NASA's Gorgeous LEED Gold Building

This is NASA's new Jet Propulsion Laboratory Flight Projects Center in Pasadena, California. Like several other projects we've mentioned (i.e., ENC, Susi Q Seniors, and Koll Airport), the Flight Projects Center was designed by LPA Inc, and it's a gorgeous building (see video below). Next Monday, October 26, at 10 a.m., there will be a ceremony and ribbon cutting to celebrate what is the greenest built facility in the NASA family.

There's a GSA mandate in place that requires new federal construction to obtain a LEED Certified rating while striving to achieve LEED Silver. In this case, the project was able to obtain a LEED Gold rating while using a LEED Silver budget. Moreover, the JPL was designed and constructed to make real reductions in energy and water use and to include the following sustainable elements:

Low flow faucets and toilets to reduce water use by 44%;
Vegetated roof to minimize runoff and stabilize the interior temperature;
Daylighting and lighting controls to increase efficiency by 25%;
Drought tolerant and native plants with landscaping to use 72% less water;
An efficient thermal displacement ventilation system in the auditorium;
Smart heating, cooling, and ventilation systems keyed to whether a person is in a room; and
Use of FSC certified woods and non-toxic paints and surface materials.

With all its green features, the 190,000 square-foot building is expected to save about 500,000 gallons of water annually. It also exceeds California Title 24 requirements by 25%.

The general contractor was Swinerton Builders with construction management by Vanir Construction Management. The team was able to divert 93% of waste generated during construction from the landfill.

[+] Details on the ribbon cutting.