Border Station Mini Charrette

Big issue--align the ‘client’ groups who were not present--if not, they will not understand the issues being addressed and the effort to create change will likely suffer.

$63 million project

The point is to challenge ourselves on water conservation, water quality, air, emissions, habitat health, material resources, and all resources.

Flip Chart Notes:

General Issues to address in the context of environmentally responsible design (green design = systems design = good design)

1. Environmental Loading
   1. Water run-off quality
   2. Pollution and energy use from vehicular queing
   3. In general: Air, land, Water, Materials
2. Nature of Place – what is the nature of this locality and watershed
   1. Potential – what is the potential for health to be restored, evolved to higher orders of relationships, and carried forward by active participation of the community of people that interact with this place?
   2. Identify how the Place has become what it is--Identify scope for “nature of place” work. (More than historians – we need people to identify patterns of relationship – social and natural systems over time.)
   3. Environmental P.O.E. (Port of Entry) case studies. Look at alternatives of moving goods (transport)
   4. Sustainable South Bronx (Idle of vehicles vs. plug-in.)
3. Indicators
   1. Measuring success – (Green Building Challenge Tool, LEED, local indicators that are important to this place)
   2. Water (conservation, quality)
   3. Energy (cost, BTUs, CO2, pollution in general)
   4. Toxics (animal waste)
   5. Habitat (species diversity, microbial health, water and soil quality)
   6. Material Resources
   7. Transportation (energy, weight, systems logistics opportunities)
4. Scenario planning on future of Homeland Security
   1. rethink security issues
   2. flexibility of design – understand future trends

5. Border – Edge effect (life has more potential and relationships increase where two places meet) (Ecotone)

   1. look at the Border Station as a meeting place rather than a separation.!!!
   2. Opportunities exist at border

6. TEAM (expertise required to effectively integrate the whole system engaged with this Border Station)

   1. Emissions specialist
   2. Commerce
   3. Homeland Security
   4. Biological and Ecological health issues: (this potentially can be handled by one person). Include bioremediation specialist; expert in use of natural systems (water flows, topography, soil, plants, bio remediation); Low impact development techniques to be utilized (see LID web site). Also can include Biological assessor, Site Restoration expert, Biological Art person. (Herbert Dreiseitl, Peter Latz, Michael Singer).
   5. Wind Patterns (emissions related), and Microclimate analysis
   6. Shared knowledge form other P.O.E. designers
   7. Transportation innovator

7. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

   1. Project can be Unplugged
   2. Bioclimatic design will use much less energy--Consider using phase change opportunities such as living roof, snow coverage in winter for insulation and phase change; Consider the microclimate at each side of the building
   3. No vapor compressive air conditioning--AC may be necessary (many computers, people in heavy clothing. A suggestion was made to use ice blocks to provide air conditioning - freeze large locks of ice offer cooling in the summer). Another suggestion is Cool Tubes (Be careful of excess humidity and mold with these). Use adaptive thermal comfort techniques: Ceiling fans, whole building ventilation (away from traffic), psychological cooling (views); plants and evaporative transpiration.
   4. Procurement, maintenance, and operations (no waste leaves site)
   5. Renewable energy supplies
   6. Rainwater harvesting (closed loop water--Captured and reused water, All water stays on site)
   7. IEQ - make indoor great for staff
   8. Create community
   9. Daylighting (Was there a discussion about the need to exclude daylighting? A preference for electric lighting due to security?); End users need access to Sunshine and Views, This will reduce energy and provide long term comfort and productivity for staffers.
   10. kiosk design – pollution, views, comfort
   11. Water might better serve the site and building if it behaves as it did pre-settlement: Minimize, pipes, curbs, catch basins – use shaped topography and bioremediation to reduce storm water management costs (50% in many cases)
   12. Ecosystem restored to pre-settlement potential
   13. Community / youth involvement in landscape, habitat, and waterway restoration activities/processes (tree planting, Any activity relating to the Commons helps develop sense of community)
   14. Rethink security (work with landscape objectives)
   15. Clean air
   16. Lighting design (re: pollution)
   17. Dark skies (dark skies as possible metric--pick a star and design to be able to see it, look at Pentagon – Franta project)
   18. Restoration design process - building on the nature of place
   19. View considerations
   20. Solar, passive (Heat, Light, Energy)
   21. Do not use CRTs – use LCDs to reduce energy use significantly
   22. Solar Active (Thermal Collectors for hot water and space heating)
   23. 100% back up generation (perhaps use Photovoltaics as a back-up resource, Bio fuels)
   24. 100% renewable energy
   25. Capture energy from River (small scale hydro)
   26. Construction (prefabrication, offsite fabrication, modular (design for disassembly), consider transportation energy of goods and workers, craft, regionality – local vernacular (regional artists?)
8. Pollution and traffic
   1. How to deal with trucks?
   2. Is it really necessary to demolish rock formations to build truck ramps?
   3. Consider stacking trucks (parking structure not included in program, but may be achievable - cost will be an issue
   4. Model the air flow at trucks, canopies
   5. reduce parking/hardscape (Staffs (75) live 1 hour away – carpooling? Onsite lodging?)
   6. Capture the heat from vehicles
   7. Capture energy from vehicle movement
   8. Exterior air quality issue--Canopies of plants for remediation of air; Perhaps use Computational Fluid Dynamics for air flow modeling
   9. no forced air systems
   10. Consider an administrative directive giving priority to bio-fueled vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc.

Process

Need to bring people with expertise in green building when presenting new ideas to the people making the decisions for GSA buildings. This can expedite the process if someone is there who can answer questions for on the spot.

Ending Discussion

The weak link in any complex design process – which usually includes many stakeholders – is that all of these stakeholders are not present when the design philosophy and aspirations are discussed. It is essential to get alignment with the major decision makers so they will not be blind-sided by unexpected recommendations relating to and emanating from the green design discussions. By taking the time to do this in the beginning much time and frustration will be minimized.