Inspiring Efficiency
The new DOD administrative office complex is a green project with a bright future.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
By JoAnne Castagna
Emma Smith, a fifth grader living in Alexandria, VA, asked her mom if they could buy a recycling bin for their apartment. Her mother didn’t want to because the bin was large and their home is small. Smith didn’t stop there.
“I went down to the front desk of our apartment building and asked them,” she says, “and now we have a recycling bin in our building’s mailroom for the entire building to use!”
What inspired such a young girl to recycle? It was an educational tour she took of a US Army Corps of Engineers project (USACE)—the new Department of Defense (DoD) administrative office complex—that’s being constructed on Fort Belvoir at the Mark Center. The project’s many energy savings features are expected to save 30% of the energy of a traditional office building and save taxpayers millions.
The project team invited 100 fourth and fifth grade students from John Adams Elementary School, to take part in their Go Green Education Program. The project’s team includes the USACE, New York District; Duke Realty Corporation; and Clark Construction.
Joe Gabel, who works for Clark Construction, developers of the Go Green Education Program, says, “The goal of this program is to extend our sustainable impact into the community in which we live and work. This complex is an excellent example of a green building, and we wanted to show it to these children.”
“This project is a success story,” says Sean Wachutka, program manager, BRAC 133 Project, New York District. “This is going to be the first project of this size the Corps of Engineers has done that has stayed on schedule to becoming LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] Gold certified.”
The project implements Recommendation #133, one of the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission Recommendations, and when completed will become part of Fort Belvoir. This design-build complex is a 1.7-million square-foot facility that sits on a 16-acre campus. When completed, it will include two multi-story towers—15 stories and 17 stories—two parking garages, a visitor center, remote inspection facility, and a public transportation center. This fall, 6,400 personnel from multiple DoD agencies will start moving into the new complex. Currently, they occupy leased space throughout the National Capital Region.
Team Energy Efficiency
The goal of this station was to show the students simple concepts of energy efficiency used on this construction site. The station was divided into three sections, each presenting a different energy efficient concept-Controllability, Light-emitting diode (LED) Lighting and Energy Recovery. The students were escorted into a room where their movement triggered a motion sensor which turned on lights and a utility fan. After showing the students the motion sensor and wiring, they were escorted out and encouraged to count down aloud from 30 seconds until the motion sensor automatically turned off the lights and fan.
Next, the students were escorted into a room where incandescent lighting and LED lighting were displayed and they were shown the advantages and disadvantages of using both lighting sources. The new complex will have LED and fluorescent lighting which costs a bit more to purchase upfront, but will reap tremendous savings down the road because this lighting requires less electricity to run and LED and fluorescent light bulbs last more years then typical bulbs—up to eight years! Natural lighting is also going to be used to the fullest. The complex is being constructed with large windows that will allow a lot of outside light into the buildings.
Indoor Air Quality
The complex will have an energy efficient central air system that will keep the indoor air comfortable year-round. To keep the indoor air clean and healthy, highly insulated windows were installed and a system was developed to allow fresh outside air into the building. The team also used paints, carpets, and wooden furniture that emit lower levels of toxic fumes. Before the complex is opened to DoD personnel, it’s going to be aired out.
In addition, pedestrian bridges and other structures will be covered with green roofs, which are rooftops with vegetation. These tops hold warm indoor air during the wintertime and keep interiors cool during the warmer months. Other structures will feature special roofs that reflect sunlight away and keep indoor air cool during the warmer months.
Transportation
DoD personnel working in the complex will be encouraged to take alternate ways to commute to work; this will save energy and reduce pollution. The complex’s two parking garages will provide special parking for van pools, carpools, and fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles.
These special parking allocations will help the facility reach its goal of having only 60% of its employees travel to work in single occupancy vehicles. The facility will have outdoor bicycle racks to accommodate up to 300 bicycles and indoor commuter showers for those who bike to work. The complex will also have its own mass transit center with access to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Bus, the City of Alexandria DASH Bus, and DoD Shuttle services.
As a key element in decreasing the level of energy used by employees at the Mark Center, DoD has developed a shuttle service that will link with four Metro rail stations within a few miles of the building.
The shuttle service will reduce the number of cars driving to and from the Mark Center. The shuttle service can carry 2,895 passengers in the morning and another 2,895 passengers in the afternoon, for a total of 5,790 daily commuter trips. This means the shuttle service will be able to carry 45% of the total daily commuter trips to and from the building. This reduces the amount of fuel used by employees to drive to and from work decreasing green house gases, thereby reducing not only the congestion, but also the level of energy used by the employees of the DoD.
The project team is proud to be creating a LEED designated “green” building, and this came across to the students.
“The team was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about creating a green building,” says Emily Stefanski, fourth grade General Education teacher, John Adams Elementary School. “They showed the students all of the thought and effort that goes into building a structure of this magnitude and all of the small details that need to be taken to make it energy efficient and as green as possible. What I really liked most about this visit was that the kids were engaged the entire time. The project team served as positive role models for them and opened their eyes to recycling and water conservation. Many of the students have taken what they’ve learned and have applied it to their own lives.”
Author's Bio: JoAnne Castagna, Ed.D. is a technical writer/editor for the US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. |
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