From Boulder Daily Camera 11/30/09

When you talk to Joseph Vigil, principal

architect and co-owner of VaST Architecture,

about his work, words like Passion and

Inspiration come up – more than once.

Vigil and his wife and business partner Brandy LeMae founded the award-winning Boulder firm in 2000 to bring high-performance architecture, site planning and green design to an array of construction projects, from ground-up new homes to complete renovations.

The media has been quick to take notice of this small design firm with big plans. VaST projects have been featured on HGTV’s “World’s Greenest Homes,” in national architecture magazines and in books on green building. As a full service studio, they have even created identity and package design forBoulder Valley businesses.

The VaST portfolio includes impressive custom homes, restaurant remodels and municipal projects. But behind contemporary silhouettes, colorful fascia and dramatic site installations, pure architecture often happens at thenuts-and-bolts level, as architects design and specify the systems and infrastructure that make our buildings perform like perfectly tuned engines. Sometimes, it just comes down to how we flush our toilets.

VaST Architecture has recently been working with Thistle Community Housing to replace a multi-family building that was demolished after a fire destroyed the original structure. “Our goal is always to bring the highest degree of sustainability and eco-centered components to every project,” Vigilexplains, “and the Thistle project was a great opportunity to show that green building practices don’t have to be limited to just high-end concept design.”

One of the upgraded efficiencies is the addition of a graywater system, which is projected to save up to 30 percent of the building’s total water usage. Graywater systems work by capturing the effluent water from baths, showers, sinks and washing machines and channeling it into water-saving applications – likeflushing toilets. The practice is new to many municipalities, so codes and regulations are still being worked out.

Vigil, who sits on the board of the Boulder Green Building Guild, had sent out an e-mail to the membership requesting donationsof goods and services to help support the Thistle project. “I got a call from Mike Vail at WaterLegacy. He was interested in thefeasibility of building a graywater system into the new building’slaundry facility, which includes eight washers and dryers.”

“We know water shortages are an increasing problem, and we cannot afford to keep using fresh water this way,” Mike Vail says, explaining thatthe typical home uses 30 percent of its fresh water to flush toilets.“Graywater is treatable and can beeasily made safe,” Mike Vail says.

Water Legacy’s system uses the dual disinfecting effects of hydrogenperoxide and UV rays to deliver safeand odorless water to toilet flush tanks. If no gray water is currently stored, then the system draws from fresh water supply. “We think this may be the first multi-family installation of a graywater system inthe nation,” Vail says.

Thistle’s graywater system, which Joseph Vigil estimates will costaround $12,000, is just part of VaST Architecture’s planning to lower utility costs and bring sustainability to the new residences. “We’re working on raising enough funds to install fiberglass windows, which require little maintenance and last much longer than wood or vinyl windows.”

Vigil says that working on the Thistle Housing project has been a rewarding experience, and he is quick to mention that this has been a group effort. “There were many parties involved in this project, and every one has contributed significantly. We look forward to completing this project very soon; we expect to have people enjoying their new Thistle homes in February.”

Thistle Community Housing executive director Mary Roosevelt says that VaST has been “a reliable resource for information in the field of green building, and can translate and coordinate the significant building requirements for energy points as required in our municipality. Joseph has graciously educated Thistle staff on the benefits of using ‘green’ products and techniques, while demonstrating how they fit into our projects.”

The Denver Water Board is raising the rate you pay for water by 13%.  Additionally, water users should expect to see increases continually for next couple of years.  This information is noted in the Denver Post’s editorial page on November 15th , 2009.  www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_13776994?source=pophome

Water Legacy asks:  Should we be concerned?

Our mission is conservation through reusing greywater to flush your toilets. Reusing greywater causes less water (up to 30%) therefore reducing your consumption of fresh residential water.  In Denver, the water rates have already gone up 81% since 2001.  The biggest challenge facing water conservation is that people expect the price of water to be cheap and the supply abundant.  As prices increase, one will look at reduction of cost and that is through conservation. 

We ask that Denverites and citizens of the west become more fully aware of methods of water consumption reduction and take time to evaluate the use of greywater to flush your toilets.

The Colorado Sustainable Design Awards sets a high standard for new construction in both commercial and residential green building.  The most recent awards,  judged on standards set by the Colorado chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute Colorado and the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado in partnership with ColoradoBiz magazine, gave the first and second place residential award to homes with the Water Legacy WL55 Greywater Recycling System.

This statewide program seeks to recognize the builders who construct both commercial and residential units that meet a set of established guidelines for saving energy and reducing your carbon footprint. Our greywater reuse system was cited prominently in both homes located in Boulder county as one of the leading edge clean technology advancements that set the winners apart.  “Case in point: The winning entry in the residential category – which required lobbying the city of Boulder to allow recycling of gray water – was commissioned by a homeowner who scoffed at the city’s new “green build” guidelines. The sustainable features he had in mind for his home, he told his architect, would trump anything the city required. And he was willing to spend a lot of money to include them.” ColoradoBIZ Magazine, November 2, 2009.

The WL55 was noted by the judges as one of the features in the homes that is marked for future expansion and usage in all building.  To see more about the awards and the winners visit ColoradoBiz Magazine at http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/csda-beyond-the-call-of-green/