At the Ready
by Jonathan McGaha | October 3, 2013 12:00 am
Creating a LEED certified soldier-ready readiness center was a new challenge for Fort Collins, Colo.-based RB+B Architects Inc. The firm was tasked with designing the
Windsor Readiness Center in Windsor, Colo., home to the Colorado Army National Guard or
(COARNG), housing the 1157th FSC or Forward Support Company. “This was the first military project for us,” notes Derek Young, project architect with RB+B. Started in 2011 and completed in October 2012, the 30,715-square-foot readiness center cost more than $10 million and is the first Army building to reach LEED Platinum status. Originally designed to be LEED Silver, Young notes that the USGBC credits just happened to add up, especially with particular use of specific materials, including local wood, masonry, metal and photovoltaic panels.
Design Process
Winning the government project was a surprise and a big victory for RB+B, as Young explains: “The military tends to work with the same architects. In this case it was good to bring in some new blood for the project.” Young believes RR+B was successful in bringing in fresh new ideas to the project that other architects who’ve worked on numerous military projects couldn’t. Young notes that in particular, RR+B is a local architecture firm. Knowing the surrounding location is especially important when designing a building that will eventually be a focus point for a battalion potentially made up of more than 800 civilian soldiers. The readiness center also joins a number of centers being built or having been built in Colorado cities, such as Grand Junction and Colorado Springs.
Working on a military project came with certain guidelines. For example, Young explains that the materials and design of the building were meant to be “soldier-proof,” meaning that the readiness center will see a lot of wear and tear from its military occupants. The 1157th FSC features a maintenance platoon, distribution platoon and a mess section, with a total personnel strength of 127. The readigreen ness center features five full-time staff, while the remainder of the staff occupies the center at least once a month.
Keeping these qualities in mind, Young and his team presented three different designs at a design charrette. The chosen design features an assembly hall, classrooms, learning center, kitchen with serving line, administration area, separate unit equipment and individual equipment storage, vehicle maintenance training bays, physical fitness area, controlled waste, flammable materials storage, break room, and restrooms.
The design uses the metal roof to distinguish the assembly hall, vehicle bays and administrative offices. In addition, the building features a metal roof coated in a custom “Army Green” color that is much lighter than the camouflage green typically associated with military buildings. Before its completion, the 17-acre site would employ more than 400 people for the task of creating a soldierready center.
In A Material World
Materials were essential not only to the project’s guidelines, but also in creating a LEED Platinum facility. The materials had to match the design aesthetic of surrounding building, such as the use of a steel base and concrete materials, which matched the overall aesthetic of neighboring buildings in the local industrial park. The building was also required to last at least 70 years. For longevity and durability, Young and his team turned to Louisville, Ky.-based Drexel Metals.
The steel base and metal roofing were installed first to support the additional concrete materials. Drexel Metals supplied 23,000 square feet of its 22-gauge Galvalume double-locked seam DMC 2005 roof panels in White for reflectivity. The same panels are used on the walls in a 2,400-square-foot area. Drexel Metals supplied 1,700 square feet of its 22-gauge Galvalume DMC FWI panels with striations in a custom Modern Army Green for the walls and 7,600 square feet for the soffits and ceilings. Tecta America Corp., Rosemont, Ill., installed the metal panels, while Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Aurora, Colo., was the project general contractor. The metal roofing helps delineate specific areas of the center, such as the assembly hall, which can be rented out by the community for civilian functions. In addition, Young says that the bright green custom color gives the readiness center a different feel and distinguishes the readiness center from other military buildings.
The center also features Forest Stewardship Council certified wood. The building interior includes beetle-kill pine paneling made from pine beetlekilled trees, a common problem in the forests of Colorado.
Inside and Out
Due to the building’s east-west orientation, the interior is bathed in natural sunlight. Energy is harvested from sunlight due to The Woodlands, Texas-based Phono Solar’s Diamond Series 235-265 photovoltaic arrays, which are expected to produce 63,000 kWh annually.
Energy is also conserved through a ground source heat exchange HVAC system that pumps heat either to or from the ground. The readiness center is modeled to have 70 percent less energy costs when compared to ASHRAE 90.1 standards. The internal building envelope features Heatlok Soy 2000 spray foam insulation from Arlington, Texasbased Demilec USA. Young believes that the energy efficiency of the HVAC system and the insulation systems contribute to the overall energy efficiency of the building.
As a result, Young says between choosing the right materials and systems, the LEED Platinum points, “fell into place.” The building’s sustainable features also include: 50 percent reduction in landscape watering, 43 percent water use reduction and 91 percent construction waste diversion. Operable windows and individually controlled HVAC and lighting systems round out an energy-efficient project that stands in contrast to its industrial park peers. The end result is a sustainable building that the military personnel can work with and facilities that civilians in the community can enjoy.
Windsor Readiness Center, Windsor, Colo.
Owner: State of Colorado, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Centennial, Colo.
Architect: RB+B Architects Inc., Fort Collins, Colo.
General contractor: Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Aurora, Colo.
Metal installer: Tecta America Corp., Rosemont, Ill.
Metal roof, wall, ceiling and soffit panels: Drexel Metals, Louisville, Ky., www.drexmet.com
Photovoltaics: Phono Solar, The Woodlands, Texas, www.phonosolar.com,
Spray foam insulation: Demilec USA, Arlington, Texas, www.demilecusa.com,
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/at-the-ready/