The topic of water shortages is nothing new, as cities around the globe struggle with drought, water quality, supply constraints, and failing infrastructures. However, the idea of new plumbing codes and design standards working together to assist plumbing engineers in adding harvested rainwater systems to their design arsenal has been uncharted territory--until now.
With the publication of the 2010 IAPMO Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement (GPMCS), 2012 IAPMO Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), and the Rainwater Catchment Plumbing Engineering Design Standard by the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) and American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), the plumbing industry now has authoritative tools at its disposal to standardize the safe and reliable use of rainwater for potable and nonpotable applications.
Rainwater harvesting provisions were introduced in the GPMCS and the UPC by the IAPMO Green Technical Committee (GTC) as part of a broader effort to reduce the energy and water consumption of plumbing and mechanical systems while ensuring that these systems are safe and reliable. The GTC is comprised of the broadest group of expert stakeholders ever assembled to develop sustainable plumbing and mechanical requirements. ASPE and ARCSA are well represented on the GTC and played a critical role in the development of the first model code provisions for rainwater harvesting.
Jeffrey L. Ingertson, CPD, FASPE, ASPE's vice president of membership, serves as ASPE's official representative, while Bob Boulware, immediate past president of ARCSA (and an ASPE member), represents ARCSA. Larry N. Oliver, CPD, FASPE, former ASPE president, and April K. Trafton, president of Donald Dickerson and Associates, round out the slate of plumbing engineering members of the GTC. Additionally, more than 20 sustainable plumbing engineering experts serve among the more than 125 members of the 12 task groups that operate under the GTC.
Click here to view the white paper. +
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Apr 12, 2024
Habitat starts leasing Cassidy on Canal, a new luxury rental high-rise in Chicago
New 33-story Class A rental tower, designed by SCB, will offer 343 rental units.
Student Housing | Apr 12, 2024
Construction begins on Auburn University’s new first-year residence hall
The new first-year residence hall along Auburn University's Haley Concourse.
K-12 Schools | Apr 11, 2024
Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK
Eric Dinges named CEO of PBK Architects, Houston.
Construction Costs | Apr 11, 2024
Construction materials prices increase 0.4% in March 2024
Construction input prices increased 0.4% in March compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.4% for the month.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 11, 2024
The just cause in behavioral health design: Make it right
NAC Architecture shares strategies for approaching behavioral health design collaboratively and thoughtfully, rather than simply applying a set of blanket rules.
K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024
A San Antonio school will provide early childhood education to a traditionally under-resourced region
In San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA, which provides preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and HOLT Group, which owns industrial and other companies, recently broke ground on an early childhood education: the South Education Center.
University Buildings | Apr 10, 2024
Columbia University to begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building
Columbia University will soon begin construction on New York City’s first all-electric academic research building. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the 80,700-sf building for the university’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons will provide eight floors of biomedical research and lab facilities as well as symposium and community engagement spaces.
K-12 Schools | Apr 10, 2024
Surprise, surprise: Students excel in modernized K-12 school buildings
Too many of the nation’s school districts are having to make it work with less-than-ideal educational facilities. But at what cost to student performance and staff satisfaction?
Industrial Facilities | Apr 9, 2024
Confessions of a cold storage architect
Designing energy-efficient cold storage facilities that keep food safe and look beautiful takes special knowledge.
Cultural Facilities | Apr 8, 2024
Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center
When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.
