8.2 Building Objectives

8.2.1 Sustainability Practices

daylighting

The architectural style of existing and future buildings should reflect and reinforce the sustainability goals of the installation. Sustainable design reduces construction and maintenance cost and conserves energy through proper design, construction, and materials selection. The Department of the Army has mandated that all new construction projects be designed to the standard required for a "Silver" or better USGBC LEED™ NC rating effective with the FY 08 military construction program. (See Appendix D.4 for a description of the LEED™ rating system.) Elevating a building to that level of performance requires a commitment across the full spectrum of the design and construction processes from developing the initial program documents through detailing, construction, and final commissioning. Fort Carson has established a high performance building goal to strive to meet LEED™ "Platinum" standards not just the minimum mandated LEED™ standard of "Silver". Decisions made in the earliest stages of the design process can have a profound impact on the sustainability of the project. Consequently, the most effective sustainable efforts are concentrated on early design. The focus is on decisions such as site selection, orientation, and building layout that minimize the environmental impact of buildings; creation of an efficient and integrated building envelope system; integration of HVAC and electrical systems to reduce energy use; and specification of reused, renewable, or recycled materials. The indoor environmental quality of a building must be carefully considered during the design and material selection processes to ensure appropriate decisions are reached to minimize the chances for microbial growth, control volatile organic compound content, and provide adequate fresh air, acoustic control, and access to daylight. In sustainable design, the architecture itself is expected to contribute directly to the comfort of the occupants.

Without appropriate design and simulation considerations, some times certain aspects of sustainable design can be at odds with one another. For example, a compact massing form that is very effective in minimizing conductive heat transfer may result in a building envelope that is marginal in terms of daylighting or natural ventilation of interior spaces. Consequently, the various components of a building design must be evaluated in terms of the overall sustainability benefit and functional requirements of the facility. Given the myriad variables and complexity of modern building systems, computer simulation studies are an essential tool in weighing the positive and negative aspects of a design to craft a solution that optimizes overall sustainable performance. The simulation studies form the critical basis to forecast the performance of sustainable design measures, ensuring that a project will achieve energy consumption levels that meet or surpass energy conservation design standards. See Appendix D for an in depth discussion of sustainable design.

Platinum Building Goal:
Ensure all applicable facilities at Fort Carson will be high-performance buildings that meet the Platinum Standard of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) by 2027. The desired end state is that all buildings at Fort Carson are planned, funded, constructed, and maintained according to sustainability principles. Decisions based on first-cost do not always incorporate sustainable principles. This needs to be changed so that sustainability is considered during building/facility design, renovation, construction, and demolition.