nasa sustainability base in earth day ny's lessons learned 2011

8/3/2019 NASA Sustainability Base in Earth Day NY's Lessons Learned 2011

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LESSONS LEARNEDSPONSORSThe Bromley CompaniesThe Durst Organization

NYSERDA

Tishman ConstructionCorporation

Verve Living Systems

COOPERATING ORGANIZATIONS

American Institute ofArchitects, Ne York Chapter

Building Oners and ManagersAssociation International

Building Oners and ManagersAssociation, Ne York

International Council of Shopping CetersNational Multi Housing Council

Real Estate Board of Ne York

The Real Estate Roundtable

Urban Green Council

Urban Land Institute

Urban Land InstituteNe York

U.S. Green Building CouncilPRODUCED BY EARTH DAY NEw YOR

HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS


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42 LESSONS LEARNED, Vo lume 7

Once in a while, collaboration between a design team andowner hits a sweet spot and the results can be magical.It was clear from the outset that collaboration on the

50,000sf NASA Sustainability Base would reach new heights.The deeply integrated team of designers, including WilliamMcDonough + Partners, AECOM, and Loisos+Ubbelohde wasthrilled with the high aspirations of the NASA owners and excit-

ed by the opportunity to work with real rocket scientists. Cradleto Cradle thinking was a good t for a project with a vision todesign the rst space station on Earth. From the start, the entireteam sensed the possibility and NASAs commitment.

BackgroundTo support its work in space, NASA has decided to pursue a

high-performance strategy for its facilities on Earth. Two Californiaprojects, one at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena andthe other at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field

provided opportunities to create cutting edge build-ings that set the highest standards for energy andwater conservation.

Throughout its history NASA has developednew materials and products intended for use inspace that have found applications on our planet.The leaders of the Sustainability Base projectdecided that the new facility should incorporateand demonstrate some of these technologies andprocesses. In addition, the facility would serve as alaboratory for testing new NASA technologies foruse on Earth and in space.

Design Team GoalsIn keeping with the Cradle to Cradle philosophy, William

McDonough + Partners worked with NASA to identify principlesand goals to support the high expectations for the project. Thesegoals then provided a framework for individual design strategies

First and foremost, the facility would support the Agencysfocus on sound scal policy. An economic analysis of potential

capital improvements conducted by AECOM in 2006 justied thedemolition and replacement of several seismically-decient andobsolete structures with a single more efcient healthier and densely occupied facility. The new building would provide a highly exibleand collaborative work environment to encourage productivity,improve employee recruitment and retention, and save money onoperations and maintenance costs.

For the form of the building, the team chose not only tofollow the principles of environmentally sustainable design, butto evoke the wonder and vision of space travel as evidenced on

The NASASustainability Base:

Proving the Power of the PositiveBy Kira Gould,William McDonough + Partners

1 Cradle to Cradle is a registered trademark of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC). Cradle to Cradle Certied CM is a certicationmark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation InstituteTM.


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LESSONS LEARNED, Vo lume 7 43

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Earth. Thus in its aesthetic design, SustainabilityBase expresses the building metabolisms ofenergy, water, and materials.

The building exoskeleton was designed to

stabilize the building during earthquakes andfacilitate repairs afterwards. This allows theinterior to be free of braced frames in the shortdirection, providing a column-free space thatincreases the exibility of the oor plan. Theresulting exterior lateral bracing provided anopportunity to integrate a shade canopy. Thisexoskeleton is an expression of form that is func-tional and expresses the experimentation andsingular purpose used in some of the originalstructures on the Ames campus. In addition, theexoskeleton and canopy are intended to recallthe form of lunar modules and satellites.

The design team worked to incorporateand go beyond LEED metrics utilizing a broader

eco-effective design framework. As comparedwith eco-efciency where buildings are designedto use less energy, water, or materials, eco-effectiveness champions a positive goal wherequality is more important than quantity. Energyis not a scarce resource if it comes from the sun.Water can be abundant if it is consistently reusedand returned to the environment cleaner thanwhen it entered the site. Materials can be limit-less if organic ingredients are safely compostedand technical (industrial) nutrients are endlesslyrecycled in continuous loops. These strategies areintrinsic to the Cradle to Cradle protocol.

