NASA’s Sustainability Base recently earned LEED Platinum certification, representing the government’s latest push to green its building inventory.
In light of the space program’s recent restructuring, the Sustainability Base is a site where NASA technologies can be repurposed for application on earth.
Located in Moffett Field, CA, the facility’s design includes repurposed NASA aerospace technologies. This building optimizes its performance automatically, in real time, and in response to internal and external changes.
The 50,000-square-foot, lunar-shaped building can calculate precisely how much energy each occupant uses and adapt to weather, season, and occupancy changes.
The Sustainability Base is designed to be “native to place,” which means it incorporates surrounding elements into its design.
It has outdoor workspaces, views of nature, daylighting, natural shading, fresh air ventilation, and non-toxic interior materials. It also uses 90% less potable water than a traditional building of comparable size.
Each individual has an energy dashboard that shows personal energy usage at any given moment. The tool also suggests energy conservation recommendations, such as lowering blinds or opening windows.
Due to the building’s orientation and site, natural daylight can likely be used for all but 40 days out of the year.
The building also generates virtually all of its own power with a combination of PV panels, a small wind turbine, and fuel cells.
The Sustainability Base received more than 80 out of 100 points across five LEED credit categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. It also earned additional points for innovation in design and regional priority.