Randolph’s newest building is as ‘good as gold’ Published Nov. 15, 2010 By Summer Allen Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment BROOKS CITY-BASE, Texas -- The Air Force Personnel Center's Blanchard Hall is the first building at Randolph Air Force Base to achieve a Gold rating in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. Named in honor of former AFPC Executive Director Roger Blanchard, it is home to the center's Civilian Personnel Office. The Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment managed the construction of the new $10.5 million, 36,000 square-foot building that was completed late July as a project under the Base Realignment and Closure Act. A Gold rating is the second highest rating a building can achieve through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. Ratings are assigned by the U.S. Green Building Council and are based on the number of environmentally friendly features incorporated into the building's design and construction. The more green features that are used, the more points a project receives. "One of the biggest reasons we were able to achieve such a high LEED rating was because we were able to reuse and recycle 96 percent of the former thrift shop building, Bldg. 662, after demolition," said AFCEE project manager Nick Alino. Mr. Alino said the former thrift shop, a wood-constructed building dating back to the World War II era, stood in the footprint of the new civilian personnel office building. "When we demolished the building, we were able to reuse and save a substantial portion of the wooden paneling and other materials," he said. Some other notable green features are high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; controls that switch off lighting in unoccupied rooms; the use of finishes that do not emit harsh chemicals; an exterior designed to maximize day lighting inside the building and roof overhangs to shade windows and cut down on solar heat; a roof that reduces solar absorption; and xeriscape landscaping. Another amenity is that the building has showers and changing rooms to encourage bicycling, walking and alternative means of transportation.