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Building Design
The Aerospace Institute is an educational building. It is classifi ed as an Educational occupancy under the International Building Code, and it will include Assembly spaces in the lobby, lecture halls, and conference rooms. The building will be designed to meet or exceed all applicable construction and life safety codes:
• 2015 International Building Code • 2020 National Electric Code • 2015 International Fire Code • 2015 Uniform Mechanical Code • 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code • 2015 International Energy Conservation Code • National Fire Protection Association NFPA101 • Texas Accessibility Standards • City of Houston Code Amendments
Code enforcement for the HUB Building shall be managed through HAS’ Building Standards Group, which will perform plan review and inspection services.
Life Safety features shall include wide exit corridors with clear paths to exits, and an open lobby with multiple exit options in the area of greatest concentration of occupants. The building will be fully-sprinklered, with fi re alarms and emergency lighting on battery backup. In laboratories, duct smoke detectors, special gas detectors, and smoke evacuation systems will be included as appropriate.
The building will be fully accessible, including gentle-approach walkways with power-operated entry doors, accessible eyewash and fi rst aid stations at labs, accessible seating in classrooms for students and faculty, and all of the standard accessible features included in the Texas Accessibility Standards.
The construction cost estimate of the Aerospace Institute includes site work of the existing fl at grassland 17 acre site, and the construction of the HUB shell building. The site work costs were estimated using R.S. Means data, and the HUB cost was estimated using ballpark square footage costs discussed during the June 24, 2002 Spaceport Board Meeting.
• Site Work – Includes scraping and grubbing; grading; lime stabilization; curb & gutter; sidewalks & fl atwork; parking lots. Estimate $493,000.
• HUB Building Phase I – Includes shell building construction. Estimate $35,362,000. (88,405 SF x $400 / SF)
• Total Site Work & Phase I Building = $35,855,000.
R.S. Means preliminary estimate for Site Work.
• Proposed working budget, including future cost escalation = $40,000,000.
The Aerospace Institute will be designed to USGC’s LEED standards for sustainable materials. The goal of LEED is to create a building that should save money, improve effi ciency, lower carbon emissions, and create healthier places for people.
• Glue-laminated wood beams supporting the glass skylight wall. • Green roof with vegetation to absorb heat and produce oxygen. • Optimized energy performance – The air conditioning system will cool and exhaust large amounts of air due to laboratories, and the highest effi ciency in conditioning air will help keep long-term energy costs low. • Low-emitting materials – Sustainable building materials and fi nishes. • Daylighting – Skylight wall at the entry atrium. • Quality views – From the second fl oor of the atrium and from the roof overlooking Spaceport runways. • Acoustic performance – Important for controlling sound at a crowded lobby and from machinery operating in labs. • Innovation – In overall building design, innovative landscaping, and new technologies in materials. • Regional priority – Using locally-sourced building materials and fi nishes (wood beams, ceramics and fi nishes, landscaping).
Sustainable features of the HUB site may include:
• Sensitive land protection – The curved and rolling landscape which is a low-impact development (LID) drainage system, slowing the stormwater runoff and reducing stormwater detention areas. • Access to quality transit – As an educational building, public transit connections will be incorporated into the parking lot area. • Bicycle facilities – Generous parking for bicycles and alternative personal transport. • Green vehicles – Preferred parking and charging stations. • Heat island reduction – With the extensive landscape areas in the no-build fault zone across the site. • Light pollution reduction – Effi cient lighting for dark sky compliance and to reduce glare for Spaceport and airport operations.
The items listed above contribute to the overall mathematical calculation which determines the level of LEED certifi cation. A LEED Gold rating should be attainable for this project within the current design parameters.
