by Kevin Dauray
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Ahead of the Green Building Forum, taking place February 28 at AlexRenew, 1800 Limerick St, Alexandria, VA 22314, two of the featured panelists scheduled to appear at the event sat for a phone interview with the Zebra.
Lisa Lettieri, architect at Rust Orling Architecture, who served as Project Architect on the AlexRenew site joined Her colleague, Patrick Murphy, Director of Sustainable Design at Vanderweil Engineers, who served as Mechanical Engineer and worked on the elemental design of the project.
During the conversation, both Murphy and Lettieri spoke about the work that went into the design and construction of the AlexRenew building, which manages the City’s water supply, making it clean, and therefore, reusable. They also discussed the parts they will play in a presentation during the forum and encouraged Alexandria’s residents to attend.
Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Design
Two themes dominating the discussion were energy efficiency and sustainable design. These concepts relate to the importance of protecting the environment and decreasing our reliance on what it provides. Lettieri said the idea behind the design was to make the building “as energy efficient as possible.”
One way this was achieved was through the use of natural daylight, thus the limited use of overhead light fixtures. The facility also has a well-insulated roof, windows, walls and solar panels on the south side of the building and roof.
In addition, the closed and open offices in the building can be reorganized as needs change with minimal construction waste or disruption to daily operations.
And, perhaps most beneficial to its purpose, is that all water consumed in the building except drinking or hand-wash water is reclaimed water provided by AlexRenew, reducing potable water consumption by ninety-seven percent.
Forum Focus
During the forum, Lettieri hopes the public will become more educated on energy-efficient buildings. Murphy wants people to know that there are many different ways to achieve a sustainable design. Citizens will learn, he adds, “what is being done in the community for sustainable design, and what they can do, and what the city can do to have a greater positive impact on the local environment,”
The Green Building Forum will be held on February 28th from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m in the AlexRenew facility located at 1800 Limerick Street. For more information, click HERE. Organizers ask that attendees RSVP. If reasonable accommodations are needed because of a disability, please contact [email protected] or call 703-746-3808.
Zebra Archives: For More Information about AlexRenew, see AlexRenew: Dealing with the Detritus of Life
