FORT HOOD, Texas -- The Fort Hood Chapel Complex and Religious Education Facility, has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable and energy-efficient design and construction. This 40,000 square feet facility is the Army’s first LEED Gold certified chapel and will be awarded the certification at 10 a.m. Aug. 24 at building 320 off of Tank Destroyer and 31st Street.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
The LEED rating system awards points based on dozens of variables for sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality for certification as LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum.
The chapel actually overachieved in its LEED ambitions and had set a goal of LEED Silver. As the construction contractor, Solis and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were tracking everything, they realized the facility could fall into LEED Gold by earning one extra point in thermal control and verification without any additional cost to the project.
The chapel earned points for everything from efficient lighting, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems that will help cut its energy costs by 31 percent to low-flow toilets and sinks and waterless urinals that reduce potable water usage by 53 percent.
An eco-friendly car will lessen a driver’s carbon footprint but can also get you close to the chapel in one of its 18 preferred low-emitting and fuel efficient parking spaces.
The LEED standards also emphasize conserving resources.
More than 85 percent of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill. And 27 percent of the building materials used in the chapel’s construction was from recycled materials.
Currently across the Army, there are 157 LEED certified buildings.
Fort Hood’s Joint Air Ground Center and Warrior Transition Brigade Unit Operations facility are both LEED Silver and the new medical center currently under construction is planned to be LEED Gold. The installation will continue incorporating sustainable design and development into construction projects to achieve the silver level and creating a more sustainable community.