The following goals were established to guide the team in

creating design strategies: Honor people. Optimize workplace effectiveness through

better lighting, more fresh air and individual control, moreworkplace exibility and community-building.

Create a high-performance building. Reduce operationalcosts, optimize building energy demand, and meet remainingenergy demand with renewable sources.

Integrate with the site. Maintain existing trees. Use thelandscape to promote clean air and water, carbon sequestra-tion, habitat, shade, and passive cooling for the building.

Promote clean and healthy water systems. Optimizethe use of potable water and reduce sewer/ stormwaterdischarge volumes.

Maximize material value. Design for material disassembly

and reuse. Reduce waste materials going to landll. Partner with NASA on the design of the building. UseNASAs expertise as a research and development leader topromote new materials and technologies.

HONOR PEOPLEAbundant, glare-free daylight has been shown to increase

productivity and reduce absenteeism. In combination withviews, daylighting connects occupants to the passage of timeand changes in the weather, thereby supporting well-being andreducing eye strain. Integrated, high-performance electrical light-ing is provided in the evenings or under conditions where daylightlevels are insufcient.

Low energy performance depends on signicant reduction

of interior loads, especially the heat gain due to electrical lightingand solar radiation. The lighting design separates lighting (whether

supplied by daylight or electrical light) into two components: ambi-ent lighting delivered at 30-35 footcandles on a work surface andtask lighting of 50 footcandles on a work surface. The dimensionand size of the building is designed to maximize natural daylight.During normal working hours, electrical lighting is only required anaverage of 40 days in a year.

Daylight is supplemented by low energy LED task lighting ateach desk or workstation. During evening hours, low-energy ceilingmounted pendant lighting will provide ambient illumination, whiletask lights provide higher levels of illumination directly to the desktop.

A cornerstone of the productive interior environment, excellentair quality is the result of good ventilation rates and pollutant control,thoughtful construction practices and proper maintenance. Naturalventilation determines both the spatial conguration and the system

design of the building. Analysis of weather data and project build-ing loads has shown that most of the cooling demand can be metusing natural ventilation, resulting in increased ventilation rates anddecreased energy demand.

Team-based work and open communication is encour-aged by creating neighborhoods of 25 or fewer workstations.Neighborhoods share support services (break areas, copiers,conference areas) along community streets which connect to themain lobbies and outdoor spaces.

Giving occupants control over their workspace improves employeesatisfaction, increases productivity and can provide energy savings. The underoor air delivery system allows for individual control

over the thermal environment, and is supplemented by operablewindows along the perimeter.

NASA Sustainability Base eco-intelligent features (William McDonough + Partners).


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Lighting control is provided through individually controlledtask lighting, while global ambient lighting control is regulatedthrough the building automation system.

The building automation system allows for manual overrides (withautomatic resets).

CREATE A HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDING

EnergyThe overall energy goal is to create a system that, in time, will

rely only on renewable forms of energy for its needs. The approachto energy is divided into two main goals: optimizing the buildingenergy use, and supplying the remaining demand from renewablesources. Although daylighting and natural ventilation are used

extensively for this design, active (energy using) heating and coolingsystems are required.The design of the high-performance HVAC system has been

developed around a hydronic radiant heating/cooling thermaldelivery system supplemented by an underoor ventilation-onlyair system. The separation of thermal delivery from air deliveryfacilitates mixed-mode operation, allowing windows to be openfor ventilation without reducing thermal comfort. The radiantsystem connects to heat pumps tied to a geothermal well eld.The geothermal wells provide an efcient source for thermalexchange due to constant water saturation (from the tidal ow ofSan Francisco Bay) and a near constant 58 F temperature, provid-ing high thermal capacity and conductivity for both heating andcooling. A closed loop system of geothermal wells eliminates thepotential for contamination from the groundwater. There are 106wells which are 140 feet deep. This solution is low-maintenanceand low-noise, and results in reduced energy costs comparedto conventional systems. By using the constant temperature ofthe earth as a heat sink, water can be pre-cooled or pre-heated,which realizes signicant energy savings. Hydronic systems requireless energy than forced-air systems. During the summer, a nightventilation strategy is used: night air is circulated to cool buildingslabs, reducing cooling demand during the day.

