Brace Point Pottery

case study

Brace Point Pottery

"We’ve paved over so much of the landscape that everything flows off too quickly and it has the effect of overwhelming the sewer system, Fauntleroy Cove has periodic overflows of pollution. In twenty years here we’ve witnessed algae blooms and toxic red tide events as well as closing the beach to all kinds of uses."

- Loren Lukens, Brace Point Pottery

Project Facts

Contractor

Rain Dog Designs

Scope

Four cisterns

Roof Captured

4,376 square feet

Amount Rebated

$14,962

Project Summary

Located in the Fauntleroy neighborhood of West Seattle, Brace Point Pottery is owned and operated by ceramic artist, Loren Lukens. The workshop and studio is complete with pottery wheels, clay extruders, glaze spray booth, slab roller, slip mixer, pug mill, casting table, electric and gas fired kilns, in 3000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. Brace Point Pottery’s RainWise installation manages rainwater runoff from a total of over 4,300 square feet of roof area. The project

showcases how a business can be a part of the RainWise rebate program,
provides water & water storage for art projects,
generates substantial water storage for summer landscape irrigation, and
protects Puget Sound from combined sewer system overflows.

The project was completed in April 2016, with a total of $14,962.36 covered by the RainWise rebate program.

Project Specifications

RainWise Contractor Rain Dog Designs installed the four 530-gallon “slimline” cisterns. A pump was installed so Loren can easily get water out of the cisterns. By using cistern water, the studio reduces its environmental impact while making stunning pieces of art.

Creative Solutions & Environmental Stewardship

In 2016, King County Wastewater Treatment Division reached out to Loren about his investment into RainWise and its unexpected return. A ceramic artist, Loren Lukens at Brace Point Pottery isn’t just growing plants with the water captured by his cisterns. Besides watering his garden, he incorporates the stored water in the pottery-making process. Loren’s property is a showcase for cistern water collection in the Fauntleroy neighborhood.

Loren and Brace Point Pottery invited the community to see the connection between art and a healthy environment. In spring 2016, Loren co-hosted three RainWise events in coordination with an art show and the West Seattle Art Walk. Loren gave a tour of the facility and told visitors how much he appreciates using cistern water for his pottery glaze buckets.

Stormwater contributes a sustainable element to Loren’s art and he appreciated the aspect of reusing water as much as he can. Being a steward of the water cycle means far more to Loren Lukens than watering his garden and creating art – it aligns with his ethics and sense of right and wrong.

Project partners include school leadership, King County staff, RainWise outreach staff and the creative design talents of the RainWise contractor, Rain Dog Designs.