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PROJECT PROFILE

LEED® Facts

NASA Johnson Space Center

Building 2N, Public Affairs Office

Houston, TX

LEED for New Construction version 2.1 -

Certification Awarded August, 2010

Gold 45*

Sustainable Sites 7/14

Water Efficiency 3/5

Energy & Atmosphere 7/17

Materials & Resources 9/13

Indoor Environmental Quality 14/15

Innovation & Design 5/5

*Out of a possible 69 points

Building 2N – Public Affairs Office

Houston, Texas

LEED for New Construction 

10% Recycled Content

56% Reduced Water Usage

78% Regional Materials

85% Construction Waste Diverted

100% Existing wall, floor, and roof 

elements has been maintained

100% Asbestos abatement in all interior 

spaces
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PROJECT PROFILE

Building 2N – Johnson Space Center 

Public Affairs Office

Upgrading NASA’s Gateway to the Public

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

NASA JSC Building 2 North otherwise known as the Public Affairs building has a total of 

17,424 square feet and was originally built in 1961. It includes open offices, enclosed offices, 

conference rooms, and a main briefing room. The building structure was left the same, but 

new walls, windows, an Energy Star roof, and roof insulation were added. 

SUSTAINABLE SITES (2/7)

Asbestos contamination has been remediated in compliance with the National Emission 

Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants and the Texas Asbestos Health Protection Act as 

enforced by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The project has provided bicycle 

storage and shower facilities for at least 5% of the building occupants. 100% of the total roof 

area consists of an Energy Star rated roofing material with emissivity of at least 0.9.

WATER EFFICIENCY (3/5)

The project has reduced potable water use by 56.77% from a calculated baseline design 

through the installation of low flow water closets, low flow urinals, a waterless urinal, low flow 

lavatories, low flow showers, and a low flow kitchen sink. The project has reduced potable 

water use for sewage conveyance by 52.38% from a calculated baseline design. 

ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE (7/17)

The project has achieved an energy cost savings of 13.0% using the ASHRAE 90.1-1999 

Chapter 11 methodology. The base building HVAC and R systems use no HCFC-based 

refrigerants or Halons. The project demonstrates exemplary performance for this credit by 

purchasing Green-e accredited Tradable Renewable Certificates (RECs) equal to 100% of the 

predicated annual electrical consumption over a two-year period.

MATERIALS & RESOURCES (9/13)

The project is a renovation of an existing building and that 100% of the existing wall support, 

floor, and roof elements have been maintained. The project has diverted 1,018.56 tons 

(89.18%) of on-site generated construction waste from landfill. 10.26% of the total building 

materials content, by value, have been manufactured using recycled materials. 78.49% of the 

total building materials value (21.61% of the locally manufactured materials) have been 

manufactured using raw materials that were harvested, extracted, or recovered within 500 

miles of the project site. 70.86% of the total wood based building materials are harvested from 

FSC certified forests.

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (14/15)

Designated smoking areas have been located at least 25 feet from building openings and air 

intakes. The project has installed a CO2 monitoring system that provides feedback on space 

ventilation performance in a form that affords operational adjustments and carbon dioxide 

differentials that conform to ASHRAE 62-2001, Appendix C. All adhesive and sealant 

products, indoor paints, carpet systems, and composite wood and agrifiber products are LowEmitting Materials. The project has achieved a minimum 2% daylight factor in 75% of all 

space occupied for critical visual tasks, and has enabled direct line of sight views from a 

minimum of 90% of all space occupied for critical visual tasks. 

INNOVATION IN DESIGN (5/5)

Exemplary performance was achieved in building 2N for its innovations in water reduction, 

building enclosure commissioning, maximizing open space, use of Tradable Renewable 

Certificates, and open space accommodation, 

 

Owner: NASA Johnson Space Center

Architect: PDG Architects

Structural Engineer: Paul Wottwring & 

Associates

MEP Engineer: WSP Flaack & Kurtz

Commissioning Authority: Page 

Sutherland Page

Contractor: McDonald Electric

Project Size: 17,424 SF

Project Cost: $5,461,198

Completion: April 2009

Photography: NASA

ABOUT LEED

The LEED Green Building Rating System 

is the national benchmark for the design, 

construction, and operations of highperformance green buildings. 

Visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web 

site at www.usgbc.org and the TX Gulf 

Coast Chapter of USGBC at 

www.usgbctexasgulfcoast.org to learn 

more about how you can make LEED work 

for you.