Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
Omega Water Treatment Plant
OMEGA WATER TREATMENT PLANT
RHINEBECK, NEW YORK, US
BNIM ARCHITECTS
2009
In 2006, the Omega Institute commissioned BNIM to design a new, highly sustainable wastewater filtration facility with a strong educational component focused on water.
The Omega Institute is an institute that functions as a test campus for the Eco Machine technology invented by John Todd. It’s a large complex situated in the country side of the state of New York. It is near a very important watershed; the Hudson River. This river is of big importance to the local and regional ecosystem.
The institute houses an ecological wastewater treatment system that cleans the water by mimicking the processes of the natural world. All the water on the campus goes through the Eco Machine, where it is purified and cleaned. The water is being treated in a seven step process and is able to clear up to 20.000 litres of water per day.
The institute strives to be the most self-sufficient and thus does solar energy supply 100% of the electricity necessary for the functioning of the Eco Machine. Additionally, the campus is situated on the side of a hill, so the typography of the site helps the water to flow into the system itself.
This is the first US project to receive ‘Living’ status in Living Building Challenge 1.3 and LEED Platinum certification. To achieve this, the process relied on a highly collaborative team of experts in wastewater, civil, landscape, mechanical and structural design with a history of working together on high-performance buildings.
