Johnson Space Center in Houston, home of the Mission Control Center for the nation’s space program, is now the home of two LEED Gold certified buildings. The center’s JSC Public Affairs Office Building was originally constructed in 1964 but after a recent green renovation, the 17,644 square-foot building received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

"We are extremely proud of the record of green building we are establishing at JSC," said JSC Center Operations Director Joel Walker. "But we are not satisfied. We have several more projects in the works and our goal is to meet the highest standards provided by the Green Building Council. We plan to continuously reduce the impact of JSC on the environment while providing the highest quality workplace for the unique skills and talents of NASA." Source: NASA

 

This building is the second LEED Gold certified building at the space center and the fifth LEED certification for the site. There are also three buildings awaiting LEED certification at Johnson Space Center.

 

The seven additional LEED certified or registered buildings at the space center include

Building 27 — the Astronaut Quarantine Facility

Building 20 – New Office Building

Building 29 – CAIL Renovation

Building 207 – Maintenance Building

Building 265 – Source Board Addition

Building 26 – The Center for Space Flight Performance and Research

Building 4 South – Astronaut Office Facility.

 

NASA’s commitment to green building is just part of the federal government's move towards more energy-efficient office buildings. The Flight Projects Center at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory earned LEED Gold certification in late 2009, the first NASA building to achieve Gold level certification. Last year the space organization also broke ground on the $20+ million NASA Sustainability Base, which is expected to earn LEED Platinum certification.