4. 4
atlanta
a land-locked city with a dearth
of adequate water resources
great fire of 1917, nearly 2,000 structures burnt
to the gound in the old fourth ward. courtsey of
atlanta journal-constitution.
5. 5
perseverance
two dates mark the
establishment and the second
emergence of the city after
rising from the ashes of general
sherman’s march
the city’s motto “reurgens” speaks of atlanta’s
determination to survive against all odds and to
rise again. courtsey of the city of atlanta.
6. 6
resurgens
a home designed to thrive in
adversity
june 2015, water main break floods i75-85
connector in downtown atlanta.
courtsey of atlanta journal-constitution.
7. 7
resurgens
a home to resurrect derelict
communities with sustainable
design
current condition of west atlanta’s blighted
english ave. & vine city neighborhoods,
courtsey of national public radio atlanta.
8. 8
resurgens
a home designed to thrive in
adversity.
even though modern life safety
has matured and greatly
decreased mortality rates due
to fire, water challenges still
plague the atlanta metro region.
although exponentially better
than how things were, the tri-
state water wars, geographic
landforms, and an aging,
obsolete water infrastructure
system still hinder atlanta’s
water quality.
we believe the atlanta home
of tomorrow, will be able to
control its own water quality
while alleviating strain and
excessive consumption on
regional utilities
11. 11
RESURGENS
Atlanta, Georgia has always been a an
enduring city that has survived hardships
that would have severely hindered others. By
luck or destiny, Atlanta is still here today and
continues to thrive. Atlantans enjoy four lush
seasons, mild winters and warm summers with
some of the highest rainfall totals in the United
States on average. Atlanta is known as a city in
the forest with a denser tree canopy than most
US cities. Rem Koolhaus says,
“Atlanta is a landscape
and not a city.”
This statement alludes to Atlanta’s nearly un-
regulated sprawl into the current 10 county
metropolitan region that lacks high-density,
Sprawling
Metropolis
urban form that a typical city of its size would.
Metro Atlanta is home to over 6 million people
and had a growth rate of 1.27% in 2015
according to Forbes Inc. By 2040, the Atlanta
Regional Commission (ARC) expects the
Atlanta metro area to reach 8 million.
Atlanta was originally established as a
transportation center in the early 19th century.
Three major rail lines that converged at its
once named Terminus, helped spur growth and
economic development. Today it continues to
be a leader in the transportation of goods and
people with Hartsfield-Jackson International
Airport, the busiest airport in the world, and its
vast interstate highway system.
RIGHT Atlanta Sprawl.
courtesy by atlanta regional
commission
12. 12
RESURGENS
Inadequate
Water Sources
Atlanta is one of three major US cities not built
upon a large source of water. Dallas, Texas
and Denver, Colorado being the other two.
Finding enough water to meet the demands of
a growing city has always been a struggle for
Atlanta.
Granite geology and absence
of a large underground
aquifer have forced residents
to tap into rivers and create
reservoirs for water.
Atlanta is a host to several river basins that
flow from the Appalachian Mountains to the
Gulf of Mexico through Georgia, Alabama and
Florida. Atlanta is located in the Apalachicola,
Chattahoochee, Flint (ACF) and Alabama,
Coosa, Tallapoosa (ACT) river basins.
The Chattahooche River provides Atlanta with
its drinking water and was also perpetually
used as a sewage dump causing a major
health epidemic at the turn of the 20th century.
A series of water treatment plants were built
to maintain the river as a viable resource for
drinking water, power generation, agriculture,
aquaculture and recreation.
The region is blessed with abundant rainfall
in excess of 50 inches; which is more than
Seattle, WA on average. However, Atlanta
is also prone to cyclical droughts and dry
seasons that do not produce a steady rainfall
year round.
