Tuesday, October 11, 2011

U.S. Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan, On The Cutting Edge Of Diplomatic Water Efficiency







(Photo from embassy website.)








OBO (the Office of Overseas Buildings Operations) cut another ribbon this week, this time on the 84th new building to be completed under the capital security construction program. That program is a tragic legacy of the 1999 Embassy Bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

Here's the press release. United States Dedicates New Embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam:

Occupying a 5.3-acre site in the Diplomatic Enclave, the new Embassy compound replaces the prior facility in the Teck Guan Plaza building located in downtown Bandar Seri Begawan.

The new Embassy compound incorporates several sustainable features, most notably an irrigation system that utilizes Brunei Darussalam’s abundant natural rain. The facility is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, and will be submitted for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating system.

-- snip --

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. interests worldwide. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.


The local press in Brunei has some more on that LEED® green building sustainability stuff:

According to Mr Evans, the Managing Director for the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operation (OBO) Construction, Facility and Security Management Directorate, "The new embassy is registered with the US Green Building Council and will be submitted for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. The building uses advance irrigation system that utilises natural rainwater, waterless urinal as well as energy efficient lightings in the building.


Waterless what now? Urinals? Yes, and you can expect to see them coming to an embassy office building near you because waterless urinals play a major part in OBO's initiative on water efficiency:

Indoor strategies that OBO incorporates include low-flow plumbing fixtures, faucet aerators, dual flush toilets and waterless urinals. OBO further supports posts with a waterless urinal replacement program for older, more water-intensive plumbing fixtures in facilities that demonstrate high consumption and high cost.


I kind of understand how those waterless devices work, with a liquid sealant vapor block and so forth. Still, I find the whole concept a bit disconcerting. Would it really be asking too much for a little water to flush that bad boy? Considering that Brunei has 7.5 feet of "abundant natural rain" annually, compared to just 2.5 feet for the United States, why are we going to extremes to save a little water there?

I like LEED®-green-sustainable-ecological-efficient building design as much as anybody, but, please, how about a little more concern for the microclimate inside the men's room?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's great TSB! By 2013 with the Texas drought in in it's 5th year we will be able to produce those things in Rick Perry's new oil state "Lone Star" and supply all the places in the world that used to get enough rainfall !! (Don't let the Chicoms get ahold of this!)
gwb

Anonymous said...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/seal-beach-shooting-victims-throughout-entire-salon.html

TSB: Because of the news blackout about this guy I suspect he's ex afghan GI who got tossed instead of treated. gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Juan Cole has 10 reasons the big terror arrest is probably a fairy tale. Evidently the guy is a lot like me.. always losing car keys, important documents, cell phones and making ridiculous claims! See what you think? gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: This has "FAIRY TALE" written all over it! gwb

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/13/world/meast/iran-saudi-plot/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

U.S. official: 'Multiple' sources strengthen case against Iran By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 5:35 AM EST, Fri October 14, 2011

TSB said...

I don't know. That Iranian-American used car dealer wasn't from the A Team, but then, even the Israelis have sometimes used amateurs and had assassinations go horribly wrong (Lillihammer, Norway, 1972).

The Iranians could plead that they would have used a Predator drone, and then it would have been legal, but our embargo prevents them from getting military technology.

Anonymous said...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/13/world/meast/iran-saudi-plot/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

TSB: This CNN story does nothing to "Strengthen the case against Iran". Even lilgwb wouldn't wire
$1 million to the Zetas and expect the neighbor across the street not to get an FBI visit. Only Andrea Mitchell and troglodytes trust EHolder and the FBI anymore. Risen and his book "State of War" (2006) are seeing to that lately. gwb

Anonymous said...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016507956_gregoire15m.html
Farm-labor shortage a crisis, Gregoire says

With too few hands to pick the apples in Washington state, Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire says the farm-labor shortage has prompted a crisis.
TSB: E-verify is being used by Gregoire as a political football.
(There are no ads for apple pickers in Wenatchee) Immigration is a mess! gwb

TSB said...

Gregoire is on her seasonal lobbying trip, eh? "Open the borders if you ever want to eat an apple again" (according to the employers of illegal apple-pickers). "Americans won't do those jobs" (at piecework rates that amount to minimum wage or less). "We can't afford to pay for legal labor" (maybe so, but the real alternative is to invest in mechanical harvesters, like the grape and tomato and cherry operations do, but that would cost more than exploiting cheap and abundant illegal labor).

Economic bottom line = there is no such thing as a shortage, just prices that politically-connected businessmen would rather not pay.

Anonymous said...

Es verdad comandante! I wonder what job she is angling for? Eric Holder replacement? gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Matt Taibbi has the only great advice I've seen for OWS.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012

If this thing keeps growing we could get BIG changes now, not later. Then we could all tell Rudy
Giulliani to "Get A Room!!" (That was his advice to OWS.) I think this whole thing will help Obama to decide not to run next year.
gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Some great "iconic" pics of Julian Assange addressing the London crowd after arriving in a mask and being grabbed by the "Bobbies"!! It reminds me of all the anonymous sources we have to rely on for our "news". gwb

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049486/Global-protests-Occupy-London-Stock-Exchange-takes-City.html

Anonymous said...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049486/Global-protests-Occupy-London-Stock-Exchange-takes-City.html

TSB: Some pretty iconic pictures of Julian Assange arriving in a mask and then addressing huge London crowd for OWS! gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Did you see the F&F story about the US based hand grenade manufacturer guy who got caught sending 124 grenades to Mejico in a tire? Evidently some of these grenades were used in that Monterrey Casino attack. The media dropped that story real fast! I wonder what is the profit margin on home made hand grenades? Also, I think they should arrest that guy! gwb

Anonymous said...

Here are the stories on letting the hand grenades "walk" to Mexico.

http://www.gunweek.com/1001issue/fastfurious1001.html

http://www.chicagonow.com/publius-forum/2011/09/illegal-hand-grenade-dealer-let-slip-by-batf-indiana-joins-gunrunner-scheme/

TSB said...

'Operation Grenade-Walker' seems pretty damming. The receivers were La Familia Michoacana, enemy of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. Therefore, our ATF operations were objectively - I'm not saying intentionally - anti-Zetas and pro-Sinaloa, the same as President Calderon.

Issa's committee will take this up along with Operation F&F and Operation Castaway.