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Evaluation of alternative water sources for commercial buildings: A case study in Brisbane, Australia

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  • Cook, Stephen
  • Sharma, Ashok K
  • Gurung, Thulo Ram

Abstract

Commercial buildings are central to cities and contribute significantly to the urban demand for natural resources, including freshwater. Green building benchmarking tools include more efficient water use as key indicator of sustainability. This paper explores options for substituting mains drinking water with an alternative, non-potable water source on a fit for purpose basis. The research findings are based on a monitoring study of a commercial building in Brisbane, Australia that is harvesting rainwater for meeting non-potable water demand. The results demonstrated that the system is only achieving moderate reliability in meeting demand due to operational problems. The case study analysis has highlighted the need to include validation and monitoring to ensure the system is operating as per design intent. The paper also investigates the potential of other local, non-potable water sources for high-rise commercial buildings, in particular air conditioning condensate and groundwater inflow to a basement wet well. The paper concludes by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different local water sources which highlights the need to undertake a site specific investigation to identify a suitable alternative water source, which considers O&M complexity and the capacity of facilities management.

Suggested Citation

  • Cook, Stephen & Sharma, Ashok K & Gurung, Thulo Ram, 2014. "Evaluation of alternative water sources for commercial buildings: A case study in Brisbane, Australia," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 86-93.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:89:y:2014:i:c:p:86-93
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2014.05.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Graeme Newell, 2008. "The strategic significance of environmental sustainability by Australian‐listed property trusts," Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(6), pages 522-540, September.
    2. Jones, Matthew P. & Hunt, William F., 2010. "Performance of rainwater harvesting systems in the southeastern United States," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(10), pages 623-629.
    3. Stephen Cook & Ashok Sharma & Meng Chong, 2013. "Performance Analysis of a Communal Residential Rainwater System for Potable Supply: A Case Study in Brisbane, Australia," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(14), pages 4865-4876, November.
    4. Imteaz, Monzur Alam & Ahsan, Amimul & Shanableh, Abdallah, 2013. "Reliability analysis of rainwater tanks using daily water balance model: Variations within a large city," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 37-43.
    5. Imteaz, Monzur Alam & Shanableh, Abdallah & Rahman, Ataur & Ahsan, Amimul, 2011. "Optimisation of rainwater tank design from large roofs: A case study in Melbourne, Australia," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(11), pages 1022-1029.
    6. Matthias Ruth & Clark Bernier & Nigel Jollands & Nancy Golubiewski, 2007. "Adaptation of urban water supply infrastructure to impacts from climate and socioeconomic changes: The case of Hamilton, New Zealand," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(6), pages 1031-1045, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Imteaz, Monzur Alam & Paudel, Upendra & Ahsan, Amimul & Santos, Cristina, 2015. "Climatic and spatial variability of potential rainwater savings for a large coastal city," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 143-147.
    2. Peterson, Eric Laurentius, 2016. "Transcontinental assessment of secure rainwater harvesting systems across Australia," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 33-47.
    3. Gurung, Thulo Ram & Stewart, Rodney A. & Sharma, Ashok K. & Beal, Cara D., 2014. "Smart meters for enhanced water supply network modelling and infrastructure planning," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 34-50.
    4. Alkaya, Emrah & Demirer, Göksel Niyazi, 2015. "Water recycling and reuse in soft drink/beverage industry: A case study for sustainable industrial water management in Turkey," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 172-180.
    5. Tang, Xu & Li, Chunyan & Hu, Shiyuan & Liu, Yaolin & Geng, Hong, 2016. "Evaluating extended land consumption in building life cycle to improve land conservation: A case study in Shenyang, China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 78-89.

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