Research has shown that occupants of a naturally ventilatedbuilding are comfortable with a wider range of temperatures thanoccupants of a sealed building. It was determined that this build-ing design would incorporate the adaptive comfort zone limits ofASHRAE 55, which allows a high temperature range of 77-80 F

rather than a more standard 74 F. Less occupiedspaces, such as the lobbies and connecting corri-dors, are permitted to reach 85 F, but only for aperiod no greater than 1.5% of occupied hours.

RenewablesThe renewable energy strategy includes sever-

al components. The rooftop photovoltaic installa-tion will include a 100-kW array of ConventionalPhotovoltaic panels attached to the roof surface(output: 122,000kWh/year). The solar thermalarray located on the roof will provide approxi-mately 60% of domestic hot water requirements.Together, these systems will provide 30 - 40%of the energy required to operate the building.Additionally, NASA will incorporate a solid oxidefuel cell to supplement energy production. Thefuel cell is expected to produce a continuous 24-7output of 200kWH. Combined, the PV and Fuel

Cell energy production will far exceed the energydemands of the building.

A long-term strategy to achieve even greater net positive energyproduction includes additional technologies arrayed around theimmediate site. These are: photovoltaic panels covering parking lots,a series of solar concentrator PV panels, and small scale wind turbines.

WaterThe overall water goal is to create a system that, in time, will

use water in virtually closed loops. Water that falls on the site willleave at the same rate, volume and cleanliness of predevelopmentconditions. The keys to closing water loops on-site are matchingcleanliness to use, stepping water uses where possible, and inte-grating water cleansing into the cycle.

The design employs a number of methods to reduce potablewater use and discharge volumes:

High-Performance Fixtre. High-efciency, low-ow toiletsand urinals, sensor-controlled low-ow faucets and low-owshowers with shut-offs are all incorporated in the design. Thisreduces water use by 42%.

reated Grondater. An existing facility to pump and treatcontaminated groundwater is located near the building site. Anew pipeline was run to use some of this non-potable treatedwater on the Sustainability Base site to irrigate the landscape.This helps to reduce the demand for potable water.

Forard moi water ecycling sytem. NASA developedthis water treatment system for use on the International Space

Station. The technology can be used to purify water to drinkingwater quality. Because of regulations in California prohibiting theuse of on-site treated wastewater, it will be used only to treat graywater from sinks and showers. The treated water will be used fortoilet and urinal ushing. The technology will be monitored andtested on earth to perfect its performance in space.

ntelligent Landcape Deign. Native and drought-tolerantspecies selection, drip irrigation systems and the design of watercleansing systems further reduce water demand and cleansewater that runs through the site.

LANDSCAPE INTEGRATIONBy planting native canopy trees and complex shrub and

herbaceous groundplanes, maintenance is reduced and fuel


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consumption lowered. This approach to planting increases biodi-versity and provides habitat, food sources and shelter for a varietyof terrestrial and avian species while also creating spaces and placesthat are desirable for human beings. Large scale tree planting cansignicantly sequester carbon in the environment. Trees strategicallycoordinated as building shading and wind screening greatly reduce

both summer heat gain and winter cooling by wind. Biologicalstormwater strategies provide additional benets in terms ofincreased biodiversity and habitat creation and in the overall reduc-tion of fossil fuel consumption related to maintenance associatedwith conventional lawn based landscape regimes.

Sustainability Base will become the front door for NASA,

S. Pete Worden, Director, NASA Ames Research Center:This new building represents NASAs commitment to sustain-ability and improving the quality of life on the planet. Giventhe incorporation of the very latest NASA technologies, I like tothink of it as the rst lunar outpost on Earth.

Steve Zornetzer, Associate Director, NASA Ames ResearchCenter: Working closely with Bill McDonough and his teamwas inspirational and extremely benecial. The collaborativeprocess yielded a highly sustainable and beautiful designoptimized for building performance and representative of ourvalues.

William McDonough, William McDonough + Partners:Working with the amazing team at NASA Ames, we saw anopportunity to look for something truly transformative. Theresult of this collaboration is a building design that demon-strates the highest possible technical performance, and will bea wonderful place to workone that supports productivity,nurtures community, and celebrates connectivity.

