Self-sustaining building lauded

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Self-sustaining building lauded
Omega site's innovations top world list
By John Sullivan
Times Herald-Record
Published: 10:10 PM - 10/15/10

Rhinebeck — Here's another sign that the world is changing: The building once considered impossible to build may become a model of one of our best hopes for survival.

The Omega Center for Sustainable Living, a 6,200-square-foot education center and self-sufficient waste-water recovery facility built last year for an estimated $3.5 million, was recently recognized as one of only two buildings in the world to receive the Living Building Challenge certification, the most advanced green building rating in existence.

The recognition comes after a year of scrutiny of the building's features. It is touted as fully self-sustaining, producing all its energy on-site through solar panels, and capable of treating as much as 52,000 gallons of wastewater a day using man-made wetlands. Tyson Living Learning Center in Eureka, Mo., also received the honor announced on Tuesday by the International Living Building Institute, headquartered in Seattle.

Global warming warnings

The recognition comes at a time when activists are sounding the alarm about global warming and other ecological dangers, caused in large part by human-centered activities. The buildings we dwell in produce 20 percent of all harmful greenhouse gases, while using 20 percent of all our energy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"This allows us to speak a little louder" about the need for change in the construction industry, said Skip Backus, executive director of the Omega Institute, which built the center on its campus for health, wellness and sustainability.

Intensive standards

Candidates for the Living Building Challenge had to avoid a list of more than 50 materials considered harmful or toxic, while also ensuring that every nail, wood beam, brick and piece of insulation did not adversely impact the environment.

"Each requirement in itself was not insurmountable, but combined "¦ I think we underestimated the challenge," said Laura Lesniewski, a group principal at BNIM, the Kansas-City-based architects of the project.

But that's why the Living Building Challenge was created, said officials of the Living Building Institute, which administers the certification. "We've noticed that we don't have much time to change our building industry," said Eden Brukman, vice president of the institute. "All the current practices are degrading our ecological systems."

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