result, aluminum will be used for the building facade, due to its long lifespan and ease of maintenance. The individual apartments are built from prefabricated modules. The Citadel will be situated on a shallow body of water, and in the future numerous buildings, complexes and residences will float on the water alongside it.

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) will soon be able to water its green space and turn its fountains back on after a water ban that went into effect October 2007. Water restrictions are still in place, but the 200 acre campus will no longer be as much of a strain on the local water supply.

The GWCCA, which includes the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome, and Centennial Olympic Park, has bored two 660-foot deep wells. One is located at the northeast corner of the Park and the other is underneath International Plaza, which is in front of the GWCC’s Building B entrance. Water from the wells will be used for watering lawns and plants as well as operating ornamental water features.

A pump test to identify the rate of water flow is performed on the well located under Centennial Olympic Park.

The well at Centennial Olympic Park should be fully operational in 9 to 10 weeks, and the Georgia World Congress Center project will be complete in late August or early September.

Looking Long-Term
Since the City of Atlanta’s Level Four water ban was implemented, management at the GWCCA facilities has had to invest more than $100,000 in repairing, resealing, and recaulking water features that have dried out and cracked. Additionally, $500,000 worth of plant life on the campus has been lost.

“As an economic generator to the state, we welcome millions of visitors to the Park and GWCCA campus each year,” said Mark Banta, general manager of the 21 acre Centennial Olympic Park. “The wear and tear of foot traffic requires water to rejuvenate the plant life. Water from these wells will enable us to keep our 200 acre campus green.”

The Park project, which ties the well to the water garden storage and irrigation system, will cost $142,712. Testing has confirmed that it will produce 12.5 gallons of water per minute once construction is complete. Consequently, the investment will be recouped in just seven years. The GWCC project is estimated to cost $292,000, but can produce 54 gallons per minute meaning that it will take three years to recover the investment. Special piping in International Plaza that connects to cisterns below the plaza will also allow for water harvesting. The return on investment will be significant over time.

Banta explains, “Water harvesting takes rainwater that falls on the International Plaza and store it in cisterns for later use. The well uses underground water that exists already.”

“We are extremely pleased with the projected output of the two wells on our campus,” said Mark Zimmerman, general manager of the Georgia World Congress Center. “With local water limitations, we are happy that we’ll no longer have to put a strain on the state’s water supply and that, at the same time, we’ll be able to maintain much needed green space in our downtown area. The wells tie in perfectly with our continual goals to be good stewards of our facilities and to take responsibility for the huge impact we can have on the environment.”

Is your lobby or public space lacking the “oomph” it needs to attract and retain visitors (or customers)? At Canal City in Hakata, Japan, shoppers are drawn in by something more amazing than funny, a fascinating animated water fountain.

Canal City (named for the artificial canal that runs through the hundreds of shops, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, game centers, a theater, and even two hotels) boasts of being a city within a city. It’s also the largest, privately developed project in Japan’s history.

From the developer’s Web site:

Canal City Hakata used water and nature to establish a unique destination for the city. The project’s mix of uses also created a commercial success. In the first year, more than 16 million people visited, sales exceeded $500 million, the cinema captured 55% of the city’s box office sales, and the theater sold out every performance.

Success carried outside too. The neighboring, historic shopping arcade reversed years of decline thanks to increased foot traffic. Cinema attendance citywide rose 50%. And Fukuoka was dubbed AsiaWeek’s “Best City in Asia” in 1997.

So move over, dancing fountains of the Bellagio, there’s another water wonder in the world.

Increasingly, water sourcing is an issue of concern. In some parts of the world, the concern calls for measures to be taken for safety reasons. In Iraq, U.S. troops stationed at Forward Operating Base, Delta have a system in place to create their own potable water. Sgt. R.J. Gilbert there wrote the following article to describe the reasoning behind the decision to implement such equipment at the base.

