Omega Center for Sustainable Living

In 2006, the Omega Institute commissioned BNIM Architects to design a new 6,200 square foot facility and 4.5 acre site to serve as a new and highly sustainable wastewater filtration facility. The primary goal for this project was to overhaul the organization’s current wastewater disposal system for their 195-acre Rhinebeck campus by using alternative methods of treatment. As part of a larger effort to educate Omega Institute visitors, staff and local community on innovative wastewater strategies, Omega decided to showcase the system in a building that houses both the primary treatment cells and a classroom/laboratory. In addition to using the treated water for garden irrigation and in a greywater recovery system, Omega will use the system and building as a teaching tool in their educational program designed around the ecological impact of their campus. These classes will be offered to campus visitors, area school children, university students and other local communities.

The building’s design is intended to meet the US Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum standards and achieve certification as a Living Building. A goal for the project is to be the first Living Building in the region, if not the nation. To achieve this, the process is relying on a highly collaborative team of experts in wastewater, civil, landscape, mechanical and structural design with a history of working together on high-performance buildings. Through periodic all-team meetings and on-going collaboration, we aim to produce a highly integrated design and ultimately highly integrated building and site, regardless of the Living Building moniker.