LS3P designed the Bachelor Quarters at Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia to provide market-style housing for 900 sailors, with all the comforts of an off-base apartment complex in close proximity to ships and on-shore responsibilities.

Creating residential atmosphere in the middle of a military base was challenging but the project provided opportunities for a variety of floors plans and amenities. The design emerged from a charrette conducted in whole-team integrated project delivery with all design disciplines, the contractor and major subcontractors. The solution takes advantage of east-west building orientation and geothermal water source heat pump technology for optimum performance, energy usage, and operating cost.

The project site is bordered by industrial, administrative and housing districts. The layout features sheltered courtyards to offer the most desirable lifestyle for sailors ashore. Parallel apartment wings connected by a central element create an ‘H’ shaped layout with two distinctive courtyards for an urban residential feel. The courtyards, enclosed within ATFP barriers, provide amenities that would otherwise be precluded by clear stand-off requirements. Additionally, the courtyards function as a central part of the stormwater management strategy.

Sustainable Features: Our design of the Homeport Ashore meets all requirements for LEED Silver and offers exceptional Total Ownership Cost. We have designed optimal energy efficiency, durability, and maintainability into every aspect of the design. Low Impact Design (LID) is a key component to sustainable design and LID strategies were implemented in the design of the building. The goal of LID was to mimic a site’s pre-development hydrology by utilizing design techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and detain runoff close to its source. Extensive vegetated open spaces were provided to reduce heat island effect and improve hydrology.

Particular challenges included a nearly 100% paved site, a high water table, low-moderate infiltration and existing grades of 8 to 10 feet above mean sea level. As with all residential projects, the design had to include adequate parking to accommodate the high-density development.

As a primary strategy to help meet stringent Low Impact Density requirements, the team implemented an innovative stormwater management system. The team raised the entire footprint of the building and courtyard three feet. This additional height was used to create large exfiltration basins overlain by previous pavement within the courtyards. The six-foot deep basins are filled with crushed stone down to the water table. This satisfies stormwater management criteria for quantity and quality while mitigating flooding potential and meeting the project’s entire Low Impact Density competent.

The low-maintenance, highly articulated building complex also incorporates and optimal solar solution and energy sufficient design, including geothermal, solar and photo-voltaic renewables.

Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007: By including significantly improved window performance, enhanced roof and wall insulation, reduced lighting load, high-efficiency geothermal heat pump HVAC and domestic water heating our design reduced energy use by 56%, LEED first year energy cost by 38% and TOC 40-year energy cost by 36%.

Clearly marked spaces were identified for low-emitting, fuel-efficient, and carpool parking spaces. These measures promoted the use of environmentally friendly alternative transportation modes of travel.