Making every drop count

Going with the flow is not an option in the new Farmer School of Business. In compliance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, the building’s facilities will reduce that flow and manage water usage, inside and out.

Water consumption has been recognized as a global concern in recent decades. Minimizing waste and using water strategically is a key element in any LEED project.

“Reducing the use of tap water is a major way to decrease our impact on resources,” explains John Siebert, Miami’s senior project architect and manager of the new Farmer School building project. “To meet LEED criteria regarding interior water use in the new Farmer School, we are equipping all restrooms with low-flow, motion-sensitive faucets and dual-flush toilets.”

These measures, adds Siebert, will help the Farmer School reach its goal of a 20-30 percent reduction of the building’s interior water use.

Managing the building’s exterior water usage is equally vital, Siebert continues. Water-efficient landscaping—that requires no permanent irrigation system—will surround the new Farmer School.

“The site’s landscaping will be designed in a way that addresses three LEED criteria,” says Siebert, “and those are irrigation, storm water runoff, and plantings.”

He explains that through a system of gutters and downspouts, the rainwater runoff from the new building will be directed to the surrounding open space and absorbed into the ground. Plant landscaping materials will be drought tolerant, so no permanent irrigation system is required. In fact, the landscaping is designed to naturally trap and hold moisture where it is needed.

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