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Quantico Achieves First LEED Certification

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS110718-07
7/18/2011

By James Johnson, NAVFAC Washington Public Affairs and Stefanie Kivelin, Marine Corps Base Quantico Public Works Branch Energy Manager

QUANTICO, Va. (NNS) -- The Warfare Support Center was recognized as the first building aboard Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico, Va., to earn the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, during ceremony aboard the base, July 14.

LEED Certification demonstrates MCB Quantico's commitment to meeting Federal energy mandates and reducing its impact on the environment. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington managed construction project received 35 points awarded by the LEED program, qualifying the building for a Silver certification.

"There is some significance here, I think, to the installation in terms of not only what this building means, but the LEED certification," said Col. Daniel Choike, MCB Quantico base commander. "When you look at it from an environmentally friendly way and the health and welfare that goes into the people that occupy the building and the mission of what they do, it's only fitting that your mission and this certification are linked together by many firsts."

The Wounded Warrior building achieved points in all sustainability categories. Ten of the thirty-five points achieved were in the Indoor Environmental Quality category. The building achieved some points by developing and following an indoor air quality management plan during construction and utilizing low volatile organic compound materials (paints, sealants, adhesives, coatings, and carpet) in the building. Other points were earned by complying with ASHRAE Standard 62.1, providing occupants with operable windows and lighting controls, and adjusting the ventilation rate in densely occupied spaces, such as conference rooms, by monitoring carbon dioxide levels in the space.

"Back in 2006, NAVFAC, in coordination with the [Navy] Secretariat made the Department of the Navy the first entity in the federal government to mandate LEED certification," said Capt. H. Ramé Hemstreet, commanding officer, NAVFAC Washington. "We didn't do it, frankly, to be 'green,' we did it to jump start our efforts to be more energy efficient and manage the lifecycle cost of facilities better."

The design and construction team focused on specifying building materials that were recycled, manufactured locally, and/or made of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood.

"It's impressive the level of effort made to utilize sustainable materials and resources. For instance, 10.4 percent of the building materials were manufactured using recycled materials, 31 percent of the materials were manufactured within 500 miles of the project site, and 70 percent of the wood used for building materials are FSC certified" said Jason Canfield, a MCB Quantico structural engineer and the engineer in charge. "The effort did not end there. The construction team also diverted 99 percent, over 54 tons, of construction waste from the landfill to recycling facilities."

Energy efficiency improvements to the building included improved thermal envelope, improved glazing, reduced lighting power density, lighting controls, and an energy efficient HVAC system. The building will use less air conditioning than a typical building because it employs a cool roof. A cool roof has a high solar reflectivity index that reflects light and emits heat away from the roof. In the summer, this reduces heat gain to the building, reducing the amount of energy required to keep the building cool.

The building is equipped with all low-flush and dual-flush water closets and low flow urinals, aerators, and showerheads. These fixtures exceeded LEED standards and qualified the building for an "exemplary performance" point for water efficiency since building water consumption is expected to be 50 percent less than a typical office building.

CER, the primary contractor, was represented at the ceremony by Michael Phillips, a vice president at CER. He listed many of the elements that contributed to the award. "CER has been doing business with the military and NAVFAC for about 25 years now," Phillips said. "We've probably completed over 500 projects, but we had the distinct privilege of constructing this project and this project was also our first LEED certified project."

Other sustainable aspects of the building include its storm water management system that reduces the quantity and improves the quality of storm water discharged from the site. This measure will help reduce erosion and discharge of sediment into nearby streams and rivers.

For building occupants that are environmentally minded and either ride their bike, drive a fuel efficient vehicles, or participate in ride-share programs, bike racks and preferred parking is provided.

The Warfare Support Center is home to the Wounded Warrior Regimental Headquarters that commands the operation of two Wounded Warrior Battalions located aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C., as well as multiple detachments in locations around the globe.

"I had no idea when I moved in that this was an eco-friendly building," said Col. Jay Krail, executive officer, Wounded Warrior Regiment. "This building is as comfortable, as aesthetically pleasing, as any building that I've been in. To know on top of that, it is an eco-friendly building means a lot. You can build a first-class, comfortable, beautiful building and still be eco-friendly. My hat's off to the team that really knocked one out of the park when they built this building."

The Warfare Support Center is the first, but will not be the only, building to receive LEED Silver Certification at MCBQ. For the past few years, all Department of Navy military construction projects were required to be LEED Silver Certified. The secretary of the Navy announced May 11, that all new MILCON projects shall achieve sustainable design and construction equivalent to, or above, the U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold for New Construction. A few of the many LEED Certified projects aboard MCBQ include the Military Defense Investigative Agency, the Basic School Barracks, and the Marine Security Guard Training Battalion.

The LEED program promotes the development of a sustainable built environment by giving points to buildings that demonstrate sustainable practices in five key areas of human and environmental health. These categories include: Sustainable Sites, Water Savings, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. There is also a category for Innovation in Design. Depending on the number of points achieved, a building can be rated as Certified (26-32 points), Silver (33-38 points), Gold (39-51 points), or Platinum (52+ points).

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus laid out five aggressive energy goals in October 2009, to improve our energy security and efficiency, increase our energy independence, and help lead the nation toward a clean energy economy. This initiative assists in achieving the energy goal of increasing alternative energy afloat and ashore where by 2020, the Department of the Navy (DON) will produce at least 50 percent of shore-based energy requirements from alternative sources and 50 percent of DON installations will be net-zero.