BUILDING FOR THE

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CENTER FOR

URBAN AGRICULTURE, A LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE WINNER

BY JOHN FLEMING, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, MITHUN

Sustainability is often a secondary concem in new development. How can we do better?

At Mithun, we imagined a building that actually gives back to the community and natural environment. Using a vacant
lot as a starting point, our design team conceptualized the Center for Urban Agriculture (CUA), a mixed-use development
and winner of "Best in Show" in the Cascadia Region Green Building Council's 2007 Living Building Challenge:

ENERGY
The CUA collects nearly all of its
energy with 34,000 square feet of
photovoltaic cells on its south face.
In Seattle, however, solar energy
requires a long-term stor-
age strategy, as the sun
\ comes out primarily
during the summer. On
sunny days, the project
is designed to transfer
solar energy from the PVs into
rainwater collection tanks where
electrolysis splits B.fi into oxygen
and hydrogen. The energy is then
stored in the liquid hydrogen until
it is needed days, weeks, or even
months later.
WATER
The CUA is designed to be com-
pletely independent of city water.
Rainwater collected from
the roof and planters,
"living building" machines. The
design also benefits the neighbor-
hood as a community stormwater
collection facility.
FOOD
The CUA's vertical, A-frame design
provides more than an acre of farm-
land to grow fruits, grains, and veg-
etables. A chicken farm further con-
tributes to local food production.
Research indicates that 40
percent of an individual's
ecological footprint is
from the embodied ener-
gy associated with food,
primarily from its trans-
portation and packaging. Not only
can local residents decrease their
ecological footprint but also explore
new and old agricultural techniques
in the lower five-story teaching and
laboratory facility. The research and
education center will extend to the
native birds and insects, bolster-
ing biodiversity that is becoming
increasingly rare within
the city.
While our R&D
approach freed us
from some of the reality
constraints most projects
face, it also may mean this par-
ticular urban farm could never
be built. Then again, we hope to
influence the direction of future
projects. A chicken farm in the
heart of the city? That's almost
as crazy as the Internet or plug-
in cars. In the context of global
warming, we need to be dreaming
and experimenting even when
our clients don't specifically ask
us to. E9
fohn Fleming, AIA, is a senior
associate at Mithun, a leading
sustainable design practice based

f stormwater runoff from

surrounding streets,
and the CUA's waste-
water is treated for re-
use through a combination
of bio-membrane technology and
restaurant where the menu offers
local healthy cuisine.

NATURE
The north terraces and chicken
farm provide green habitat for
in Seattle, fohn worked together
with Mithun Landscape Architect,
Debra Guenther, ASLA, and Mith-
un Ecologist, Christopher Thomp-
son in imagining the Center for
Urban Agriculture.