74The Military Engineer l May-June l 2010 performance standards set forth by state and federal regulations. Early in the planning stage, the building was oriented to take advantage of sun and shade patterns that would save the most energy, which has lowered the build- ings utility costs by roughly 3 percent. The installation of oversized windows provides daylight to more than 90 per- cent of the buildings occupied spaces, minimizing the need for electric lights during daylight hours. Additionally, advanced occupancy sensors turn off lights in vacant rooms and use photo- sensors to shut off overhead lights when there is suf?cient daylight. Lastly, to help reduce ozone deple- tion and minimize direct contributions to global warming, 70 percent of the buildings electricity is being provided from renewable energy sources for the ?rst two years of operation—more than 2-million-kWh of power. This energy comes from a combination of solar, wind, geothermal and biomass sources harvested off site. In this way, the bar- racks will move the installation closer to meeting the ambitious new federal goals for renewable energy use and will be more environmentally sound, as the building produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. Green Training Less than a quarter-mile from the barracks lies the Fleet Region Readiness Center (FRRC), an $11 million training facility. Construction of the two-story, 22,000-ft2 schoolhouse, which accom- modates numerous simulators and multimedia classrooms that support Naval Station Everetts ?eet of surface combatants, was completed in March 2010. The building has applied for 42 credits under the LEED for New Con- struction rating system; if a minimum of 39 credits are achieved, the facility will become the Navys fourth building to be certi?ed LEED Gold. Taking advantage of anti-terrorism and force protection-mandated stand- off distances, the site of FRRC, once a parking lot, is now a facility surrounded by 32,446-ft2 of vegetated open space— an area nearly triple the size of the building footprint. The installation of permeable groundcover over the entire site has resulted in an 83 percent re- duction in stormwater discharge rates from pre-development conditions. Af- ter natural percolation, 90 percent of the remaining site runoff is channeled through swales and conveyed to the existing stormwater collection system, which incorporates multiple oil and water separators and results in 80 per- cent of total suspended solids being re- moved from site runoff before discharge back into the ecosystem. To encourage community connectiv- ity and the use of public transportation, FRRC is located within a quarter-mile walk from three different bus routes ser- vicing both Naval Station Everett and the surrounding areas. The schoolhouse, which hosts mission-essential training during the day and continuing educa- tion courses at night, provides bike racks and showering facilities to promote the use of alternative forms of transportation by students and instructors. Through the use of dual-?ush toilets, low-?ow urinals and ultra low-?ow lavatories, the project has reduced its potable water usages by 40 percent from the calculated baseline design. Additionally, the implementa- tion of outdoor air delivery monitoring, increased ventilation and controllability of thermal and lighting comfort levels at individual workspaces and in class- rooms provides students and instructors with an indoor environmental quality that facilitates teaching and learning. Green Operations In addition to the construction of sustainable buildings, Naval Station Everett and NAVFAC Northwest have worked together to develop several other innovative projects on base to optimize energy usage, protect the en- vironment and reduce the dependence of the vehicle ?eet on petroleum-based fossil fuels. In July 2009, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, NAVFAC Northwest awarded a $32 million region-wide contract for the development of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure. At Naval Station Everett, a contractor will install a total of 232 electric, gas, water and steam meters, as well as wireless and ?ber network infrastructure for central monitoring. The new system will provide the Public Works Department with real-time en- ergy usage readings, allowing them to better monitor inef?ciencies and diag- nose the root causes of those inef?cien- cies, and enable supported commands to better control their utility footprint. In FY09, NAVFAC Northwest and Naval Station Everett partnered with the NAVFAC Engineering Service Center for the development, contracting and con- struction oversight of a 5,000-G ethanol fuel aboveground storage tank. The fuel pump, which began dispensing E85 fuel in May 2009, is available for use by both the general public and uniformed ser- vice members. Currently, 100 percent of Everetts Navy-owned civil engineer- ing support equipment is running on B20 biodiesel fuel and more than 52 percent of its ?eet of 116 General Ser- vices Administration-leased vehicles are running exclusively on ethanol. The remaining unleaded gasoline vehicles are being replaced by newer, ?ex-fuel compatible cars and trucks, and it is the goal of Naval Station Everett to eventu- ally maintain a vehicle ?eet that runs entirely on alternative fuel sources. Capt. Thomas Mascolo, USN, Com- manding Of?cer of Naval Station Everett, has overseen completion of nearly all the aforementioned projects since assum- ing command in August 2007 and knows what it takes to make a difference. The president has challenged the federal government to step up to the plate and lead by example. In order to do this, you have to in?uence the way people think about the built environ- ment where we live and work. To affect this paradigm shift, you must create an atmosphere that embraces the concept of sustainability. This starts with senior leadership, but must be carried out and reinforced throughout the chain of command all the way down to the most junior sailors—once this level of aware- ness has been established, thats when you begin to see behavioral changes that lead to tangible results. Lt. Zachary R. Scheel, LEED AP, CEC, USN, is Assistant Public Works Of?cer, Naval Station Everett; 425-304-3309, or zachary.scheel@ navy.mil.
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