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GREENBELT, MD-Philadelphia-based architecture and engineering firm EwingCole has begun the design process for the Exploration Sciences Building--formerly referred to as the Space Sciences Building--at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. With the assistance of San Francisco's M+W Zander, EwingCole has taken on the task of conceiving a 235,000-sf laboratory and office facility that will serve as the centerpiece of a master plan for a reconfigured campus to accommodate NASA's space research exploration needs over the next half-century. According to NASA's fiscal year 2006 Budget Request Summary report, the three-phase ESB endeavor will cost $65 million to complete.

ESB will be constructed to accommodate 750 scientists. "NASA's daily project activities demand a scientific discipline, requiring a mix of semi-private and group meeting areas," says EwingCole project manager Jim Wolters. "The facility layout is flexible enough to support this work style and the future effects of evolving technology."

The structure will contain chemistry, electronics and research labs, clean rooms, computer labs and office space. ESB will consolidate under its roof the activities currently conducted in the Research Projects Laboratory and Space Science Data Center buildings, allowing for a shared lab space and shared utilities. "The exterior and interior design will reflect and support NASA's unique research culture," Wolters adds. The facility is also being crafted to meet US Green Building Council LEED Silver certification standards of environmental efficiency. ESB is scheduled for delivery in 2008.