The 711th Human Performance Wing (HPW) is a U.S. Air Force unit whose primary missions are aerospace medicine, science, and technology and human systems integration. The 680,000-square-foot HPW complex is home to the first human-centric warfare wing with research, consultation, and education under one organization.
Through the project team’s careful collaboration this large-scale project finished almost three months ahead of schedule, allowing the U.S. Air Force to move in earlier than expected. Working as a subconsultant to Cannon Design, B&N provided:
- Civil/site design for the complex
- Shell design for the two main buildings
- Design of two small renovations to existing buildings
- Modifications during construction, including the addition of 600 parking spaces to the original plan
Collaboration
The schedule and coordination efforts for this large, complex project were essential to the project’s success. Because of the massive relocation of both personnel and equipment, schedule maintenance was critical. To design a project of this scale on such an accelerated schedule, the design-build team collaborated with the Government’s team to an unusually high degree. The project team coordinated with the user groups being consolidated from Florida, Texas, and Arizona as well as weekly coordination meetings with the Human Performance Wing Utility Infrastructure Support project that overlapped the start of this project.
The acquisition of the environmental permits was a critical milestone for this project. B&N’s civil engineers communicated with the relevant environmental and permit review agencies during the design process. This approach provided the benefit of acquiring the necessary permits in a timely manner.
Sustainable Features
The overall complex is certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver. Project design strategies used to achieve this rating included sustainable site design, water-efficient landscaping, optimizing energy performance, construction management, and use of low-emitting materials. B&N prepared site LEED documentation and credits as well as documentation and support for other LEED points and credits related to the building shell such as energy savings, commissioning, and site lighting.