§         Can the influence of a building extend beyond its footprint? 

The concept of an environmental footprint describes the land area needed to accommodate a population’s use of resources and dissemination of its waste products.   In other words, how much land we need for what we use and what we leave behind. It is estimated that we currently need 1.2 planet earths to accommodate our consumption and waste practices.  While globally it requires about 5 acres of land to accommodate each person’s environmental footprint, it requires about 25 acres to accommodate the average American’s footprint.  We have a long way to go to return our practices to an even keel.  Buildings are a main contributor to our wasteful practices. The Federal Reserve will consume somewhere between 40 and 50% less energy than other downtown buildings. The ripples of influence just in energy usage alone extend far beyond the footprint of the building itself. Resources aren’t used. Dollars are saved and put to better use. Pollutants that would have resulted from energy production are not introduced to the environment.   In using less, we leave more for those who come after.  Better yet,  we leave a legacy of better stewardship, a sustainable model for others to follow. There’s more . The earth itself does a better job of treating rainwater than mankind could hope to do. Rainwater filtered through the earth is returned faster and cleaner (and less expensively) to our aquifer than if treated first by municipal water treatment facilities. The renovation of the Federal Reserve looks to capture the rainwater that falls on the roofs of the buildings and use that water for non-potable uses, like watering the landscaping. It further seeks to ease runoff, letting the excess rainwater return directly to the aquifer through the natural filtering processes of the soil.

§         Can one building really make a difference in our community? 

We certainly hope so. Birmingham deserves be seen in terms of its future, not simply its past. So the first difference we hope to make with the renovation of the Federal Reserve is in being able to present Birmingham’s rich fabric – to show the reality of the City’s future as a vibrant downtown community. The renovation of the Federal Reserve also seeks to inspire a community of builders and developers.  This project aims to serve as an example for sustainable development that lives up to stringent financial standards, helping to overcome the dated perception that sustainable building and renovation are financially unfeasible. Every sustainable project in the community furthers the momentum of the overall trend toward “green” building and development, a trend that will serve the community in many ways and for many years.

§         Can a building serve as a catalyst for change?

We’ve seen plenty of examples of the reverse: buildings that continue wasteful consumption of our resources.  We need a wiser set of examples. Biologist Janine Benyus encourages us to mimick the smart, time-tested designs that occur in nature.  Can we construct a building that draws energy as efficiently as the photoplasts in a leaf?  We can design walls that move as flexibly as the live oaks that survived Hurricane Katrina?  We are not at this level – yet.  But we are seeing a whole new generation of buildings that inspire us to rethink buildings completely.  Our company and our projects aim to make contributions to that inspiring dialogue.   Culturally, the Federal Reserve renovation and Tower contributes to the ongoing revitalization of Birmingham’s downtown core.  This project seeks to be about limiting its impacts on the natural world while fostering positive impacts on the long-term viability of the community.  Developed well, the Federal Reserve should inspire others to do the same:  to build structures that sustain our environment, nurture our community, and engender financial opportunity.

§         How can I share in the lessons learned from this project?  

ComPost:  This is a deliberate play on reusing what we have consumed mingled with connotations of communicating our ideas with one another.   Sustainable development has gained momentum in recent years. But, the more we learn, the more we realize what we don’t know.  We also discover that knowledge and information is still a far cry from wisdom.  A key step in this evolution in understanding and ethics is slow, thoughtful, deliberative communication with one another. ComPost is a place where we can share information, ideas, news and dreams. We’ll post various bits of news and thinking here.

We invite you to do the same.  To engage in dialogue with us, please click here.