6 minute read
Talking Point
PRIORITISING WATER MANAGEMENT IN DESIGN SAFETY FOR BUILDINGS
With severe weather-related events on the increase, there is a growing need for our buildings to rise to the challenge and protect both lives and livelihoods. In this article, Paul Winnett, Sales Director, Building Services & OEM at Xylem Water Solutions UK & Ireland, discusses how to alleviate safety concerns.
Advertisement
Paul Winnett is Sales Director, Building Services & OEM at Xylem Water Solutions UK & Ireland. Having worked at Xylem for over 30 years, Paul brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the customisation of solutions for applications and designs to be on the latest trends in the building services and industrial markets.
Heavy rain and flash flooding are becoming more and more common. Experts estimate that flood damage costs the UK around £1.3bn each year. And with extreme weather set to become a more common occurrence as the climate crisis worsens, scientists have warned the British Government, businesses and householders must take steps to protect against future harm.
Keeping people safe and preventing flood damage is becoming an increasing priority for our public buildings, most notably for hospitals and care homes where occupants are most vulnerable.
Buildings need to be designed to cope with today’s demands, but also to be futureproofed and ready to handle the additional capacity needed in years to come. Technology is helping to drive prioritisation of safety in building systems of all scales, both to protect occupants and the structure from damage in the face of extreme weather events. A range of measures deploying intelligent equipment and advanced analytics can alleviate safety concerns, from improving management of wastewater and stormwater to boosting the safety of drinking water. With this article, consultants and architects, as well as building owners and users, can gain insights into the steps that can be taken to protect and prepare our public buildings for whatever the future holds. Safety from the ground up
In-built safety starts with design, to forecast issues before they happen and to create buildings that can adapt accordingly. This applies both externally – to cope with extreme weather events like storms – and internally, by boosting intake water quality for example, or by ensuring the supply and flow of heat and clean air within buildings is not interrupted.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) allows planners and consultants to build a digital simulation of how the system will act to anticipate the needs of a resilient building. Information from pump assets is collected, managed and exchanged to ensure safety at every stage around the building, for maximum reliability and adaptability in both new-build and renovation projects.
Three steps to safer buildings
Creating the most effective and reliable public buildings depends on the technology provided by its building systems:
Intelligent equipment capable of sensing environmental conditions to adjust its operation accordingly, to bring significant energy savings of up to 70%
Smart network and services enable collection of data from connected equipment, the central control of system operation and pro-active
optimisation of each building system for maximum safety and energy efficiency
Advanced data analytics convert useful data into information for the relevant building system to allow for preemptive optimisation; this datadriven decision-making allows systems to use water and energy in the most effective way.
Say farewell to flooding
Preventing site flooding is a key challenge in construction. Pumping systems for managing waste, stormwater and drainage can be tailored for each individual facility, allowing for a futureproofed design to meet both current and predicted demands with a consistentlyreliable performance.
Easy installation and serviceability is a must for an environment where downtime is not an option. The Flygt Concertor, for example, is capable of sensing the operating conditions of its environment, adapting its performance in real time and providing feedback; selfcleaning technology can bring peace of mind while reducing operational costs by saving energy.
In addition, smart monitoring options mean building systems can be operated and supervised remotely if necessary, allowing potential failures to be predicted and rectified before they occur.
Safer handling of wastewater
For any public building, handling wastewater safely and efficiently is a major pain point – particularly with the added hazards that come from a medical environment.
Intelligent equipment, like the Concertor, can manage solids, fat, paper and other objects thanks to its innovative self-cleaning impeller that can lower energy use, deliver optimal functioning and reduce unplanned service call-outs to avoid any interruptions in service. By sensing its environment and adjusting its processes accordingly, it drastically reduces unplanned downtime, making it a vital tool for hospitals at a time of unprecedented demand. Decreasing the discharge of pharmaceutical residues from hospitals into the environment has been the focus of extensive research and investment throughout Europe. With hospitals identified as local sources for such pollution, one district hospital in Germany partnered with Xylem to trial an ozone system for the advanced removal of micropollutants from its wastewater.
The Wedeco system, used as a second stage of treatment after an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor, successfully eliminated more than 90% of pharmaceutical residues. The solution was capable of handling a flow rate of up to 32m³ per hour and included an onsite oxygen generation system to ensure reliable use.
Protecting the water supply
The latest developments in UV and ozone treatment have a growing role to play in tackling chlorine-resistant pathogens, such as cryptosporidium, ideal when providing safe drinking water to protect vulnerable patients and care home residents. UV systems are among the most effective method for disinfecting bacteria from the water: the ultraviolet rays penetrate harmful pathogens and kill them, rendering them inactive.
A regional clinic in Germany harnessed the power of UV with the installation of a Spektron 10e system to treat the water entering the building at a flow rate of 10m3 per hour. This has ensured all water being distributed in the building is bacteria-free to offer an additional layer of protection for patients.
Security of water supplies
As we look to the future, as well as flooding, droughts are also increasingly likely: by 2050, it’s projected that more than five billion people could suffer water shortages. As water resources become scarcer, more must be done to ensure security of our water – beginning with improved legislation to make the most of what is available.
In 2019, to celebrate Manchester City Football Club retaining the Premier League title, Xylem teamed up with the club and the Heineken Manchester brewery to produce Raining Champions, a limitededition beer made with purified rainwater collected from the rooftop of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. The rainwater was purified to the highest drinking water standards using Xylem’s advanced treatment technologies, including filtration, ultraviolet light and powerful oxidation.
The brew was part of a broader partnership between Xylem and Manchester City to engage and educate football fans globally about water challenges and the actions the public can take to make a difference. The same year, Xylem partnered with a water utility in Berlin, Berliner Wasserbetriebe and the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water to produce Reuse Brew – a beer made from purified and treated wastewater to demonstrate that the technical possibilities of turning wastewater into drinking water are almost limitless.
Preparing for the future
Alleviating safety concerns in our buildings means working to protect occupants and structures now – as well as protecting resources for the future. Designing with this protection in mind brings the power to create buildings able to withstand whatever the future brings.
Whether preparing for flooding or drought, public buildings have to become even more adaptable and flexible with an emphasis on selfsufficiency to ensure they can cope with the changing needs of the populations using them.
From better wastewater management to water disinfection that put safety first, installing the most reliable and effective systems can safeguard the future.