June Grant, AECOM: New technologies and knowedge-basedproducts are being brought to market at a speed unknown inhistory. The result is richer more data driven design. Projects suchas these with tight time-frames require an almost symbiotic rela-tionship between design intuition and software analysis. AutodeskRevit provided the backbone and its ability to integrate with otherapplications resulted in a relatively painless but dynamic process forthe architecture and building physics teams.

John Elwood, Swinerton Builders: It truly was a collabora-tive team effort by all disciplines with a focus and common goaltowards a LEED Platinum project. We worked as a cohesive teamwith open and honest communications.

David Johnson, William McDonough + Partners: We arereally honored to have been a part of this project and delightedto see it realized according to the NASA teams great aspirations.I think its a real credit to NASA that they are able to synthesizethe critical human health and well-being elements of sustainabilityprinciples even as they embrace the technological strategies.

A POSITIvE FOOTPRINT: vOICES OF THE TEAM

Wind and solar diagrams show that most of the cooling demand canbe met using natural ventilation. (William McDonough + Partners).


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The Cradle to Cradle philosophy established by WilliamMcDonough and Michael Braungart promotes materials and prod-ucts which are designed to be safely returned to soil as nutrientsor safely returned to the industrial cycle for reuse at the same orhigher level of quality.

The materials protocol for the Sustainability Base projectwas implemented through two strategies. First, Cradle to CradleCertiedCM materials were used when available, cost effective, andachievable through a competitive tender process. C2C certica-tion involves a rigorous analysis of primary ingredients, includingraw materials and manufactured components through all steps

in the supply chain. It requires assessment for effects on humanand ecological health, recyclability, clean manufacturing processes,and social justice. In addition, products are considered for nutrientrecovery potential (i.e., manufacturer takeback programs, regionalrecycling programs, or instructions for composting).

Data for the analysis must be provided from the manufac-turers to McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) inthe United States or EPEA in Europe. A new non-prot organi-zation in California, the Cradle to Cradle Products InnovationInstituteTH will begin to manage the certication program andissue certicates late this year.

Second, the design team worked with McDonough BraungartDesign Chemistry (MBDC) to review building materials accordingto publicly accessible manufacturer information (such as MaterialSafety Data Sheets) in order to create a rating for internal evalua-

tion. Products in a similar material class were compared on a rela-tive scale of environmental preference.

Intelligent product choice requires maximizing the value ofmaterials through environmentally-aware production and content,matching longevity to lifespan, and optimizing the volume ofmaterials needed to construct buildings.

Materials Strategies include: Material ue. By using an external braced frame, the amount

of steel (by weight) in the building was reduced. The light-weight insulated metal panel cladding also reduced the amountof metal required for construction.

Material ontent. Preference was given to materials withrecycled content (which have been assessed for human healtheffects), salvaged materials, locally available and/or rapidly renew-able materials and certied wood. The main components ofthe design (concrete, steel, glass, aluminum) had high recycledcontent and were regionally available, thereby reducing transpor-tation energy.

Deign for Diaembly was facilitated by choosing a steelstructure (rather than concrete) that can be easily dismantled.Exterior cladding was provided in pre-fabricated components.

Cradle to Cradle Certied

CM

Materials: Exterior Formawall Dimension Series 3 insulated exterior wall panels byCentria

Kawneer aluminum airfoil louvers for exterior solar protection Solarban 70XL architectural glass by PPG Kawneer 1600 powder coat nish Kawneer InLighten interior light shelf

Cradle to Cradle CertiedCM Materials: Interior MechoShade Ecoveil thermoplastic olen window shades Icestone recycled solid surface countertops

Problematic Excluded MaterialsIn keeping with the Cradle to Cradle protocol, certain materi-

als were specically excluded from the building due to toxicity of

components or ingredients:

Foam insulation containing HCFC blowing agents orbrominated ame retardants

Metal cladding with residual lead, hexavalent chromium,cadmium, or mercury

Particleboard with added formaldehyde Flooring containing polyvinyl chloride Powder coat paints containing organohalogens Glass containing heavy metal colorants or using

chemical etching

MATERIALS ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL

The design team utilized Autodesk building informa-

tion modeling (BIM) solutions, including Autodesk RevitArchitecture software and Autodesk Revit Structure soft-ware, complemented by Autodesk Navisworks Managesoftware, Autodesk Ecotect software, and tools based on theAutoCAD platform, such as AutoCAD MEP software.

