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Perth, |
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Sewage for new-age library garden
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Human waste from the new mega-library in Peppermint Grove will be recycled and used on a $1 million landscaped park around the building. It will be the first time the technology has been used in Australia. Harvested "brown water" will water the lawns and urine will be treated and added to the irrigation system on the site. "The plants will love it," landscape architect Matt Huxtable told the council. The system is used in Europe but will need to be approved by the Health Department and Water Authority. The library's urinals will be waterless and use a special slippery surface and gravity to flush waste. There will be a facility to wash hands over the toilet cistern to save even more water. The broad plan for the combined Cottesloe/Mosman Park/Pepp- ermint Grove library was accepted by the shire this week. It shows a box-shaped structure of glass, concrete and metal set in a lush garden. "We want to redefine what a park or civic place can be," Mr Huxtable said. Parts of the building's walls will be covered in vertical-growing plants, with trees, water and play areas encouraging activity around the library. Quiet outside reading areas will be included. Mr Huxtable told the council the design followed water-sensitive principles being used in the drought-affected eastern states. Rain-water tanks will be set into the ground and bore water will be used to meet the building's water needs. "They'll collect 270,000 litres of rain water," Mr Huxtable said Storm water will also be collected and treated, making the high-tech development totally scheme-water free. More water will be saved by burying reticulation just below the surface, instead of above-ground sprinklers. Library committee chief and Mosman Park mayor Ron Norris said it would be an opportunity to do something that hadn't been done before. "This library will be one of Perth's most iconic buildings," he said. "Tenders will be invited early next year. We will then know the actual construction cost. "The quantity surveyor believes we are still close to the budget, despite having added the environmentally sustainable design elements which public consultation held in March with the three communities revealed was an essential part of the project." The library could cost more than $13 million. As well as saving water, architects have used cutting-edge climate design. The building's orientation, air-conditioning and lighting are all climate-sensitive. The plan includes photovoltaic solar panels and a possible micro wind turbine. "It is intended that the library will be used for the education and demonstration of environmentally sustainable design concepts for use in residences and buildings in the western suburbs," Mr Norris said. "An ongoing environmental education program will run alongside the library."
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