NASA has built a new facility at the entrance of the Amess Research Center in Silicon Valley . The new sustainable base is completely solar-powered .
The building and landscape are design ‘native to place’ – they capitalise on the natural resources of its location and blend seamlessly with their contextual environment and culture. The building’s orientation takes advantage daylight / sun angles and prevailing Bay Area winds. For all but approximately 40 days of the year, no artificial lighting is necessary.
Sustainability Base uses a sophisticated array of technology. The building can anticipate and react to changes in sunlight, temperature and usage. Over time, itsperformance will be optimised in response to internal and external change. The two-wing design of Sustainability Base permits designation of ‘control’ and ‘experimental’ wings, and the NASA team is working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories to calibrate and document the data. Results from this work will inform design and operation strategies for years to come./source