Reservoirs were constructed using dams that
allowed Lake Lanier in the ACF river basin
and Lake Allatoona in the ACT river basin to
become municipal water resources. Even so,
this practice reduces the volume and quality
of the water as it flows to the Gulf of Mexico,
creating challenges for Alabama and Florida.
RIGHT watershed map of Georgia (Atlanta
metro region outlined in black) courtesey by
Atlanta Regional Commission
13. 13
RESURGENS
Water Scarcity
According to the Atlanta Department of the
Watershed, the City of Atlanta has roughly
3 days worth of raw water
in reserve for about 475,000
residents within the city
limits, Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport and all
of its visitors.
To acquire drinking water when all reserves
have run dry or have been deemed unusable
is estimated to cost nearly $100 million a
day. A new 2.4 billion gallon water reservoir
is currently under construction in the former
Bellwood quarry between the Chattahoochee
River and the Hemphill Water Treatment Facility
that can potentially boost reserves from 3 to 30
days. The new Westside Reservoir will also be
a park and is connected to the future Atlanta
Beltline westside trail and has been set to be
open in 2018.
The 1990s also marked the re-awakening of
the water quality struggle in Atlanta. Failing to
meet water quality standards set by the EPA
in the metro area, Atlanta suffered annual
fines in the millions of dollars to the federal
government to keep its water clean and for
using a combined sewer overflow (CSO)
system. In 2002, former Mayor Shirley Franklin
intiated Clean Water Atlanta, a billion dollar,
5-point plan to rehabilitate Atlanta’s water
infrastructure.
Most of Atlanta’s water infrastructure dates
back to the late 19th century according to
the Department of the Watershed. The aging
system will need to be completely upgraded
and replaced over the next 10-20 years to
handle the increased demand of a growing
region and continue to meet water quality
standards.
Clean Water Atlanta added one cent to the
sales tax in Fulton County and increased
Atlanta’s monthly combined water utility rates
to some of the highest in the country according
to Circle of Blue.
RIGHT map of US
household’s monthly water
utility prices in 2015 (water,
sewer & stormwater)
courtesey by circle of blue
14. 14
RESURGENS
The Tri-State
Water Wars
The Tri-state water wars officially began when
Alabama & Florida filed lawsuits with the Army
Corps of Engineers in 1990 for equal water
apportionment from the ACF & ACT river
basins.
In the late 1980s, two of region’s biggest users
of the river, a nuclear power plant & a paper
mill, both suffered from poor flow on the river in
Alabama.
The sediment quality and
water flow needed for
Apalachicola Bay oysters
to thrive was also failing to
keep this $80 million dollar
industry afloat
The thirsty Atlanta metro area with its
combined sewer and storm water system
significantly reduced its flow and was
contaminated with toxins & bacteria.
This struggle continued through the 1990s with
futile negotiations and state leaders threatening
military action for access to water resources.
A regional drought worsened relations and
threatened water rationing.
The 2000s were filled with federal court
hearings and rulings to shut-down Atlanta’s
water from Lake Lanier without a viable plan.
This ruiling sought to reprimand the region
for uncontrolled growth over the past 30
years. Overnight, Atlanta implemented water
conservation strategies as opposed to fighting
for more water rights. This ideology has bought
more time in this ongoing conflict.
In 2015, the Army Corps of Engineers
released a Master Water Control Manual and
Environmental Impact Statement for the ACF
River basin to outline how it plans to supply
water to metro Atlanta from Lake Lanier with a
final version due in 2017.
ABOVE alabama, georgia &
florida river basins. courtsey
of circle of blue
15. 15
RESURGENS
In metro Atlanta and across Georgia,
invisible heavy metals and other toxins
including radioactive substances are found
in the drinking water. The presence of
these pollutants transpires from agricultural
processes, run-off from industrial plants &
roadways, effluent from the Vogtle & Hatch
nuclear power plants and fracking.
