Goddard Space Flight Center Space Science Building

Client: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Location: Greenbelt, MD

Services: Environmental Investigation and NEPA Documentation

KCI prepared the environmental portion of a siting analysis study and an Environmental Assessment to evaluate potential environmental effects of a new Space Science Building (SSB) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. GSFC was established in 1959 as NASA’s first space flight center and is one of several large federal research facilities near the City of Greenbelt. The construction of a new SSB is part of NASA’s implementation of the 2002 GSFC Facilities Master Plan. NASA’s primary purpose in constructing a new SSB is to combine five different organizational elements that are currently distributed among six buildings and an office trailer complex.

The proposed general site area for the Space Science Neighborhood is strategically located at the center of the campus, providing strong links to the other future “neighborhoods.” The proposed SSB area is 300,000-350,000 gross square feet in a 3-4 story structure with a footprint of approximately 75,000-100,000 gross square feet. Three alternative building zones for the proposed building were evaluated in addition to a no-action alternative.

KCI’s investigation and documentation evaluated the resources and environment affected by the proposed construction, including population, land use within and surrounding the GSFC campus, cultural and historic resources, employment conditions, environmental justice, transportation, noise, waste management, air quality, soils and geology, topography, open-space and forest stands, wetlands, floodplains, stormwater management, animal communities and endangered species, the on site land fill, infrastructure issues, and safety.

Key issues included impacts to traffic patterns, natural resources, stormwater, and cumulative impacts. KCI evaluated effects on future traffic patterns and confirmed that new traffic patterns would not effect the total traffic flow by more than 20 percent on any link. A forest stand delineation was conducted to identify affected forest stands and potential conservation and mitigation requirements. Field investigations identified two wetlands and one Waters of the US system that would be affected by construction of the parking lot and slope stabilization area. Onsite wetland mitigation opportunities were investigated. KCI evaluated the three building alternatives and proposed parking lot to determine if the construction is considered new impervious or redevelopment of existing impervious surface. Subwatersheds and outfalls were identified for each construction alternative. Potential stormwater management mitigation strategies were identified for the parking area including the use of low impact development practices and bioretention devices. A cumulative effects analysis identified possible impacts of the project on individual resources projected over time and in combination with other transportation and development projects with the potential to have environmental effects within the study area.

All three building alternatives have the potential to qualify for one of the three achievement levels as outlined in the LEED Green Building Rating System. Each alternative was evaluated for potential ranking in the 8 different LEED subcategories.

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