NASA’s self-sustaining Green Building

The Sustainability Base being planned by NASA would be the greenest building in the federal government. This will be NASA’s most ambitious plan in its arsenal of eco-friendly projects. The building which will cost approximately $20.6 million, will utilize current alternative energy technologies such as water recycling systems, fuel cells and solar panels to achieve a LEED-certified building. The main aim is to build a self-sustaining structure that consumes no net energy and 90 percent less potable water than other buildings its size.

An intelligent controls system that was derived from space program counterparts will control all the technologies in the building. The main computer will check the weather conditions constantly to plant environmental control and also has the capability to adjust temperatures inside the building depending on the number of people in the building. Other systems include geothermal well cooling system, computer controlled windows, energy-use monitors. The ceremonial groundbreaking event for this project will be on August 25th and the construction is expected to be completed by November 2011.
[Cleantechnica]