Bill Atwood, the architect and developer behind the nine-story Waterhouse tower that’s expected to break ground soon, still has water on his mind for his latest project on West Main Street. Rainwater, to be exact. As he presented a revised design for a building on the site of the former Under the Roof building to the city Planning Commission on August 12, Atwood emphasized the need to collect and conserve water for future use.
“We thought once that we would run out of water before running out of fuel,” he said. “And that’s turning out to be true, so it’s time to take action.”
 No beaks this time for the building planned for the Under the Roof site on West Main Street, but Bill Atwood has stuck by his rainwater collection concept with the three rooftop tanks. |
The new design for the “Sycamore Ten Point Five,” as Atwood is calling the project, is more conservative than the one presented to the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) back in February. It has lost the sci-fi-esque protruding beaks on the sides of the building, though this version retains the three giant domes on the roof that serve as collecting and holding tanks.
“The design evolved because for the BAR, it was way too aggressive,” says architect Ashley Cooper. “People are not ready for something quite that exciting.”
The tanks “will allow the harvesting to happen high in the building,” said Atwood, making the system highly effective. This concept is neither new nor experimental, but it may just be the first example of it in the city. “It’s used all over the world and it’s time for Charlottesville,” Atwood said.
The city has about 105 million square feet of impervious surfaces, said Atwood, an amount equal to covering 2,000 football fields. These man-made surfaces do not absorb rainwater, resulting in accelerated run-off, a lower percentage of groundwater recharge and consequently more severe droughts. Commissioner Michael Farruggio seemed impressed by the green talk: “It’s such a great idea.”
“The supply and demand in terms of water are pretty balanced,” says Cooper. The system could potentially store and collect water for many purposes. “What if Parks and Recreation wanted to use this water instead of city water?” she says. “It’s a great idea.” The Commission recommended approval for a special-use permit for an additional 10′ in height.
Approval came with the condition that Atwood and his team designate at least two of the 16 residential units as affordable housing. Atwood was O.K. with that, but clarified that “we are not obligated” to relegate some units as affordable housing, “we are volunteering,” he said.
“He likes to incorporate affordable units in all of his buildings,” says Cooper. “So I think [the request] wasn’t a shock for him at all.”
The project is headed next to City Council. It also still needs final approval from the BAR.
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