Gallagher Hall Regenerative Food and Waste System

Gallagher Hall houses the Graduate School of Management on the UC Davis campus. The existing building design is LEED Certified Platinum, integrating sustainable solutions like geothermal heating and cooling, recycled materials, and construction waste diversion. The proposed design adapts mechanisms to make the building more sustainable and energy efficient. The regenerative building design was achieved by advancing both the water and food/waste systems in the building.

The mechanisms of solar water distillation mimic the distillation process of rain in nature. The sun's energy heats water to the evaporation point. As water evaporates, water vapor rises, condenses on the glass surface, and is collected. This process removes impurities from on and off-site storm water. Post-filtered gray and black water are distilled in separate solar still systems. Black and graywater are diverted into a secondary treatment and settling tank. Waste is given time to settle, and bacteria create an aerobic system, digesting nutrients and oxygen and breaking down any solid particles. Post-filtered water is then chlorinated per local health authority guidelines. Black and gray water is used for plant irrigation on green roofs and gardens. The intensity of solar energy falling on the still is the single most important parameter affecting production. The daily distilled water output (M e in kg/m2 day) is the amount of energy utilized in vaporizing water in the still (Q e in J/m2 day) over the latent heat of vaporization of water (L in J/kg). Solar still efficiency (n) is the amount of energy utilized in vaporizing water in the still over the amount of solar energy on the still (Q tin J/m2 day). (Academic Project)