2015年夏天,总部位于纽约的Highmark被利用,在Etsy在布鲁克林的新总部大楼中安装了雨水收集系统。以下是与高明创始人理查德·格贝(Richard Gerbe)和安东尼·桑纳扎罗(Anthony Sannazzaro)有关该系统的问答环节,其收益及其实施方式。

您什么时候开始从事该项目的工作?

Sannazzaro:Highmark在2015年7月中旬左右正式加入该项目,但该项目已经开始。(Highmark's)正式的建设开始是2015年7月21日,大约一年后,我们关闭了该项目。雨水收集系统是最后要委托的项目之一,因为它依赖于正在完成的其他系统,例如管道和灌溉系统。

是什么使Etsy雨水收集系统如此独特?

Sannazzaro:大多数建筑物在纽约实现rainwater harvesting system because the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requires a stormwater detention tank be installed in new buildings. However, the Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn was a retrofit of an existing building and it wasn’t required that a tank be installed. Etsy decided to install a rainwater retention tank and conduct water treatment purely for sustainability purposes. Additionally, Etsy partook in the Living Building Challenge, a top measure of sustainability, which required that all building materials be environmentally friendly and have low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which we fulfilled for the rainwater harvesting system. What’s more, Etsy opted to use a customized, pre-built water treatment system that was constructed, wired and programmed in a factory, thus maximizing efficiencies but preventing contractors on the ground from guaranteeing proper functionality. HIGHMARK took on the responsibility of ensuring that the whole system worked together seamlessly and met the Living Building Challenge requirements.

系统有什么好处?它会在日常的基础上影​​响Etsy?

Sannazzaro:Etsy利用该系统在其办公空间内和周围灌溉植物。这将通过捕获通常会倒入排水管的雨水来节省数万加仑的淡水。水也用于清洁壁橱。

Gerbe:Etsy节省了大量的水,从而加强了他们对可持续性的奉献精神。他们追踪和趋势,他们要重复使用多少水,以及从水龙头灌溉多少水,以便他们直接了解雨水收集系统提供的价值。并且该系统会在没有干预的情况下自动运行,因此除非需要,否则他们不需要手动控制任何内容。

What challenges did HIGHMARK face when implementing the system?

Gerbe:雨水收集系统的主要挑战是它们通常是现场建造的系统,需要在交易之间进行大量协调。通过在工厂中构建系统并将其运送到现场,协调大大降低了。Highmark还开发了该系统相对不含维护的系统。这些组件主要是自我清洁的,只需要季度每年检查,通常可以在不到一天的时间内完成。此外,将系统集成到内部网络中,该网络允许Etsy人员监视系统并确保其始终有效运行。因此,我们不希望Etsy在系统的维护和操作中面临未来的挑战。

HIGHMARK is currently in talks to install the system in other buildings throughout New York City. You can read more about the process athttp://www.highmark-ny.com/