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Expeditionary Water Packaging System Graces Delta

By Sgt. R.J. Gilbert

With a large number of busy, thirsty troops in Iraq, it is not surprising that there is a great demand for vast amounts of fresh bottled drinking water to be shipped to bases across the face of the country.

One such base that requires bottled water to be shipped to it is Forward Operating Base, Delta.

The water storage tank located on Forward Operating Base Delta, Iraq.

However, unlike many other bases in Iraq, however, FOB Delta is also testing grounds for the Expeditionary Water Packaging System (EWPS).

According to information supplied by the manufacturer of the EWPS, “The United States ships about one and a half million bottles of drinking water into the southwest Asia theater each day. With sources in Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and around the Gulf region, water is shipped hundreds, if not thousands of miles, usually by truck, to reach its ultimate destination. Transportation costs are a major part of the $190 million (USD) spent on this packaged water in one year. Some 60% of the available trucks in theater are dedicated to moving water, rather than other vital military supplies. And these trucks are subject to great risk and are frequently attacked by hostile forces in the region.

The EWPS is a unit designed to mitigate these logistical issues by bottling fresh drinking water at its source.

“In Iraq they have few bottling plants and it costs a lot to ship the water,” said Daniel P. Parent, electrician and acting EWPS supervisor at FOB Delta. “Shipping through convoys is dangerous and it’s expensive. So, the Army is considering having a bunch of smaller plants to cut down the shipping costs and mitigate dangers by reducing the number of water convoys.”

With the 7th Sustainment Brigade being battle space owners of FOB Delta, they have been able not only to witness the EWPS’s introduction into the Iraqi theater of operations, but have also been able to assist those operating it in order to ensure the smoothest possible operation of the unit.

“The main thing we do is assist when situations arise that affect the EWPS operations,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Cosby, 7th Sustainment Brigade FOB Delta liaison officer. “If they have a problem and need something I try to find it, be it gloves, masks or parts to use until the items ordered can catch up to them.”

About the author

Sgt. R.J. Gilbert is with the 7th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office, working with the 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Force Forward Operating Base Delta at Balad, Iraq.

* The EWPS system is manufactured by DRS Technologies, Inc., a supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors based in Parsippany, NJ.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) will join with the International Water Association (IWA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and other partnering organizations to celebrate World Water Monitoring Day™ 2008 on Thursday, September 18 at Hains Point Park in Washington, DC. This year’s program will feature a special hand washing campaign to recognize the United Nations’ “International Year of Sanitation.”

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Held annually between September 18 and October 18, the program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries, and other waterbodies.

Worldwide participation is expected to surpass last year, when more than 46,000 people tested water quality in 43 countries. The program coordinators, WEF and IWA, plan to expand participation to one million people in 100 countries by 2012.

Working in partnership with Procter & Gamble, an estimated 12,000 water monitoring kits, including bars of biodegradable, environmentally friendly soap and a handwashing fact sheet, will be distributed to people in more than 50 countries as part of the “Wash Your Hands, Save a Life” campaign. This campaign provides an opportunity to offer a key message about basic hygiene to people around the world. Particularly in countries where adequate sanitation systems and hygiene knowledge are lacking, this message can save lives.

Following brief opening remarks and safety demonstration, a diverse group of attendees will conduct hands-on testing of both the Anacostia River and Potomac River for water quality indicators including dissolved oxygen, acidity, temperature, and turbidity (clarity). Results are reported online, tabulated, and presented in a year-end report that documents program participation. Event speakers include: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) (invited); Benjamin Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water, U.S. EPA (invited); WEF President Adam Zabinski; Ase Johannessen, Development Programme Officer for IWA; Eddy Perez, Senior Sanitation Specialist for World Bank D.C.; and Jerry Johnson, General Manager of the DC Water and Sewer Authority.

In addition to WEF, IWA, EPA and USGS, participating organizations include PerkinElmer Instruments, Smithfield Foods, CH2M HILL, ITT Corporation, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, Naturalist Audubon Society, Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital, Earth Day Network, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the National Environmental Education Foundation, and many more.