 On Aug. 13, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, officially opened the doors of its newest environmentally friendly facility -- one set to house the program office leading development of the Space Launch System, the nation's next flagship launch vehicle. |
Marshall Center Director Patrick Scheuermann and Deputy Director Teresa Vanhooser were joined for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting by U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama; U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama's 5th District; and Lt. Col. Tom Nelson, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Mobile District.
The ultra-modern facility reflects Marshall's success in applying the federal government's "repair-by-replacement" plan, which replaces old structures, costly to maintain and operate, with new facilities, providing enormous health, safety and cost benefits. Building 4220 replaces the nearby Building 4202, built in Marshall's early years and now awaiting demolition.
The new office building primarily will house Marshall personnel supporting the Space Launch System (SLS) Program Office. That organization oversees all work at NASA and partner facilities to develop, build and fly the powerful new launch vehicle, which is poised to lift new exploration missions to space in the coming decades -- including unprecedented human voyages to Mars and other destinations.
"We are not just opening a building here," Scheuermann said. "We're adding effective, comfortable, environmentally friendly and 'pocketbook-friendly' infrastructure for the next two generations" of NASA workers.
Designed and built to meet federally mandated standards of energy and water efficiency, Building 4220 is awaiting LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the national standard for the development of high-performance, sustainable structures. That achievement will uphold NASA's long commitment to good stewardship of federal tax dollars, Scheuermann said.
In 2006, Marshall opened the doors of the agency's first LEED® certified facility: Building 4600, the anchor of the center's high-tech engineering complex. Building 4220 will mark the seventh Marshall facility to earn LEED® certification.
Situated at the southeast corner of Marshall’s Building 4200 administrative complex, the new building is a five-story structure with workspace for approximately 400 team members. It includes state-of-the-art green technologies and energy-conservation systems. The entire structure is specially insulated, with much of the exterior covered in low-emissivity glass that deflects heat to reduce cooling costs within. Rooftop solar-power units absorb energy to augment electrical power, and a 10,000-gallon cistern collects stormwater to irrigate the surrounding greenery. Even the facility's new parking lot has a green element: Rather than gutters, it includes a "bioswale," a natural, soil-and-vegetation-based means of capturing and filtering stormwater runoff, which is directed into a nearby collecting pond.
Marshall's new, modern, energy-efficient facilities cut operating and maintenance costs by 65 percent, and reduce utilities expenses by 35 to 40 percent. By the time the center's master plan is complete -- in roughly 2020 -- Marshall's overall square footage on Redstone Arsenal will be reduced by 24 percent.
Such cost-saving measures will dramatically cut overhead and enable Marshall to stay focused on what counts most, Scheuermann said: "Keeping America's space program moving forward."
Building 4220 was designed by the Nashville-based architectural firm of Thomas Miller & Partners, and BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, constructed the facility. The Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the contract process and provided construction management and inspection services.
Learn more about the Marshall Center and its NASA mission here:
Jennifer Stanfield
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
jennifer.stanfield@xxxxxxxx
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