Pockets of higher cancer incidence that are
attributed to contaminated drinking water are
beginning to appear across Georgia and have
started decreasing the quality of life. In Burke
County, Georgia, where the Vogtle nuclear
power plant provides energy for parts of metro
Atlanta & North Georgia,
Cancer rates have risen
25% higher than the national
average since 1976
when the plant first opened. An expansion of
the plant that includes 2 new reactors is set to
be operational by 2020.
New technologies remove most toxins & heavy
metals from drinking water such as arsenic and
chromium. Safe drinking water helps combat
neuro-developmental disorders, cancers and
other pollution related diseases especially in
children & the elderly.
The EPA and USGS regularly monitor Atlanta
rivers and creeks for water quality. These tests
have the ability to detect around 100 of the
6,000 possible toxins known by the EPA in
water sources. One of the tests used is the
specific conductance of water.
Invisible Threat
The specific conductance of water can reveal
the amount of substances in water by the
electric conductance of their ions. In Atlanta,
Proctor Creek and Woodall
Creek both have more than
quadruple the average level
of pollution compared to
other water bodies in the
metro area.
After a rainstorm, the pH levels of these creeks
also increase to above average levels, again,
signalling an elevated level of pollution in the
water.
The Proctor Creek watershed flows from areas
that include Downtown Atlanta, Interstate
20, Georgia Tech and Midtown through
Bankhead Community and Maddox park to the
Chattahoochee River. Bankhead, neighboring
English Ave and West Midtown communities
suffer from disenfranchisement, elevated
poverty and crime rates.
16. 16
RESURGENS
Part of the
Solution
Future development in the Area is being
spearheaded by the Westside Communities
Alliance, the Atlanta Beltline and the Emerald
Corridor Foundation. These groups plan
to connect the Atlanta Beltline through the
area and help increase development while
advocating for current residents and increasing
their quality of life. Cleaning up Proctor Creek
and providing proper water management are
major parts of these projects.
Being part of the watershed and a consumer
of water resources, the Solar Home Team at
Georgia Tech aims to be part of the solution in
metro Atlanta water challenges by providing an
idea for housing that utilizes methods to reduce
water consumption, increase water quality and
reduce energy consumption as well as increase
awareness of environmental & community
issues. We seek to champion the idea of
sustainable living in energy, water and waste to
produce a resilient and environmentally neutral
home. This new sustainable home model will
have techniques and strategies that could
apply to other homes, commercial buildings
and institutions throughout metropolitan Atlanta
and elsewhere.
Our goal is to create a
machine for living that
achieves net-zero energy
and near net-zero water
status while also addressing
local community concerns
and providing conscious
development.
RIGHT Abandoned Bankhead
Highway bridge near North
Ave. Atlanta. courtesy by
atlanta regional commission
17. 17
RESURGENS
Our Vision
Our Mission
The Solar Home Team at Georgia Tech
seeks to create a new machine for living.
This home will incorporate the
best interests of its occupants, the
community, local ecosystems, the
environment and the planet.
This house will eliminate waste through
a reduction of consumption by system
efficiency and occupant behavior.
All compostable materials including
trash and human excrement will be
collected, composted and processed on
site for future use.
A positive feedback system will address
occupant behaviors to better educate
residents and inspire best practices.
All efforts will be focused to conserve
We seek to design, engineer & build a home for living
that addresses community challenges of providing
more affordable, higher quality
water with better local stormwater management
influence and reinforce conscious resident behaviors
that conserve water and save energy
achieve net-zero energy and near net-zero water status
resources including energy, water,
renewable products, and time
everywhere possible while not hindering
quality of life.
All potable water will be filtered of
detectable toxins to produce water
quality that exceeds federal standards.
All components of the house will
be carefully chosen to be red label
compliant when possible.
This machine for living will push the
envelope for sustainable ideas and
technologies so that we can create
a better quality of life today and for
future generations in Atlanta, across
Georgia and beyond.
