by Jbs090109 a3 — September 4, 2009—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) held a ceremonial groundbreaking and dedication event on August 25 for what is expected to become the highest-performing building in the federal government.
The new, environmentally friendly building at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, is being named “Sustainability Base” in honor of the first humans to walk on the surface of another world from their Tranquility Base Apollo 11 lunar landing site 40 years ago. It is designed to serve as a highly efficient collaborative support facility providing workspace for a wide range of NASA’s aeronautics and space exploration missions.
The new building is designed to achieve a platinum rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) New Construction standards for environmentally sustainable construction developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The facility will feature near-zero net energy consumption, use 90 percent less potable water than conventionally built buildings of equivalent size, and reduce building maintenance costs, says NASA. It will also showcase some of NASA’s most advanced intelligent control technologies, originally developed to support the nation’s human and robotic space exploration missions.
The new facility will feature a structural steel frame, stand two stories tall with two wings, and will have approximately 50,000 square feet of mostly open collaborative workspace, lunchrooms, and a glass-walled atrium.
The Silicon Valley office of Swinerton Builders, San Francisco, California, was selected in a competitive-bid process to build the new Sustainability Base collaborative support facility. Construction of the $20.6 million building is scheduled for completion by the end of 2011.
For more information or to watch a video about the Sustainability Base to be built at NASA’s Ames, visit the NASA Web site.
