NOSC Phoenix Celebrates Completion of Navy's First LEED Platinum Facility

By Lee H. Saunders, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest Public Affairs

PHOENIX (NNS) -- Navy officials celebrated the opening of the first LEED Platinum certified facility in the U.S. Navy with a ribbon cutting ceremony March 30 for Naval Operational Support Center (NOSC) Phoenix at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Ariz.

The $11.2 million facility is also the first LEED Platinum certified building built for the Navy by a small business. A&D GC Inc. of Santee, Calif. was the prime contractor. TECTONICS of San Diego was the architect-engineer of record for the design-build project.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum is the highest of four standards established by the United States Green Building Council that measures sustainability by describing how well the design and construction process reduces life cycle costs, conserves natural resources, and enhances the quality of work life for its occupants.

"This modern facility is extraordinarily environmentally friendly to help preserve the scarce financial resources of our country," said Capt. Michael T. DeWitt, NOSC Phoenix commanding officer. "I am proud to announce just a couple of weeks ago the U.S. Green Building Council has designated this facility as a Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building! This is the first such building onboard Luke Air Force Base, first such building within the Naval Reserve Force and within the Navy Installations Command Enterprise, and the third such building within the entire Department of the Navy."

A NOSC is a facility used to provide operational support for training and administrative services to Navy Reserve Units. NOSC Phoenix will support over 750 Navy Reservists in sixteen Navy Reserve units.

"This new state of the art facility will significantly enhance our Navy Reserve Forces' ability to provide strategic depth and operational capability to the fleet and Department of Defense," said DeWitt.

The new 32,055 square foot, one-story facility is located on a 1.85 acre site at an active air force base with sufficient parking and a secured perimeter to meet current anti-terrorism and force protection standards.

The NOSC will serve a full-time command and administrative staff, a medical unit, and reservists during drill weekends. It also has a 4,800 square foot drill hall, command staff offices, reserve unit administration spaces, medical and dental examination areas, six classrooms, a distance learning center, a physical fitness room, and a quarterdeck.

"None of this could have been done without tremendous support from Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest and the Civil Engineering Squadron from Luke Air Force Base," said DeWitt. "The Luke Air Force Base community has greeted the Navy with open arms. I want to personally thank Brig. Gen. J. D. Harris, Wing Commander for the 56th Fighter Wing, for welcoming the Navy to Luke Air Force Base and making the transition for our Sailors as seamless as possible."

Some of the significant sustainability features of the NOSC include a 67kW solar photovoltaic solar array for on-site renewable energy, demand-control ventilation, day lighting, a high-efficiency chiller, a robust thermal envelope for the building, and variable frequency drives for the mechanical system. Native and adapted plant species were utilized in landscaping to conserve water.

"The MILCON project, which will support NOSC Phoenix and reserve component operations for many decades into the future, represents all what is right about the Navy's capital investment program," said Capt. Clifford M. Maurer, NAVFAC Southwest commanding officer. "This 32,055 square foot facility consolidated operations that occurred in no less than twelve separate facilities. It was built with environmental sustainability incorporated in every aspect of construction, achieving LEED Platinum certification, the first for any Navy facility; it was constructed with an unblemished safety record, receiving STAR award status and it boasts impeccable quality throughout. This was a great team effort."