WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.000 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 Bob Cabana/NASA's Kennedy Space Center Director: One, two, three? 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:10.000 Narrator: NASA's Kennedy Space Center rang in 2011 with the grand opening of the agency's greenest facility 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:16.000 on January 20. The Propellants North Administrative and Maintenance Facility is the new hub for fueling support 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:22.000 personnel and a storage facility for cryogenic fuel transfer equipment for spacecraft that will embark on journeys 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:28.000 to unlock the mysteries of the universe? while the building itself taps into Earth's natural resources. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:30.000 Bob Cabana/NASA's Kennedy Space Center Director: How can you not be enthused about something that 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.000 requires zero energy? I think it's fantastic. It actually puts more energy out than it requires to run in a 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:41.000 24-hour period. This is our start. This is setting the standard. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:47.000 Narrator: A few days before the ribbon cutting ceremony, we caught up with Frank Kline, a project manager with 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:52.000 NASA Construction of Facilities, to talk about how Propellants North will be a test bed for more environmentally 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:54.000 friendly projects. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: Honestly, I feel this is probably one of the best 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:02.000 facilities we have in the agency and nationwide. There's not many buildings that can meet the same criteria that 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.000 we met here. This facility is going to give NASA the data to prove that these things do what the vendors actually 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:12.000 say they do. So that's what we're doing in this building. We're checking what the vendors tell us is truly green to 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:13.000 make sure it meets what they're saying. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:19.000 Narrator: The test bed begins with a parking lot of the future. For less than $1.50 a day, an electric or hybrid 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.000 vehicle can plug into this nearby solar-powered charging canopy. 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:26.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: This right here will give, will hopefully give folks an 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.000 incentive to buy electric cars and have a place to plug in. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:36.000 Narrator: The eight-car station can be used for government or personal vehicles to reduce dependency on gas. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:43.000 Using the sun's power doesn't stop outside, either. More than 300 photovoltaic panels are expected to produce 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:50.000 more energy than will be used at Propellants North, making it the space agency's first net-zero facility. Even the 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:55.000 orientation of the building on the property maximizes sunlight, decreasing the demand for energy. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: The whole system was designed and constructed by 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:05.000 NASA with very little outside help. So we, I take a lot of pride in that. The system works really well. 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:09.000 We've had experts come in and give us kudos on how well the system is actually functioning. 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:16.000 Narrator: Net-zero also includes water conservation. A 7,500-gallon rainwater harvesting system supplies H2O to 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:22.000 the toilets and sprinklers. When treated, that same water is safe for drinking and hand washing. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:31.000 Revered as American icons, NASA's spaceflight history adorns the walls. Other artwork brightly contrasts the 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:37.000 power of spacecraft propellants and the peace of the raw nature and wildlife that exists in harmony at Kennedy. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:44.000 While most of its features are brand-new, Propellants North also is steeped in rich history. Outside, crawlerway 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:49.000 rocks that were crushed during space shuttle treks to Kennedy's launch pads are used as a substitute for mulch. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:54.000 Inside, a striking piece of Kennedy history is prominently displayed in the lobby. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: We're actually looking at the recovered LCC glazing 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:02.000 and framing that we saved out of the Launch Control Center. To me, this is the million dollar view from this facility. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:10.000 You have the same view as you did, looking out in 1964 from the Launch Control Center, set at the same angle and 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.000 orientation as in the firing rooms. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:17.000 Narrator: Kline and his team even insisted that the windows be left in their original state with the salt air stains on 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:24.000 the outside and a nicotine patina on the inside from when NASA allowed smoking in the firing rooms. Propellants 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:27.000 North also is an uber-smart facility. 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:30.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: These two switches are part of the automated light 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:35.000 control system for this room. As you notice, there's really high windows. So we get a lot of daylight into this facility, 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.000 especially the second floor. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:43.000 Narrator: Even the air-conditioning system is pretty clever. Its efficiency comes from the highly insulated roof and 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:49.000 walls as well as a thermostat that regulates the temperature and relative humidity up to 5 feet above the ground, 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.000 which is where most people spend their time. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:53.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: This system works from the ground up. Hot air 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:58.000 rises, so the air conditioning here starts from the floor and goes up. Kind of the opposite from what a normal 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:00.000 facility would be? pushing cold air down. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:06.000 Narrator: The system requires no duct work, because the air flows underneath the facility's sustainable bamboo 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:12.000 flooring. Vents in each work station can even be relocated for the comfort of the occupants. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.000 Propellants North is using an energy-saving feature that could 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:21.000 be added to existing Kennedy facilities in the near future. Called a controlled power station, when an occupant 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:27.000 leaves their work area for an extended period of time, it will turn everything using electricity off except their 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:33.000 computer. This small step could greatly reduce an existing facility's monthly power bill. The design team's attention 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:40.000 to energy-efficient detail didn't escape the restrooms. Hygienic hand dryers blast water from hands in seconds 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:46.000 much like a power dryer at a car wash. And the showers and sinks are made to conserve as well. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: All the fixtures are high-efficiency fixtures and 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:55.000 they're all automated, so you don't have to touch them? they are touchless. And they're super-low flow, so you 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:56.000 use very little water. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.000 Narrator: While Propellants North will be working for its occupants, its occupants will need to develop a green 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:06.000 thumb of their own to maintain the center's reuse, recycle and repurpose efforts. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.000 Project Manager Frank Kline/NASA Construction of Facilities: As you can see, we have bins for plastic, aluminum 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:14.000 cans, white paper, cardboard. The whole idea is to change people's habits to not throw things away. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:21.000 We can recycle most things nowadays. So, we try to reduce what ends up in the landfill. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:26.000 Narrator: The construction crew had the same concept in mind throughout the year-and-a-half building phase. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:34.000 To date, 98 percent of all waste, totaling 664 tons, was diverted from landfill disposal. The environmentally 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:41.000 friendly, net-zero energy, water conserving, super clean and super smart building is a cost-saving step toward the 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:45.000 future? and is part of a bigger picture for NASA. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:48.000 Mike Benik/Kennedy Center of Operations Director: An agencywide focus on green initiatives has resulted in 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:55.000 implementing ways to produce renewable energy, conserving energy and water, and utilizing environmentally 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:56.000 friendly materials. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.000 Bob Cabana/NASA's Kennedy Space Center Director: I think it's the future for us here at the Kennedy Space 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:03.000 Center. I think we're going to add more facilities like this and eventually get to where some of our old 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:09.000 1960s infrastructure has been updated and brought to new standards. 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:09.000