Moody dormitories receive gold for environmentally friendly design

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nicholas Benroth
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The U.S. Green Building Council awarded Moody's newest dormitory with the Gold LEED certificate. These are the first dormitories in the Department of Defense to earn this recognition.

In order to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program certification, a project must meet all prerequisites and earn a specified number of credits. This building earned credits by being energy and water efficient, along with reducing its carbon dioxide footprint and providing a healthy living environment to its residents.

"There are only 105 LEED gold building in the state of Georgia," said Belinda Morrow, company president of 2M Design Consultants, Inc. "This was a great accomplishment by everyone here to make sure this building received gold."

The LEED rating system is a voluntary, third-party certification that promotes and recognizes the design, construction and operation of environmentally sustainable
buildings. Gold LEED is the second highest of the four ratings - Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

The Moody dormitory project received a GOLD rating by scoring 42 out of 69 possible credits. The project earned credits in five areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design.

"The points were awarded for doing things like building up instead of out conserving the land on Moody, creating pond and storm water systems to capture the rain water, also using low flow plumbing systems reducing the water footprint of Moody," said Mrs. Morrow. These are all features of LEED that will help to not only save money but to help save the environment."

"Something that added to this was during construction 94 percent of the construction was recycled, that means they never went to the landfill so those products are up cycled creating opportunities for new construction materials," she added.

As Moody continues to focus on improving its impact on the environment, it also helps by improving the lives of its Airmen.

"I have been at Moody for a few years and have moved between different dormitories, said Senior Airman Johnny Liu, 23rd Force Support Squadron food services specialist. "What I like about these dormitories is how it brings the Airmen together and the friendship you create with the people around you."

The project, which cost approximately $15.5 million, is creating a facility to better serve unaccompanied enlisted Airmen like Johnny Liu. The dormitory consists of groups of four-bedroom living modules connected to a common living area. Each module also has its own kitchen and living room and each bedroom has a private bathroom.

"We understand that the environmental mission at Moody is to construct and maintain buildings that are both energy efficient and are environmentally friendly," said Mrs. Morrow. "This provides a positive and healthy place for our military members."