HOUSTON — A Coast Guard boat station, badly damaged by Hurricane Ike, was rebuilt as an efficient, environmentally friendly and hurricane category four resistant building.
A new efficient, environmentally friendly and hurricane resistant Coast Guard station was dedicated Thursday during a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the new Station Sabine Pass.
The old station was finally demolished and rebuilt after hurricanes Rita, Humberto, Gustav and Ike all took their toll on the station. Extensive wide-spread damage was done by Ike which prompted Congress to authorize supplemental funding to rebuild and improve Coast Guard facilities that were affected.
The new 56,000 square foot multi-mission station was built to withhold against a category four hurricane and boasts a number of amenities such as individual berthing areas, a large galley and recreation room, a fitness center and even a movie room.
In order to withhold against category four winds and storm surge, the floor elevations of Station Sabine have been raised 18 feet above ground elevation to protect critical command and control and duty berthing spaces from the vulnerability to relative sea level rise and flooding. The foundation uses reinforced concrete piles to more than withstand storm surge and wave action from extreme weather events.
The new facility has also been built to meet certified sustainability standards under Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. Formal LEED certification is currently in progress with the U.S. Green Building Council and is expected in the next couple of months.
Sustainability emphasizes such things as energy conservation and efficient use of water, while minimizing the impact this facility will have on its surroundings.
A few of the examples built into this new facility are:
- Water use reduction and use of water efficient landscaping
- The installation of water efficient plumbing fixtures throughout
the building will reduce water consumption by 40%
- Smart lighting, high efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment coupled with significant increases in insulating the building envelope will improve energy efficiency by 30%
- Construction was also conscious of the environment:
-- 20% of the materials used for this building were from recycled materials
-- more than 75% of the construction debris was redirected from disposal in landfills to recycling centers.
Date Taken: |
01.17.2013 |
Date Posted: |
01.18.2013 14:48 |
Story ID: |
100754 |
Location: |
SABINE PASS, TEXAS, US |
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