Rainwater-to-Potable Water System is Live.

On November 1, 2018, the Bullitt Center team turned on the rainwater-to-potable water system, serving safe, clean drinking water to building tenants and visitors.

No compound is more central to life on Earth than water. It is literally the stuff of which all living things are made. And yet, as a society people tend to undervalue water. Famously, the moral philosopher and economist Adam Smith described the “diamond-water paradox,” where people put an enormous value on diamonds – which serve very little practical purpose – yet give away water almost for free, even though it is necessary for all life.

With the climate changing and population rising, the era of under-valued water is coming to a close, even in a historically water-rich region like Seattle.

When the Bullitt Center team committed to achieving the Living Building Challenge, it committed to “Net Positive Water” as one of the goals. Beyond achieving the Challenge, however, the goal of the Bullitt Center is to show people what’s possible when a project team tries to do everything right. When it comes to water, this meant exploring the potential to capture and treat rainwater for all purposes in the building, including drinking.

To learn more about the Bullitt Center water system, see our Water System White Paper  (Bullitt Center – Water System – FINAL 25MB).