These powerful tools helped provide the rapid responses weneeded on this complex, fast-track project, says Tom Horan, vicepresident at AECOM and AECOMs site director at NASA Ames.NASAs support for using BIM on this project is in alignment withits mandate requiring BIM use on all projects exceeding $10

million that are initiated after October 2010.

To intiate the full benets of the BIM approach, designarchitect William McDonough + Partners used Sketch-up andRevit Architecture software for the initial design before pass-ing the model on to the rest of the team. (That enabledLoisos+Ubbelohde and AECOM to move forward with daylight,lighting and engineering analysis, while we continued designwork on the exterior skin, says architect Alastair Reilly, directorat William McDonough + Partners. We were an integratedteam working together in real time.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING


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embodying the spirit of the people and place. It should beseamless with the surrounding landscape visually, spatially and

through the integration of the systems. All existing, healthytrees on site were preserved in place or transplanted on site.The footprint of the building was arranged to protect anexisting Stone Pine Tree as a dominant design feature. NativeCalifornia trees, shrubs and herbaceous gardens are locatedaround the building.

Planted bioretention lter gardens and water quality swaleshelp manage water quality and runoff by facilitating ground-water percolation. Drip irrigation is provided from non-potabletreated groundwater. Site materials were selected from localsources, from available local salvage resources (in particulardemolition material from on-campus projects) and for their lowembedded energy. Paving surfaces are designed to limit theabsorption/radiation of heat from direct sunlight.

NASA PARTNERSHIPTo assist with the achievement of a high-performance build-

ing, Sustainability Base will incorporate software developed byNASA for projects such as the Mars Rovers, Opportunity andSpirit. NASA software will be adapted to monitor the buildingthrough a wireless sensor network which will provide real timedata to the building controls system.

Temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, light levels, noiselevels, energy consumption, energy production, and the build-ings system and subsystem health status will be monitored andevaluated to continuously balance occupant comfort and energyefciency. Accordingly, employees will be asked regularly abouttheir comfort and experience in their new work environment.

Following are some of the specic software programs alreadyused in the design process or anticipated for use in the building.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis (CFD) was used tosimulate air ow both outside and inside the building. This tool

will allow NASA to perfect the design of the HVAC controls tomaintain occupant comfort and minimize energy use.

Prognostics is used by NASA to predict the life span of machin-ery and components by individual characteristics. Maintenancecosts can be saved through condition-based maintenance(CBM), rather than a generic maintenance protocol.

An IMS (Inductive Monitoring System) will be used initiallyto record the proper functioning of the building systems.Subsequently, the system will monitor operating conditions tolook for poorly performing systems or components or ways toimprove the performance of the entire building.

A Hybrid Diagnostic Engine (HyDE) will be used to monitor theproper functioning of the geothermal system.

Data Visualization. NASA excels at taking complex data sets andrendering them in easily understandable and highly evocative ways,a skill that dovetails well with the pedagogical intent of the facility.

A number of commercially available products which weredeveloped with NASA were considered for and installed atSustainability Base. Although fuel cells were developed over100 years ago, they have been perfected by NASA and used onalmost every space mission since the 1960s. Solid Oxide fuel cellscan produce power through an electo-chemical reaction afford-ably without requiring precious metals or toxic acids. NASA willinstall this technology at the Sustainability Base.

Kira Gould, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, is director of communicationsfor William McDonough + Partners, an architecture andcommunity design rm with studios in Charlottesville, Virginia,

and San Francisco. She is also co-author ofWomen in Green:Voices of Sustainable Design (Ecotone Publishing, 2007).

TeamWilliam McDonough + Partners,

Design ArchitectAECOM, Architect of Record, MEP /

Structural / Civil, Landscape Architect ofRecord

Loisos + Ubbelohde, Daylighting / Lighting /Energy Consultant

Swinerton Builders, ContractorSiteworks Studio, Landscape ArchitectMBDC, Materials AssessmentTBD, Cost Estimator

Awards2010 Silicon Valleys Best Green Project,

Silicon Valley Business Times Structures Awards2010 GSA Real Property Award for Green Innovation2011 nominee for Katerva Awards for

sustainability innovation

illi m n h + r n r

nasa sustainability base in earth day ny's lessons learned 2011

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