18. 18
RESURGENS
Westside Revival
Utilizing current developmental plans for West
Atlanta neighborhoods that specify “smart”
housing, Resurgens will achieve net-zero
energy and net-zero water statuses to become
a more sustainable option for living and reduce
water & energy demands on the already
exhausted regional utilities.
Recognizing the issue of poverty &
gentrification in an already destitute area of
Atlanta, we seek to viable price pacakages for
home owners of all income levels. The goal of
sustainability would be lost if it was a privledge
and not a available to all wanting to embrace it.
RAIN WATER
HARVESTING
GRAY WATER
FILTER 01
CLEAN WATER
HOLDING
USE
RECYCLE
WATER PURIFICATION
(UV/RO)
PARTI SECTION closed loop water system to
create a cohesive house design.
19. D
30' - 0"
11' - 0 1/2" 8' - 5"8' - 5"
0'-8"
36x48
113 SF
BEDROOM 02
55 SF
BATH 02
219 SF
KITCHEN
56 SF
BATH 01
113 SF
BEDROOM 01
130 SF
LIVING ROOM
36x48
WATERWALL
27'-4"
19
RESURGENS
FLOOR PLAN
Specifications:
840 sqft
2 Bedroom, 2 Bath
Living Room, Open Kitchen
Patio, Porch
Green Wall, Water Wall
Building Systems:
10 kW PV Array
VRF Mini-split HVAC
Ventilating Dehumidifier
Composting Toilets
Evacuated Tubes DHW
20. 20
RESURGENS
SOUTH FACING ROOF harvests rain water while producing clean energy and shading the home.
STRUCTURE curve trellis structure to house
water systems, vegetation & high performance
envelope.
WEST PERSPECTIVE curved structure connects roof, patios, floors and systems together.
SHEATHED skin for finished look and thermal
insulation.
21. 21
RESURGENS
One House, One System
Zero Waste
The electrical systems of this house are guided
by two simple principles:
Maximize energy production,
and minimize energy
wastage.
This is achieved by a hefty 10kW solar
photovoltaic system powering the entire energy
demand of the house and then a little bit extra
to give back to the community in time of need
as well as ensure net-zero energy status over
time as the photovoltaic modules naturally
degrade.
Energy production efficiency is amplified by a
water-based cooling system for the PV panels,
that helps remove unwanted heat from the
panels during the day. The system has been
designed keeping the warm Atlanta weather in
mind.
Wastage is minimized by monitoring
consumption and providing feedback through
the Internet of Things (IoT) system. The DC
Nanogrid helps to circumvent unnecessary
conversion losses, while serving the user
seamlessly by providing efficient power for
optional DC powered devices.
This team aspires to further research in DC
infrastructures within the solar PV industry, by
making this system an integral part of our solar
powered home. This concept will extend into
the community by creating a DC system which
can be connected with neighboring homes
to create a DC Microgrid. The DC microgrid
system will be a more efficient, compact
system of energy delivery that has the option to
be totally powered by clean, solar energy.
ABOVE different types of power.
courtesy by Diffen
22. 22
RESURGENS
Earth’s Most Valuable
Resource
Many people take water for granted. This
precious resource is necessary for all forms
of life, yet only the privileged have constant
access to clean water. Water helps regulate
the temperature of our planet through its
presence in the atmosphere in the form of
clouds and storms. In the oceans it heats ups
and cools down creating underwater currents;
which, help to provide stable weather patterns
and allow sea life to thrive. This same water
is evaporated, condensed and precipitated
throughout the planet to allow trees & plants to
grow and provide us with clean drinking water.
Water is essential for life.
Water is one of the few substances that
expands when it freezes, allowing it to float. It
has a range of physical states from gas, liquid
and solid that allow energy to be transferred,
stored and released. These significant thermal
mass properties can be used to conserve
energy in our home.
Our house uses water to
naturally absorb heat from
the solar photovoltaic panels
on the roof.
