Earlier this week, NASA held a ceremonial groundbreaking and dedication event 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, Calif. 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 will 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, Washington. D.C. The building 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. The building will showcase some of NASA's most advanced intelligent control technologies originally developed to support the nation's human and robotic space exploration missions.
To help achieve the building's sustainability objectives, the company will install approximately 72 geothermal wells featuring ground-source heat pumps, and will provide parking and landscaping with California-native plants. In addition, the company will install sophisticated systems for solar water heating, fire detection and suppression, advanced lighting, security, communications operations and site storm water management. These systems will be designed to anticipate and automatically react to changes in sunlight, temperature, and wind, and use resources to optimize the building's performance.
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.