Page 8 - Green Builder Magazine Jul-Aug 2021

GREEN BUILDING NEWS
The latest on sustainability and renewable energy.

Megadrought’s Construction Fallout Begins

A tiny Utah city’s ban on new housing could be where all of the parched Western

U.S. is heading.

Severe drought in the Western United States has forced the small
Utah city of Oakley to pull the plug on new construction until at
least the end of the year. The 1,750 member community, about
one hour east of Salt Lake City, is one of the first in the nation
to purposely stall growth due to a megadrought-induced water
shortage, according to a report in The New York Times. It may be
a harbinger of things to come in a hotter, drier West, experts warn.
Utah’s population shot up 18 percent from 2010 to 2020,
making it the country’s fastest-growing state, according to Cen-
sus data. But now almost 100 percent of Utah is locked in severe
drought conditions and reservoirs statewide are less than half
full, The Times notes. Locales like Oakley, which is spending
$2 million to find new water sources through drilling and
pumping, are struggling to hang on as lawns and fields go
brown, and four-figure fines are issued for water conserva-
tion offenders.
Advance warning. There will be no new homes in Oakley, Utah until the In June, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox asked for a weekend of prayer to
city’s—and region’s—drought concerns are relieved. That’s not going to ask for rain. “It’s just brutal right now,” Cox says. “If we continue
happen in the near future, according to weather experts. to grow at the rate we are now, and have another drought like
this in 10 years, there will be real drinking-water implications.”
CREDIT: SDI PRODUCTIONS/ISTOCK

Seattle Work has begun in Seattle on what is
reportedly the world’s largest net zero
energy high-rise apartment building.
Breaks According to site developer Sustainable
Living Innovations (SLI), the 15-story
303 Battery building will include solar
Ground on on the building’s roof, exterior walls
and balconies; underfloor
radiant
heating in units; captured rainwater
Net Zero and reclaimed graywater; regenerative
gear elevators, and daylight sensors to
reduce power use throughout the build-
High Rise ing. Apartments will also include smart Neighborhood (eco) watch. Seattle’s high-rise
apartment scene will soon be joined by a high-rise that
home features such as app-controlled
blinds, thermostats, lighting and locks. is greener, grander and more affordable than its
The 15-story building SLI CEO Arlan Collins says 303 Bat- multi-story counterparts.
CREDIT: COURTESY OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING INNOVATIONS
tery “marks a milestone” in addressing
will include solar climate change. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings account for 40 per-
power, reclaimed cent of U.S. greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions. 303 Battery produces none, Collins notes. The
structure is expected to be completed in summer 2022.
rainwater, smart home It also helps address the city’s rental housing crisis—27 of the building’s 112 units are des-
ignated as affordable—and adds jobs to an area that was hit hard by the pandemic, according
devices—and to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. “[GhG] emissions from the building sector are the second-
affordable units. largest contributor to climate pollution,” Durkan says. “As a city, we must do all we can to
invest in innovative solutions that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

6 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2021 www.greenbuildermedia.com