This allows the panels to remain cool and
function at a higher efficiency. Solar panel
efficiency can decrease by as much as .5% for
every increase in degree Celsius of ambient
temperature; thus, keeping the photovoltaic
cells cool is very important. The water that
does not evaporate during this process can be
collected and its newly acquired heat energy
can be reused by transferring it to cooler water
tanks for domestic hot water before it is sent
back to the roof.
23. 23
RESURGENS
Free Hot Water
even in the Winter
An evacuated tube system and hybrid heat
pump water heater will maintain a constant
domestic hot water supply. Evacuated tubes
utilize solar radiation to heat up black, insulated
tubes that water flows through. The tube has
a vacuum chamber inside to trap heat and
transfer it to a series of copper fins. The fins
make direct contact with the water at high
temperatures to help provide constant 100F
water or higher when the sun is shining. This
system can satisfy all our domestic hot water
demands during the day. When the sun is not
shining, the hybrid heat pump water heater
ensures that domestic hot water is retained for
the midnight bowl of pasta or bath by starlight.
The evacuated tubes are 94%
efficient at using the sun’s
energy to heat water.
The evacuated tubes will provide tremendous
energy savings on water heating, which is
usually right behind HVAC in terms of systems
that consume the most energy in a house.
During the cold Atlanta winters, water’s thermal
mass properties allow our house to retain heat
and release it inside the home using radiant
floor heating. Not only does this provide more
even heating for the home without drying out
the interior, it also doubles as an auxiliary
potable water storage tank.
ABOVE Evacuated tube. courtesy by silicone
solar
24. 24
RESURGENS
Eliminating Blackwater
We have the ultimate goal of designing a self-
sufficient home, that can clean its own water
and maintain high water quality standards.
Collecting and filtering all storm water &
greywater on or in the home reduces the need
for water from city or municipal sources that
cost the home owner money and may not meet
minimum water standards.
Greywater from plumbing fixtures such as the
sink & showers, appliances such as clothes
& dish washers can be filtered and be reused
as drinking water. Storm water is similar to
greywater and can be treated in approximately
the same fashion to make it potable. Typical
greywater filtration includes processes such
as reverse osmosis, ion-exchange, forward
osmosis and distillation. Reverse osmosis has
been proven to be one of the most effective
methods that uses an applied pressure to
overcome an osmotic pressure that naturally
drives the flow of molecules from high to
low concentration. The process forces water
through an extremely selective membrane
to filter out large ions and molecules. Our
greywater filtration system will be a four step
system that includes carbon filtration, sediment
filtration, reverse osmosis, and UV treatment as
a last method to purify the water.
To avoid more intense treatment process for
black water, all toilets will be
Composting units that only
require drops of water to
break down solid waste with
a foaming soap and produce
rich fertilizer.
We will bypass the kitchen sink garbage
disposal and divert all waste food to a solid
waste composter. These steps eliminate the
need for a sanitary sewer in the home and
greatly reduce the need for a curb-side trash
pickup; thus saving the home owner money
and protecting the environment.
ABOVE Composting toilet diagram.
courtesy by the composting toilet store.
25. 25
RESURGENS
Our Team
Our Professional Partners
TEAM MEMBER
DEMOGRAPHICS
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
BREAKDOWN
QUICK FACTS
Our team has 43 students in 4 of the 6
colleges at Georgia Tech.
20:23 Female to Male Ratio
4 graduate & 39 undergraduate students
4 professors
Scheller College of
Business
College of
Computing
College of
Design
3
22
4
14
College of
Engineering
6
1
3
1
8 1
2
Electrical
Computer
Biomedical
Chemical &
Bimolecular
Industrial &
Systems
Civil
Mechanical
27. A home to ensure cheaper,
cleaner, and more consistent water
management.
contact us at:
hello@resurgenshome.com
resurgenshome.com
/gtsd2017 /gtsd2017 /GTSolarHome
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