PALMER, Alaska--A facility built to save lives has earned the distinction as the first-ever Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building in the National Weather Service (NWS).

The new West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, began operations in June 2003. It was built to the exacting standards of the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council, whose LEED certification program sets the standard for environmentally sensitive design.

"This is one of my best professional days ever," said Frank Rabuse, Chief, Facilities and Logistics Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Central Administrative Support Center located in Kansas City, Missouri.

The NWS is an organization within NOAA. This is the first LEED certification within all of NOAA as well. In addition, this is the first certification for the entire Department of Commerce.

LEED-certified buildings achieve the designation by meeting strict energy and environmental design criteria and scoring points in five areas: sustainable site planning, water efficiency and safeguards, energy efficiency and renewable energy use, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

The new 5,500-square-foot facility was built to replace the original Tsunami Warning Center, which went into service in 1967. The warning center was built in reaction to a devastating March 1964 tsunami that killed 122 people.

The engineering firm of Burns & McDonnell provided design and construction management of the center in close collaboration with engineers from NOAA/NWS.

"By definition the LEED process sets in place very challenging design goals that are difficult to achieve and are even more difficult in Alaska," said Ron Warren, NWS's project manager for the new facility. "Yet, the Burns & McDonnell-led design team completed the project on time and under budget."

The new facility includes an expanded vestibule and multi-purpose room for tour groups, as well as 500 square feet of workspace for a graduate assistant, visiting scientist and three geophysicists. It also adds a 240-square-foot reference room that includes Internet workstations and storage for reference books, maps and compact discs.

"The tsunami warning center is truly the only facility of its kind in the continental United States," says Bill Singleton, Burns & McDonnell project manager. "To continue to provide its unique and vital function, we want to make sure it is a reliable, sturdy, practical facility."

Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is an international engineering, architectural, construction and environmental services firm with 1,700 employees and 20 offices worldwide. For more information about Burns & McDonnell, visit its website at www.burnsmcd.com. For more on LEED certification, go to http://usgbc.org/LEED/LEED_main.asp

Tsunami Warning Center Earns a Series of "Firsts"

For a building to become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facility is a great honor.

What is even more unique about the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center is the how many milestones it has set. The facility is the first ever LEED certified building for:

• The National Weather Service

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• The Department of Commerce

• The entire state of Alaska

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