BRIGHTWATER TREATMENT PLANT

In today’s world where water pollution is one of the biggest modern day problem, conserving it becomes a matter of prime importance. An unconventional yet effective way of conservation may be reusing water after proper treatment. A similar initiative is undertaken in Washington by the Brightwater Sewage treatment plant.

   Brightwater is a 114-acre (46 ha) state-of-the-art facility using industry-leading technology to create clean water with vastly reduced by-products, that went online on November 2,2012.The forerunner of the sewage plant was a 13-mile (21 km), 17.5-foot (5.3 m) diameter tunnel which supplies sewage to the plant.

Brightwater protects water quality and prevents water pollution by providing wastewater treatment to 17 cities and 17 local sewer utilities. It serves about 1.5 million people, including most urban areas of King County and parts of south Snohomish County and northeast Pierce County.

Sustainable elements of the community centre building Brightwater include:

• Re-use of existing on-site and salvaged materials when possible;
• Use of recycled materials;
• Natural ventilation and daylighting;
• Energy efficient lighting;
• Energy Star appliances;
• Radiant floor heating from the treatment plant’s thermal energy production;
• Washington-made solar panels ;
• Green building features will be used as teaching tools;
• Reclaimed water used for irrigation and toilet flushing.

Since the proposal of this project Brightwater has faced numerous lawsuits, including a lawsuit by King County against Snohomish County that was settled when King County agreed to pay $70 million for public safety, habitat protection, and parks in Snohomish County.

There were complaints regarding smells associated with sewage treatment and geologists due to at least one active fault line running through the site. Brightwater countered these concerns by stating the plant will feature advanced odour control, 40 acres (160,000 m²) of wildlife habitat will be restored, the plant has been designed to withstand a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, and that the project will be paid by new customers.^[

Brightwater Centre earned Platinum level certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard. 

Links referred: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightwater_sewage_treatment_plant

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd.aspx

http://gbdmagazine.com/2014/30-king-county-department-of-natural-resources/

CRAZY BRIDGES

When we talk about bridges we have a typical image in our mind of a sloping pavement resting on piers that is connecting two sides of a highway over a crossing or a river. But can you imagine bridges which can curl, roll, challenge gravity or be as high as 700 meters above ground? 

The Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan which is designed to accommodate ship traffic under it is 44 meters high. It is sometimes referred as the ‘Roller Coaster for cars’. The Langkawi Sky Bridge in Malaysia is 125 meters long bridge which is above Mt. Cinchang. It is 700 meters above sea level and is cable stayed on a single support! The Rolling Bridge in London is a movable type of bridge which can curl to allow passage of boats. The Helix Bridge in Singapore is the world’s first curved double helix pedestrian bridge. It is inspired from the structure of DNA. It allows visitors a 360 degree skyline view.

For more information refer to the links:

1.       http://laughingsquid.com/eshima-ohashi-bridge-a-tall-bridge-in-western-japan-that-resembles-a-roller-coaster-for-cars/

2.       http://www.langkawi-info.com/attractions/skybridge.htm

3.       http://golondon.about.com/od/londonforfree/ss/Rolling-Bridge.htm

http://www.arup.com/Projects/Helix_bridge.aspx

THIRSTY CONCRETE

Just imagine that you are walking on a black asphalt road and you see a huge concrete mixing truck unloading a huge mass of water. But to your surprise, the water gets vanished. Sounds like magic? No, it isn’t. Not when road is paved with a new permeable paving material called Topmix Permeable.

Topmix Permeable concrete is developed by the British building material manufacturer Tarmac to prevent flooding caused by storms and even prevent car accidents on wet roads. Topmix employs instead of fine materials like sand, tiny pieces of crushed granite. The void content is increased from 15-40% depending upon site conditions. When rainwater falls on the road, it drains through the porous concrete and a base layer of gravel. Eventually, the rainwater percolates into the ground recharging underground water networks.

However presently it is available in UK alone. It is recommended only for walkways and parking but not for highways. It cannot tackle floods due to sea level rise and its utility in cold climate conditions is still a topic of research.

For more details, please refer:

1.      http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/09/30/3706935/permeable-concrete-climate-change-benefits/

2.  .    https://www.quora.com/How-does-topmix-permeable-concrete-work

3.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWiq0NbJmaw