A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

- Antoine de Saint-Exupe’ry

It seems that the French aviator and author has something in common with the leaders in aviation and spaceflight: they both believe in smart, streamlined and sustainable design.

So when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) built its first new building on the Johnson Space Center campus in two decades, it followed this philosophy and created an efficient and environmentally responsible space. After all, they’re not only seeking better answers in worlds beyond, but also close to home. That’s exactly what this building was designed to help astronauts do.

progress: one small step for mankind

This sustainable and effective facility ultimately reflects the personalities and responsibilities of the astronauts; it would be, after all, the last place they stayed before leaving Earth. Photo by Gary Zbonvic, AZ Photography.

As you would expect, NASA knows how to initiate progress. So when the time came for a new building at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, they wanted to do it right. Efficiently. Effectively. Responsibly. They needed to replace an aging facility with a smart low-maintenance building to house some high-profile clientele: astronauts.

This building needed to reflect that astronauts are highly effective, highly functional, highly capable individuals. They are smart, no-nonsense people with dedicated responsibilities and priorities. This would be, after all, the last place they stayed before taking off, and the first place they called home upon return to Earth.

NASA also wanted the building to be sustainable, and when presented with the opportunity, they elected to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria. NASA’s new Astronaut Quarantine Facility (AQF) would be the first “green” building on campus.

plan: mission control collaboration is mission critical

NASA’s new astronaut quarantine facility is functioning 20 percent above the baseline performance measures that are mandated by the State of Texas. Photo by Gary Zbonvic, AZ Photography.

We began by touring the 1967 vintage facility to benchmark what currently existed. We then called together the entire project team to discover the possibilities.

Representatives from NASA construction, including mechanical experts, electrical technicians, plumbing experts, landscapers, project managers, consultants, administrators, astronaut coordinators and former astronauts, met to discuss needs and essentials.

The team also educated everyone on the essentials, requirements and parameters for “green” building. Team-wide education sessions were held to make sure all understood their rolls in fulfilling the five categories of LEED: sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.

The building would be used to quarantine an astronaut Shuttle crew from the general population in order to protect the integrity of the mission. So the design needed to accommodate pre- and post-flight isolation, plus rehabilitation from the long-term exposure to zero gravity. Before missions, flight crews need to be protected from germs that might cause illness and delay or alter the mission. In this time period, they can, if needed, adjust their circadian rhythms, allowing them to sleep and wake as their mission demands, not as their work on Earth required. After the mission, flight crews need time to debrief, rest and recover their “land legs.”

performance: high performance achieved through collaborative design

NASA’s new astronaut quarantine facility is functioning 20 percent above the baseline performance measures that are mandated by the State of Texas. Photo by Gary Zbonvic, AZ Photography.

The site orientation of the new 12,300-square-foot facility is located and designed for best solar exposure to maximize efficiency. When working with the landscape architects, we wanted to maximize the views from the limited windows and provide tranquil outdoor spaces for the astronauts to use during their stay. The landscaping featured indigenous planting that reflected the natural coastal region, which also fulfilled LEED requirements and reduced consumption of water.

The building is designed to have two different spaces, one for social and the other for work with sleeping quarters on either end. The social space of the facility consists of living quarters, astronaut bedroom quarters with full baths, a lounge area for relaxing, and a large kitchen and dining room. The dining room can provide overflow conference room space and has a window that overlooks a garden.

In the work area of the building there is an exercise equipment room and whirlpool for strengthening and rehabilitation. The conference room has state-of-the-art videoconferencing equipment to stay current with mission information and a large room with computer cubicles, so the occupants can keep up with their regular workload and converse with friends and family. In addition, the new AQF houses a doctor’s examination room.

Day areas are equipped with a circadian lighting system that also assists to adjust the crew’s biological clock to be at peak performance levels for lift-off. The MEP design for this facility includes high filtration to minimize exposure to airborne contamination, ultraviolet lights to eliminate biological contaminants, and an enthalpy wheel heat-reclaim system to boost energy efficiency of the system.

productivity: the final frontier

Astronauts need high performance buildings, because what allows them to reach their highest level of performance are the systems, technologies, processes and environments they rely on to complete their mission.

Designing a building that has a job to do takes more than just solid architecture; it takes collaboration and an intimate understanding of the people that will use it. It needed to help set the astronauts minds on what they were getting ready to accomplish. The design helped to remind them to treat the earth well, and to remind them why they were exploring other worlds.

The final product creates a comfortable, transitional, clean environment. The AQF building functions better than anything they’d ever imagined, and is achieving 20 percent better than the baseline performance measures mandated by the State. NASA should be applauded for taking leadership in promoting a triple bottom line solution to strengthen a healthy balance between environmental, social, and economic prosperity.

nasa astronaut quarantine facility

location: johnson space center, clear lake, texas
completed: may 2005
size: 12,300 square feet
estimated cost: $3.5 million
architect: morris architects (houston, texas). architect dan searight, interior designer jim halloran, project manager carl jacksits
general contractor: d.e. harvey

exterior products
metal panels: centria architectural systems
concrete block: featherlight building products – cmu block – supplied by upchurch kimbrough company
glass: viracon

interior products
flooring: shaw contract title
linoleum tile: marmoleum (fresco sheet) by forbo
rubber flooring: to market atmosphere recycled rubber interlocking tile
ceramic tile: dal-tile keystones and crossville geostone ecocycle series
paint: benjamin moore eco spec latex enamel-eggshell
ceilings: ecophon advantage
laminates: pionite and wilsonart