Hampshire College
The RW Kern Center is designed to embody Hampshire College’s mission of fostering positive change in the world – and to meet the Living Building Challenge. Berkshire Design provided the engineering services for this unique and innovative net zero water project designed by Bruner Cott Architects. The recently completed building will provide 100% of the building’s drinking water from a rainwater capture system with on-site treatment. The project will treat its own wastewater through the use of composting toilets and on-site treatment and disposal of greywater. Stormwater is captured by a series of rain gardens sized to infiltrate virtually all runoff to groundwater. Berkshire Design has also worked extensively with faculty and staff at the College, which has integrated the Kern Center’s systems into classes teaching environmental engineering, microbiology and numerical modeling. Student project were ongoing before the building was even complete studying the impact and efficiency of these water systems.
