EVS was part of a partnership between an A/E team and construction contractor for the Design/Build development of a three-story, steel-frame office building to house 834 permanent base personnel, including command officers at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio Texas. The facility will also serve as an Operations Center. The facility is being built on an existing installation on a previously developed site that has been functioning as an asphalt parking lot.
Elements of building include:
• Operations Center
• Office finishes consistent with Class A corporate office space
• Specialized spaces for the Commander’s Suite; Logistics; Public Works; Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command; and Morale Support Officer
• Duty officer stations are located at each main entry to provide visual control, visitor check-in and security access into the building
• A VIP entrance serves as a private entry for the senior officers resident in the IMCOM HQ and as an entrance for visiting VIPs
Sustainable design elements include:
• 40% water use reduction through fixture specification
• 95% construction waste management
• Rainwater harvesting for site irrigation
• Heat-island offset (no additional paving for parking)
• Bicycle storage
The IMCOM’s primary mission is to provide standardized, effective and efficient services, facilities and infrastructure to Soldiers, Families and Civilians for an Army and Nation engaged in persistent conflict. This facility will not only serve as the national center of IMCOM, housing 834 permanent personnel, but also features a secure Fort Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The Lieutenant General in charge of IMCOM has a private entrance and secure commander’s suite on the top floor of this three-story facility. The project was developed in BIM on a very tight site, formerly a base parking lot, surrounded by similar three-story administrative office buildings. Site prep included demolition and removal of the parking lot and extension to local utilities. The design references the existing Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival Design but doesn’t copy it directly. The team used the Installation Design Guide to develop the palate and aesthetics of the exterior. Computer renderings of the exterior space encouraged further development of the design and direct buy-in from the Lt. General.
The tight sight, surrounded by four access roads, challenged AT/FP criteria. The team met this challenge by providing gated checkpoints on the two existing surface streets, and restricted access to the two peripheral roads for the Lt. General and emergency vehicles; controlled access on all four sides.
