RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
A building expected to set a standard for future Air Force structures because of its energy-efficient features is starting to rise from its foundation.
Construction of the new two-story, 35,000-square-foot Air Force Personnel Center Civilian Personnel Office, which will be Randolph's first fully "green" building, is expected to accelerate in the next few months, aiming for a completion date next May.
"The slab is already complete," said Nick Alino, construction branch project manager at the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, Brooks-City Base. "In the next two to three weeks all the steel will be up, and in a month to a month and a half we'll have a roof. There will be a good shell by the end of October."
The new AFPC building is being raised adjacent to 5th Street West on the former site of Building 662, which housed Family Care Services and the Randolph Thrift Shop, south of Headquarters Air Force Recruiting Service and west of Headquarters 19th Air Force. Building materials from demolition of that structure, particularly wood and concrete, were recycled for other uses, Mr. Alino said.
Plans call for a small portion of 5th Street West to be closed the next two weekends so that a water main serving the new facility can be tapped into a connection across the roadway, he said. Motorists will be routed through the Gaylor Airman Leadership School parking lot.
"There shouldn't be too much of a traffic problem," Mr. Alino said.
Estimated cost of the project is $9.7 million, which included renovation of Building 152 for Family Care Services, he said. Contractor for the project is Weston Solutions Inc., a company with offices worldwide that specializes in environmental restoration, property redevelopment, design and construction and green buildings.
"They've done several major construction projects in San Antonio, including the youth center at Lackland," Mr. Alino said.
The building, which will be numbered 667, is required to meet criteria for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certificate set by the U.S. Green Building Council, he said.
"This new facility is a major milestone for AFPC as we embark upon a multi-year phased rehabilitation of the entire AFPC complex," said Ralph Williams, AFPC engineer. "The integration of the 'green' design is fitting for today's Air Force, and we're looking to incorporate 'green' innovations into all of our renovation programs."
Among the facility's features will be:
· High-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
· High-efficiency construction materials and windows, with an exterior designed to maximize day lighting into interior work areas and roof overhangs to shade windows and cut down on solar heat.
· A roof that reduces solar absorption.
· Controls that cut off lighting to unoccupied rooms and the parking lot.
· Xeriscape landscaping to reduce water use by an estimated 50 percent.
The building's façade will feature a Spanish mission architectural design to blend in with surrounding structures, Mr. Alino said.
The project is part of the fiscal 2008 Base Closure and Realignment Commission Military Construction budget that also included renovations to Hangar 6 to allow for the relocation of the 435th Fighter Training Squadron.
The facility will help accommodate personnel from five other bases who were relocated to Randolph as a result of BRAC law, said Susanna Pickle, Air Education and Training Command BRAC program manager.
This decision affected the transactional functions of the civilian personnel offices at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Robins AFB, Ga., Hill AFB, Utah, Tinker AFB, Okla., and Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C, she said.
"This portion of the BRAC resulted in 178 manpower positions moving from these five locations to Randolph," Ms. Pickle said. "Thirty-four of the positions went to the Air Force Manpower Agency and were absorbed into existing space. The remaining 144 positions went to AFPC and resulted in the new facility."