Source: Moseley Architects, Richmond, Va.
A precast wall system Tindall Corp. produced at its Petersburg, Va., operation contributes thermal efficiency to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ first LEED Gold-certified facility: the new medium-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) at the United States Penitentiary site in Hazelton, W.Va. The 540,000-sq.-ft., multi-building complex is designed to support over 1,100 inmates while minimizing environmental impact and conserving resources.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) partnered with a design-build team that included Hensel Phelps Construction Company and Moseley Architects to achieve their vision for a secure, functional and sustainable facility. The team sought to use as many regionally-manufactured building materials as possible, starting with the structural precast materials—double tees, columns, beams, flat slabs, and interior and insulated exterior wall panels—manufactured by Tindall in Petersburg, about 300 miles from the Hazelton site. (Tindall also manufactured 864 precast quad cells at its San Antonio, Texas, facility for the project.) Additionally, rock excavated from the project site was crushed and re-used as backfill material, eliminating the need to bring in stone that was remotely quarried. Construction waste was sorted on-site and sent to be recycled, diverting a total of 1,682 tons of debris away from landfills.
The complex features a highly-efficient HVAC system with energy recovery technology, upgraded thermal performance of the precast wall system and window glazing, improved domestic hot water efficiency, and energy-efficient interior and exterior lighting. In accordance with the Energy Policy Act, energy use is modeled to be 30 percent less than a baseline (minimally code-compliant) facility and the energy metering is configured to facilitate long-term measurement and verification.
The Hazelton facility marks the second LEED-certified project for the FBOP, Moseley Architects, and Hensel Phelps team.