Posted on July 23, 2015
by Kata Fésűs, Architect at Organica Water
This story is based on a case study by Organica Water’s Architecture Team, which works under the belief that wastewater treatment facilities should not alienate people from the site. On the flipside, it should raise environmental awareness and bring people closer by offering a unique botanical garden atmosphere, right in the heart of the city.
Imagine a world, where you don’t have to go out to the neighborhood park to run, walk your dog, or have a picnic. Instead, you could make your way to a local water reclamation garden for many of the same recreational activities. Unimaginable? Let’s see if we can change your perception.
Wastewater treatment is not a topic that normally pops up in conversations. If ever. It is typically associated with the raw product (water contaminated in our toilets, sinks, dirty laundry) instead of the finished product (clean, treated water that is safe for reuse or discharge back into the environment). In most developed/developing countries, we give little thought to the convenience of running water and flushing the toilet. Our ignorance stems from our lack of understanding and awareness that the water we use (and therefore contaminate) is then being treated by some nice people somewhere in a very distant location. Somehow.
What does this facility look like? How does the wastewater get there? Is there some kind of cutting-edge technology being applied? How many people work there? Is the treatment process efficient? Most people rarely ask these questions.
If one were to imagine a wastewater treatment facility, it would likely be situated on a large abandoned site, far from civilization, with a distinctive “scent” surrounding the area, and a massive network of pipes to transport wastewater out of the city and then back for further use.
Ironically, this is exactly what conventional wastewater treatment facilities look like.
Organica facilities achieve the same objective of treating and reclaiming wastewater; but withone really important difference that changes the whole game: giving architecture a lead role in the design process. Architects focus on users. So its not just the industrial and structural aspects of a project that come into consideration, therefore allowing even a wastewater treatment facility to be transformed into an iconic component of a community.
Architects at Organica are dedicated to show the world what wastewater treatment facilities should look like by integrating our solutions into a human-friendly environment. Architecture utilizes several methods to achieve this goal. Let us guide you through a virtual tour of how our design can make the best out of an existing wastewater facility, by not only adding new social functions but also improving the treatment process as well.
In present day Shanghai (China), at the edge of the city where the extended metropolitan’s industrial zone and inner residential areas meet, there is an old treatment facility originally built in 1988. Currently, the treatment technology in place is outdated and the facility is overloaded beyond its design capacity. Over the past several decades, the city has dramatically expanded, making it no longer sustainable to use hectares of neighboring land as buffer zones around the facility. To facilitate this growth, the facility has to reclaim the area of “unused” land in the buffer zone and upgrade the treatment process to meet current regulations, all while meeting the community’s rights and expectations for a healthy, odorless environment.
But still, we at Organica, were not satisfied with a simple upgrade that would merely make the facility “tolerable” for the local community. We know we can do more. We have the expertise to turn a wastewater facility into the focus point of any urban development, and this was the ideal opportunity.
The goal of every architect is for his/her design to be populated and actively/happily used by people once constructed. At Organica, all the facilities we design take on a dual purpose, wherein the surface should be accessible for the public, while the underground structure should serve the local environmental protection needs. If we can achieve these goals simultaneously, we will have maximized the potential of a water reclamation garden.
Let’s take that idea one step further: What if we could also use the facilities to educate the public and showcase a better, sustainable water future? It is a strategic point that cannot be overlooked in the concept. One can actually enter the “garden” where biological treatment occurs to learn how the process works at scale, right on the spot, in an enjoyable natural setting. These green spots throughout cities can combine education and fun, not unlike a park or botanical garden.
WHY WOULD A COMPANY IN THE WASTEWATER INDUSTRY DEAL WITH ARCHITECTURAL AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES AT ALL?
Our unique solution was born from the increasing need to lower infrastructure costs and treat the wastewater in the local community where it was produced, without generating negative externalities to the immediate surroundings in the form of aesthetic or odor issues. By eliminating the ‘yuck factor’ from the site, our facilities are able to operate within close radius to people without complaint.
Our architects at Organica have a great opportunity to set the standard and develop a completely new building type: a water reclamation garden – partly a green community park and partly an educational hub for all ages. All while remaining a treatment facility that ensures wastewater is economically and efficiently discharged or reused to the appropriate standard.
With our innovative ‘city-friendly’ solutions, wastewater treatment no longer has to be banished far from civilization. This is the most environmental-friendly way in wastewater treatment: treating wastewater close to the source, in the heart of your city and returning fresh, clean water back where it is needed again, all while requiring minimal physical footprint. With our unique approach, the architects at Organica have the chance to transform wastewater treatment facilities into public water reclamation gardens.
If you can’t stand the look and smell of your local facility, you now know it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s a better solution out there.
