Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’

RQ is proud to announce that the Command and Control Facility, 1st Armored Division Headquarters at Fort Bliss has achieved LEED® Gold established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). This is the first LEED Gold building at Fort Bliss.

RQ provided the design and construction for this prestigious 143,090 sq ft building, which serves as a Command and Control facility with administrative support. A three-story, full height lobby is the focal point of the facility, which includes conference and mission planning rooms, private and open offices, and a large briefing room. The third level houses three generals, including the 1^st Armored Division Commander. To maximize value and efficiency in the construction of the Command and Control Facility, the team utilized a lean construction and scheduling philosophy to bring savings to the customer and contractor alike. BIM and VDC technologies allowed the contractor to virtually construct the project prior to actually physical construction, minimizing conflicts and rework.

The 1^st Armored Division Headquarters achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, LEED certified buildings save money for families, businesses, and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers, and the larger community.

“The strength of USGBC has always been the collective strength of our leaders in the building industry,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, RQ Construction demonstrates their leadership through their LEED certification of the 1^st AD Headquarters.”

LEED certification of 1^st Armored Division Headquarters was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include:

• Building orientation optimizes daylighting along the long south-facing façade
• Exterior solar shading devices on the building fenestration and low-e, dual glazing helps to mitigate and reduce solar heat gain into the building
• R-38 Insulated Metal Roof System reduces solar heat gain and thermal cooling losses.
• R-13 Insulated Exterior walls reduce solar heat gain and thermal cooling losses.
• The pre-cast metal stud and concrete exterior wall system provides a high-quality pre-fabricated concrete panel with high recycled content and ensures an extremely effective air-barrier around the building to prevent the infiltration of outside air into the building, resulting in less demand on the mechanical system
• Use of boilers and water heaters that are 93% efficient.
• Use of chillers that operate at 0.5 kw/ton.
• Air-Handling Units with variable airflows with demand control ventilation and economizers.
• VFD’s are provided on chilled water and heating hot water pumps and on cooling tower fans to reduce flow and energy consumption during non-peak loads.
• Solar hot water heating is provided to 50% of the buildings domestic hot water use.
•  Low-flow plumbing fixtures are provided to reduce the overall hot water demand and reduce energy consumption.
• Photosensors integrated into the ceiling automatically adjust the lighting in the room for the appropriate task based on the amount of daylight in the room.