NASA TO BUILD GREENEST GOVT BUILDING EVER

NASA gets ready for new green building
Mike Swift, August 25, 2009 (San Jose Mercury News)

"NASA's Ames Research Center is ready to begin construction of what is planned as the greenest building ever built by the federal government, a structure that will use state of the art sensors developed for space missions but also rely on the age-old strategy of opening the window to catch a cool breeze.

"Christened "Sustainability Base" by NASA in an homage to "Tranquility Base," the site of the first moon landing 40 years ago, the $20.6 million building will begin construction in late September or early October near the gateway to Moffett Field…[It is] expected to open [by early spring of] 2011. It will be used to test green building technologies, and its designers hope that through its energy conservation features, coupled with its own solar and geothermal energy capacity, that it will approach zero net energy consumption."

From nasaames via YouTube

"While the new building will use technology developed in space…NASA could also use data gathered through operation of the new building for missions to the moon or Mars…

"By positioning the building to capture cool breezes from nearby San Francisco Bay and to shade it from the sun through the day, and through "smart" management of its heating and cooling systems, the structure will use a fraction of the energy of a standard office building. But "Sustainability Base" will also generate its own energy through about 20,000 square feet of photovoltaic panels on the roof, and use a network of deep geothermal wells that will dissipate heat in warm weather, and help extract heat from the ground in the winter… [B]ringing as much natural sunlight and clean air into the building as possible will save energy, but also will make the building a better place for people…"

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"The building…will be used to test everything from efficient windows to light bulb designs…The building is designed to achieve a Platinum rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, and will use 90 percent less potable water than conventional office buildings its size.

"At night, the building will be able to close itself up and pump cool evening air over its foundation slab, creating a thermal reservoir that will help keep it comfortable during the day — much as historic California adobe homes did…"