Framework for Design Excellence: Design for Water
Good design conserves and improves the quality of water as a precious resource.
- How does the project use water wisely, addressing efficiency and consumption while matching water quality to appropriate use?
- How can the project’s water systems maintain function during emergencies or disruptions?
- How does the project handle rainfall and stormwater responsibly?
- How does the project contribute to a healthy regional watershed?
Focus topics
- Climate change, water resilience, and equity
- Potable water efficiency
- Outdoor water use reduction
- Rainwater/stormwater use and management
- Process water reuse
- Reuse of greywater and/or blackwater
- Net zero water building (NZWB)
If you can do only one (or a few) thing(s):
- ZERO CARBON: Incorporate water reuse and reduction strategies and understand the relationship between energy, water, and carbon.
- RESILIENT: Project future climate conditions and establish strategies to manage water at the building and site, including effects on the watershed.
- EQUITABLE: Identify stakeholders impacted by water use decisions and take steps to correct historic inequities.
- HEALTHY: Protect water sources for the site, downstream communities, and future consumers. Understand the water quality delivered to the site and emitted from the site.