New Hanscom building on track for April completion

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom's newest building, located on the corner of Barksdale and Eglin Streets, will soon be not only the installation's most modern, but also the most energy efficient.

Scheduled for completion in late April, the building will offer increased space with comparatively reduced costs, said Chris Perkins, Hanscom's base civil engineer. "The benefit to Hanscom will be more modern office space in the inventory, reduced energy cost per square foot, because the building is more energy efficient, and eventually less maintenance."

Designed in two phases, Phase I is a 30,000-square-foot building budgeted at $12.8 million. The construction follows the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. The rating provides a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

LEED points are awarded based on an assortment of environmental considerations such as construction activity pollution, transportation of materials in low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles, storm water design, reductions in water use, as well as indoor environmental quality factors such as air quality management, low-emitting materials and an abundance of natural daylight.

"By achieving the LEED certification of silver, we've demonstrated that the building has a high energy efficiency value which will continue to pay back year after year," Mr. Perkins said. "We've also assured that the water runoff from the site is even less after construction than it was before, since we're directing more rainwater directly into the ground instead of allowing it to rush toward the storm drain system."

Specific building design efficiencies provide greater available light in perimeter offices, restrooms designed with light sensor options that shut off when motion is not detected and restroom fixtures installed with more efficient water usage systems that reduce overall consumption.

The new office space was originally programmed to replace Bldg. 1600, which currently houses members of the 554th Electronic Systems Wing as well as other organizations, because of its high maintenance costs. However, the Electronic Systems Center reorganization that is currently underway might add a different mix of occupants.

The building's construction involved removing a parking lot, which presents greater challenges to Hanscom's already limited parking.

"The parking solution will actually be improved in the long term, but not until we get Phase II approved by Congress, which right now is in the 2012 MILCON program," Mr. Perkins said. "The scope includes adding another 30,000-square-feet to the Phase I building, tearing down Bldg. 1600 and constructing new parking where the old building now stands."