EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE – Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 14 for a new Consolidated Information Technology Center to be built at NASA’S Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base.
NASA Dryden recently awarded a $5.8 million contract to Southwestern Dakotah Inc., of Tucson, Ariz., for construction of the 22,000-square-foot, two-story structure to be built adjacent to the existing Data Analysis Facility on Dryden’s Edwards campus. The new facility is expected to be complete about 18 months after start of construction.
Designed by the Development One, Inc., architectural firm of Santa Ana, Calif., the new building will be a state-of-the-art facility to meet both current and anticipated future information technology requirements. The first “green” building to be constructed at Dryden that meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, the facility will incorporate water and energy conservation features and will use construction materials that are both durable and do not degrade indoor environmental quality.
Built to accommodate about 80 NASA and contractor employees, the new information technology center will bring Information Technology resources and personnel currently housed in several buildings at Dryden into one central location. It is intended to be a model for NASA data centers of the future. The project will facilitate reliable, secure and rapid analysis of critical flight research data to prepare Dryden for future research mission data requirements.
The new building will be of steel-frame, concrete masonry construction, with aluminum and glass wall elements and perforated metal overhangs. In addition to construction of the building, the contract covers several options for landscaping, signage, and related site infrastructure. Once the new structure is complete, the existing Data Analysis Facility will be renovated for use of the center’s growing Information Technology support staff.
The contract is the largest single Historically Underutilized Business Zone small business award in NASA Dryden’s history.
Artist’s drawing of the new Consolidated Information Technology Center to be constructed at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center.
by Alan Brown, Public Affairs
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Original article: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/NewsReleases/2009/09-64.html
