GREEN NEWS: DOE to Build LEED-Certified NREL Research Facility on Main Campus
DOE to Build LEED-Certified NREL Research Facility on Main Campus
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has awarded a contract to design and construct the first phase of the laboratory’s new Research Support Facilities (RSF).
RSF will integrate energy-saving design and building practices and showcase the latest renewable energy and energy efficiency technology advances. The facility will explore the limits of cost-competitive, high-performance building design and construction while striving to achieve a “Platinum” Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating.
The facility, consisting of several modules built on NREL’s main campus, will house up to 780 employees.
“The Research Support Facility is a critical piece in the development of NREL’s campus as a showcase for renewable energy and energy efficiency innovation. This building will be one more example of how the Department of Energy and NREL put into practice the technologies developed at the laboratory,” says NREL Director Dan Arvizu.
The design and construction contract, awarded to J.E. Dunn Rocky Mountain Construction, is valued at $9.4 million and begins in August 2006. Construction is expected to be completed in July 2008.
NREL’s newest building, the Science & Technology Facility, opened July 7. It is on track for a Gold LEED rating and recently was awarded the Jefferson County (CO) Commissioners’ Award for Design Excellence.