2004 Closing the Circle Award Honorable Mention, Sustainable Design

Fort Bragg, NC has an annual construction budget of $250 million to expand, develop, and modify its property. However, Fort Bragg is located in the North Carolina Sandhills, which are highly erodable, close to watersheds, and contain a 6,500-acre greenbelt in the midst of its property. These environmental gifts provide complications when it comes to development. Despite the difficulties, Fort Bragg works carefully to create sustainable and efficient projects.

Fort Bragg's sustainable design team is developing two projects, the Golden Knights' new headquarters and the 16th Military Police (MP) Barracks complex, with the gold SPiRiT standards in mind. SPiRiT, which stands for the sustainable project rating tool, is the Department of Defense's modification of the LEED standards. Developed by the Army Corps of Engineers, it follows many of the same recommendations as LEED, but also adds in standards that are applicable to military structures. In order for the developers at Fort Bragg to achieve the SPiRiT rating, in both the Golden Knights' headquarters and the 16th MP Barracks location, multiple sustainable ideas were used.

Siting: The developers at the Golden Knights' building improved the site numerous ways by adding resource efficient and waste prevention tools, including increased recycling. To help encourage alternative transportation to the facility, the developers added bike racks, showers, changing rooms, and designated carpool areas. The facility also reduced the heat island effect and light pollution to help conserve energy.

Additionally, on site, the developers included a storm water treatment system that collects rainwater for irrigation and reduces water use by 30 percent. This system removes total suspended solids and total phosphorous, which eliminates the need for an additional irrigation system. On site at the 16th MP Barracks, developers pursued efforts to help protect the surrounding wetlands by building multistory buildings and a stormwater infiltration system. This system is connected to the roof drainage system to be more efficient. "Gator" bags on trees hold the water for slow infiltration, which avoids the use of mechanical irrigation.
Construction and Demolition Recycling: The developers who worked on the 16th MP Barracks complex partnered with a local non-profit organization, Fayetteville Urban Ministries, to organize the diversion and reuse of materials from construction. The sustainable design team stockpiled and mulched trees and land-clearing debris, diverted concrete and asphalt to grinding, and segregated scrap metal for resale. Not only did the team reuse the materials on-site, but also it reutilized the site, which was a previously contaminated site that had been used for the laundry facility.
Energy Efficiency: Additionally, to save energy, the sustainable team planted shade trees and installed light colored concrete to reduce the heat island effect. Low-flow Energy Star systems also contributed to their savings.
Other: While planning for these sustainable additions, Fort Bragg asked the local community for comments. This participatory process ensured that the planning process address the needs of both Fort Bragg and the local community. Out of this process occurred the Installation Design Guide (IDG). IDG is the provision of standards, approach, and maintenance of visual, spatial, and environmental considerations that form an attractive and sustainable installation. The IDG provides design information on quality of life, economic interests, and environmental performance. After the success of the two above sustainable buildings and the formation of the IDG, Fort Bragg has decided to embrace the challenge of including sustainable design principles.

For more in formation please contact, Christine Hull at (910) 432-8873 or hullcg@bragg.army.mil.