In the four decades since the iconic Earthrise image ignited an environmental movement, NASA has continued its commitment to see the Earth, know the Earth and benefit the Earth. NASA Sustainability Base will play a vital role in the continuum of decision-support tools linking the choices of an individual to the performance of a building to the energy consumption of a city to the carbon footprint of a region, enabling researchers to better understand and manage climate change.

1. NASA
Sustainability Base
Steve Zornetzer

2. NASA SUSTAINABILITY BASE
Steven Zornetzer
Associate Center Director, NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA

4. NASA Brand
• Public organization - Taxpayer funded
• No paid media

6. History
• Business as usual – Renovation by Replacement
• Mid-level managers – enthusiastic but lacked vision
• Senior management provided inspiration (“First Lunar Outpost
on Earth”), broke down barriers
• Informed by enlightened visionaries – William McDonough
• Intent: Highest Performing Building in the Federal
Government

7. Obstacles Overcome
• NASA HQ concern over schedule and budget risk
• Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
• Pride of ownership and financial concerns for design team
• Schedule, budget, schedule, budget, schedule, budget…

8. Our North Star
• Zero net energy consumption
• Minimum of 90% reduction in potable H2O use
• “NASA Inside”
• Creative private sector partnerships, evolving experimental
test bed
• Healthy environment / Biophilia

9. “Bright” Green Building
• Dynamic living system – intelligent building + intelligent
occupants
• Real-time feedback key to optimizing building performance
• Ethnographic analysis of work habits to optimize work
performance while minimizing energy use

10. Current Status
• RFP on the street – construction proposals due mid-June
• Decision on prime contractor and award early September
• Construction to begin late 2009/early 2010
• Building completed and occupied January 2011

11. Summary
• A model for both NASA and entire Federal sector
• The built environment need not consume 40% of total US
energy consumption
• No sacrifice and minimal cost differential
• NASA a good steward of tax payer funds