Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Fort Lee Takes the Gold

The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to work hard to successfully design, implement and execute a robust program at all levels of project planning design and construction to ensure the armed forces are getting the full value and benefits they deserve. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, created a more than $1.2 billion surge in construction at Fort Lee near Richmond, Va.

The mandatory completion deadline for BRAC projects is September 15, 2011 - a date that is a little more than two months away. I am proud to say the projects at Fort Lee have met that deadline. Over 20 construction projects consisting of 40 major facilities include headquarters, dining halls, general and specialized instruction, field training, dormitories (student barracks), retail and athletic complexes, medical and military offices, site infrastructure and bridges, were built.

With that distinction of providing a service to the proud men and women who serve in uniform, also came the first LEED Gold certification for the North Atlantic Division.

The USGBC’s Green Building Certification Institute, or GBCI, awarded the Air Force/Navy Dining Facility with a LEED Gold certification in November 2010. The project was constructed by a service disabled veteran small business owner.

Five more projects are currently on‐track to achieve a LEED Gold certification from GBCI. Additionally, program managers here have created, reviewed and monitored the execution of sustainable design and construction guidelines and compliance documentation across all the BRAC military facilities projects.

The tangible benefits delivered to the armed forces are substantial! While LEED Gold and Silver certified projects are important honors and recognitions of achievement, the armed forces and Norfolk District customers are receiving significant reductions in energy, water, and resource consumption and large cost savings associated with reduced energy demand over the life span of the new buildings. Most importantly, a reduction of demand for resources and energy results in more scarce resources and dollars being available for key military mission requirements.

Some of those energy, water and recycled savings include:

• BRAC 2005 facilities at Fort Lee are projected to save nearly 14 million kilo watt hours of electricity and more than 520,000 Therms (52 Billion BTUs) of natural gas per year than would be the case if traditional building practices were used. It's enough electricity and gas savings to heat, cool and power a large subdivision of 1,200 homes for a year.

• At current energy costs, BRAC 2005 facilities at Fort Lee are projected to save an estimated $1.4 million per year in total energy cost savings.

• BRAC 2005 facilities at Fort Lee are projected to save 30 million gallons of water per year than would be the case if traditional building practices had been used.

• At current potable water costs, this is the equivalent of $150,000 per year in water cost savings.

• The value of recycled content used in building materials on these facilities was nearly $46 million.

• The value of regional building materials (materials that were extracted, harvested, processed, manufactured and transported from within 500 miles of the project site) used on these facilities represents more than a $63 million impact on the regional economy.

• The use of aggressive construction waste reduction and construction waste recycling programs resulted in the elimination of 75,000 tons of construction waste (the equivalent of more than 5,600 trash trucks) that otherwise would have gone to landfills.