Astronaut Quarantine Facility: LEED-Certified Building 27
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The 2002 NASA Headquarters Executive Order 13123, Greening the Government, covers Facility Sustainable Design and provides specific instructions for incorporating sustainable design principles for all facility projects planned, designed, and constructed under Agency authority or control. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) Astronaut Quarantine Facility (AQF) is the first JSC facility built under this Order.
On February 23, 2006, the AQF was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) – Certified green building designation. The award recognizes environmental and economic performance of buildings constructed to the LEED rating system that prescribes “green” criteria in five broad, economic environmental categories. The AQF is JSC’s first and NASA’s second LEED award. It met LEED requirements in 7 prerequisite and 28 credit categories.
The AQF was constructed to house astronauts prior to flight. Among the green strategies employed, one of the most challenging is optimizing energy performance. To reduce energy consumption for the building, the AQF was constructed with energy savings features that reduce annual energy consumption by 15 percent (relative to energy code requirements), which was no small task.
Astronauts begin adjusting their circadian rhythms prior to flight by being exposed to normal daylight conditions using artificial light that is turned on and off to coincide with their mission work schedule. At the AQF, four rooms are constructed with high-output fluorescent fixtures that occupy 90 percent of the ceiling space. The lights consume electricity and generate heat well above that of most buildings. This added heat must be removed by the building’s air conditioning (NC) system, thus significantly adding to energy consumptions compared to an average building.
By utilizing energy savings techniques, the AQF meets this challenge 15 percent more efficiently than required by the energy code. The savings were accomplished by installing extra insulation in walls and the roof, reducing solar heat gain through windows, and using high-efficiency A/C equipment. The A/C system includes motors that operate at variable speeds to match heating and cooling loads. In addition, heat and moisture is exchanged with air that is exhausted from the building through an “enthalpy” wheel. The wheel cools and dehumidifies incoming outside air during summer and warms the outside air during winter, thus reducing energy consumption.
Contact:
Mr. Abdul Hanif
JSC Realty Specialist
Planning and Integration Office
NASA JSC
abdul.hanif@nasa.gov.
