Saving energy requires planning

  • Published
  • By Peter Clemo
  • 82nd CES/DS2 Community Planner
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Sheppard's daytime population is approximately 15,000 individuals and meeting mission needs while creating ideal working and living environments for the base population requires long-term planning.

The recently completed Area Development Plan (ADP) provides guidance for future base developments. One of the core principles of the ADP is a commitment to energy efficiency which will be implemented through pedestrian accessibility improvements, consolidation of facilities, and upgrades to base utilities.

One directive of the ADP is to implement a campus-like setting on base. Doing so will involve relocating some base functions from the periphery to the core of the base, increasing the density of new developments, eliminating underutilized parking, and re-shaping road networks.

Such changes will allow Sheppard's large student body to efficiently move between housing, classrooms, offices, and support facilities. At the same time, consolidation of facilities to the core of the base will free up outlying base acreage for potential large-scale energy and water initiatives.

Consolidation of functions--often referred to as "collapsing to the core"--will also decrease the number of trips base personnel have to make by automobile. Fewer vehicle trips will allow reductions in paved surfaces and a decrease in the energy required to deal with stormwater runoff and pavement maintenance.

Siting buildings in close proximity will encourage more trips to be made by foot and bicycle, a healthier and more efficient form of travel. Reduced demand for paved infrastructure will help eliminate "heat islands" that form when the summer's intense solar radiation is captured in asphalt and concrete.

The movement to a consolidated base will be aided by utility upgrades and improved building standards. Aging infrastructure will be replaced with systems that reliably and efficiently move water, electricity, and communications. Flexible building spaces will reduce the energy associated with shifting or altering mission requirements. Additional sidewalks and troopwalks will provide better connections between land uses.

Implementation of the aforementioned ADP elements will happen in stages. Fostering a built environment with lower energy needs requires long-term planning and a commitment to solutions that are developed.

Sheppard's ADP represents a broad view of the "I am Air Force Energy" campaign and outlines some of the steps necessary to reduce base energy needs while meeting mission requirements.