Eco Factor: Sustainable NASA facility aims for LEED platinum.
NASA’s new Propellants North Administrative and Maintenance Facility at the Kennedy Space Center will be the space giant’s greenest facility ever. The building, which is supposed to be a future hub for spacecraft fueling support and a storage facility for cryogenic fuel transfer equipment, will aim to achieve the coveted LEED Platinum rating using some of the most advanced technologies available.
The building will make use of recycled materials that includes 475 tons of concrete, 163 pounds of crushed bottles and aluminum cans, 2.16 tons of cardboard, 164 pounds of white paper, 2.3 tons of wood and 3.5 tons of steel. Moreover, as the building is being constructed, between 90 to 95 percent of the waste generated is either being repurposed onsite or sent to local recycles for processing.
The facility will include new energy-efficient windows that will be put into the frames to help the building maintain an energy credit of net zero. Rainwater will be harvested and stored in underground tanks and used for irrigation and bathroom facilities. The designers believe that the building will be 52 percent more efficient than a traditional commercial building and will include energy-saving light fixtures and photovoltaic panels for onsite energy generation.
Via: Metropolis Magazine
