MAIN FEATURE


Nature doesn’t do zero. Nature is generous. Janine Benyus


Energy efficiency measures and on-site renewable energy systems may help shift the carbon footprint of the factories. The new office building uses an advanced HVAC strategy that combines overhead radiant systems with dedicated outdoor air supply to dramatically lower energy use. However, PVs arrays would be ineffective as the building is shaded by adjoining high-rise towers.


A cistern system was installed in the parking levels beneath the new office in Midtown Atlanta; rainwater from the roof, along with internal water, is used for mechanical systems and toilet flushing. The building has a landscaped roof terrace and a green roof to increase occupants’ connection to nature, and to increase biodiversity on-site.


Both of the factories are already close to matching the water balance of the native forest. One of the issues identified around water is that all three sites are located within the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, which feeds into the Apalachicola Bay, an estuary in Florida. This is one of the most important oyster fisheries in the US, and is threatened by increased salinity due to water withdrawals upstream. There are two periods of the year when the oysters need more fresh water; the team explored the idea of changing the size of the water retention basins near the factories so that increased releases could be timed to benefit the estuary.


Interface sees the Factory as a Forest effort not as one-time design strategy, but rather an ongoing framework to support Drawdown and regenerative development. Year by year, performance will be measured against the ecological baseline. Just as their Mission Zero goals moved from wildly aspirational to achievable, Interface and others are adopting a new mindset for addressing environmental challenges. In taking this next step beyond sustainability, one cannot underestimate the importance of measured models of regenerative development.


Bill Browning, BED Colorado University, MSRED MIT, Hon. AIA, LEED AP., is one of the Green building industry’s foremost thinkers. Terrapin Bright Green is an environmental strategies research and consulting firm. Browning’s clients include Disney, New Songdo City, Lucasfilm, Google, Bank of America, Marriott, the White House, Interface, and the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Browning is a founding board member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).


The Factory as a Forest Metrics


Carbon Water


1. Carbon Sequestration


2. Sustainable Watershed Consumptive Use 3. Run-off Rate


4. Evapotranspiration Rate 5. Infiltration Rate


Atmosphere


6. Total Suspended Solids Removal/Concentration 7. Mean Surface Summer Temperature 8. Ground-Level Ozone Threshold 9. Particulate Matter Removal Levels


10. Atmospheric CO2 Biodiversity 11. Habitat Enhancement Soil


12. Non-Native Invasive Species 13. View Quality 14. Daylighting 15. Soil Depth


16. Soil Organic Matter 17. Nutrient Recycling


kg/hectare/yr litre/hectare/yr


% annual precipitation % annual precipitation mm/hour mg/litre °C


ppm/8 hour kg/yr/hectare ppm


% site % site


% direct line of sight % m


% of soil mass %


FUTURARC 85


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