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LLNL garners 'Best in Class' award from NNSA

(Download Image) An aerial rendering of LVOC.
The NNSA announced in a press release last week the Pollution Prevention Awards (P2) given to its national laboratories and sites for innovative initiatives. The P2 awards recognize performance in integrating environmental stewardship practices that helps to reduce risk, protect natural resources and enhance site operations.

In addition to three awards given to the Lab in the category of Environmental Stewardship ( see story ), the Lab also received a Best in Class award in the Integrative Planning and Design category for the "High Performance Computing Innovation Center: LLNL Program and Facility Development with the Environment in Mind." The LLNL High Performance Computing Innovation Center (HPCIC) serves as an example of program and facility development with a focus on environmental stewardship.

This facility is one of the first in the Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC) area, where researchers are active within a wide range of science domains including climate modeling and computational energy. Consistent with programmatic goals, the facility was designed with the environment in mind.

Site design includes the first permeable pavement used at LLNL, and native vegetation to limit water consumption. The facility itself was constructed from refurbished trailers at a cost savings of $200,000 and a waste generation avoidance of 85 tons. Finally, the trailers were oriented to reduce heat build-up during long summer days and to share use of existing curb cuts and roadway. Those who directly participated in the project include: Stan Tuholski, project manager; Jim McGraw, program representative; Ben Maxwell, design manager; Ray Leffner, civil engineer; Kathleen Bochenski, procurement pepresentative; and Chris Campbell, EFA.

This year, NNSA awarded 12 nominations to receive Best in Class awards and 12 Environmental Stewardship awards out of a total of 40 nominations submitted in 10 award categories.