Photo By Louis Velasco | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, JBLM Garrison, U.S. Army I Corps, Assistant Secretary of...... read more read more
Out with the old, in with the new. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), U.S. Army I Corps, and Assistant Secretary of the Army leadership joined Washington State congressional representatives for an Aug. 7 groundbreaking ceremony on a first-of-its-kind barracks pilot program using sustainable building materials meant to reduce its carbon footprint. Once complete, the new barracks will improve the quality of life for 168 Soldiers at JBLM, Wash.
The pilot program arrives at a time when the U.S. Army and Department of Defense are investing in climate change mitigation efforts and embracing cutting-edge technology where Soldiers need it most when off the battlefield – their housing.
“JBLM is committed to providing modern and high-quality living quarters for all our enlisted personnel, so we are particularly excited about this new construction,” said Col. Kent Park, JBLM Garrison Commander. “Our service members are our most important asset, and along with the DoD and the services, we are redoubling our efforts to improve the quality of life for all of our service members, and this new barracks is a demonstration of that commitment.”
Out of 130 Army installations worldwide, JBLM was selected for the Sustainable Building Material Pilot Program outlined in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, with the USACE Seattle District tasked with providing construction management and architectural design services.
“JBLM is a sustainability leader, and it’s an honor we’ve been selected for the Sustainable Materials Pilot Program. This supports the DoD and the Army’s climate resiliency strategy with this new barracks construction,” Park added.
Carbon reduction efforts
As the largest federal government building owner, the U.S. Army has a keen interest in improving its facility sustainability and infrastructure. Much of the Army’s focus is optimizing high-performance and sustainable building design to reduce energy use, waste generation and other factors.
The project’s overall goal is to reduce the construction’s embodied carbon by at least 30% – such as emissions from manufacturing, transportation, and installation of building materials.
It’s a different approach to reducing a building’s overall energy consumption, known as operational carbon.
While most materials are not radically different than what’s found on a normal construction site, many alternative materials will be considered during construction that factor design, cost, specifications, availability, emissions, aesthetics and operating and maintenance.
For example, roughly 7-8% of global carbon dioxide emissions are directly tied to cement manufacturing. Incorporating construction materials like asphalt and steel bumps increases total emissions to 13% isolated to one industry.
Primary building components like structural, facade, insulation and interior finishes all have alternative materials like mass timber, low emission masonry and cellulose wool batting that can account for emissions reductions between 25 and 50%.
To sort out all the sustainable materials and how they’re selected, the Seattle District will leverage its in-house design, engineering and architectural expertise with research lab support from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
Dr. Matt Glasscott, a previous ERDC research chemist and current program manager with the Army Research Office, broke down the big picture. “When we talk about sustainable construction materials, we’re trying to build better, safer, stronger buildings now to meet current needs, while keeping in mind to reduce CO2 emissions that will impact future generations due to climate change.”
Pilot projects yield data
The FY22 NDAA established the pilot’s objective: evaluate the effects that common low embodied carbon building materials may have on sustainability, resilience, cost and construction schedule. This evaluation requires data on the estimated cost versus the actual cost of construction building materials. In other words, comparing materials using pilot program criteria and ERDC guidance parameters.
“The main innovation is the data we’re going to capture about the materials, because we’re not just randomly picking materials hoping they’re more sustainable, but we’re driving the requirements around the strength, durability and energy to meet the project’s requirement,” explained Robert Moser, Ph.D., ERDC senior scientific technical manager.
Completing the NDAA objective will significantly rely on data-gathering and analysis – something that makes the pilot project more unique than a normal construction project.
“Assessing the life cycle cost analysis and sustainability is something we haven’t tracked before from a materials standpoint, so this the first time we’ve done this beyond a demonstration,” Moser added.
ERDC researchers hope the pilot project serves as a case study for how building construction can successfully integrate carbon reduction and sustainability goals. ERDC can use lessons-learned in their support role for similar Air Force and Navy projects that also focus on sustainable building materials.
“We’re trying to set a new standard, to make things cleaner and reduce carbon emissions throughout the project’s lifespan from cradle to grave,” said Amy Marie Cassidy, ERDC research civil engineer, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory. “We’re going to look at every step of the construction process, including how the material is manufactured and how it’s transported to the project site.”
While the sustainable materials barracks project is an opportunity to meet the DoD and Army’s climate-resiliency goals, it’s the Soldiers who stands to benefit immediately – and that is top of mind for ERDC.
“Everyone involved is working so quickly and passionately. We’re very mission-driven, and when a problem arises that could slow things down, it’s being resolved collaboratively,” said Cassidy. “We know how important these barracks are for our Soldiers and their quality of life. From the highest levels down from the Army, USACE and ERDC – we all want this project to succeed.”
Designing better barracks
Think of Army barrack designs like a Lego® set. All the pieces and instructions are there, but there’s room for customization. Concept designs begin with standards set by the Army’s Directorate of Evaluations of Standardization, and the standardized design “templates” can be applied across different Army projects throughout the Nation.
What started as a two-bedroom design shifted to four-and-two-bedroom units with additional emphasis for quality of living: in-unit laundry, balconies and a fitness room. While the Army sets the design standard, it’s a back-and-forth collaborate effort with USACE architects.
“This project is a little more unique because it’s a 100% Seattle District in-house design. There’s a high number of projects we do, and only a handful that we design ourselves,” explained Josh May, Seattle District architect and technical lead for the sustainable barracks. “Our team completed the 35% design milestone when the barracks were chosen for the pilot, but we developed a solution to quickly switch gears and meet those embodied carbon reduction goals with little impact to cost and schedule.”
The Seattle District architectural and design team specially focused on the material components that make up the bulk of the building: steel, concrete and insulation. To prevent the construction schedule from significantly slipping after the baseline design was complete, the team got creative and looked at other solutions beyond incorporating mass timber.
“After we ruled out mass timber, it was an easy decision to use low-embodied carbon concrete with fly-ash and other components. We thought “easy,” we can stay on track and on schedule,” explained May. “In less than a month, we worked with ERDC to complete a strategy to choose materials to replace common commercial building materials and still keep the design schedule on track.”
The back-and-forth game of incorporating materials to reduced embodied carbon sometimes fell in the lap of the Seattle District team. One such creative solution was due to a request from the installation to incorporate more interior wood and reduce brick from the façade. Metal paneling was used instead due to its higher recycled content than locally sourced brick.
"Through better and more innovative building techniques, the Corps of Engineers has designed a barracks that is cost-competitive and will provide the highest quality of life for our Soldiers while reducing emissions and the impact on the environment," said Paul Farnan, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment.
Soldier quality of life
The much anticipated and long-awaited 89,000-square-foot barracks will be built to the Army’s new 4/2 module standard of four-bedroom, two-bath units with a kitchen and living area.
While air conditioning is not a typical housing amenity for those used to the Pacific Northwest’s more seasonable summer temperatures, recent summers have continually broken records, per National Weather Service and National Institute of Health reporting.
Triple-digit temperatures hovered over much of the Pacific Northwest in 2021 during an unprecedented “heat dome” that shattered all-time temperature records in some locations as much as 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
With these considerations in mind, air conditioning is a quality-of-life improvement that was incorporated in the early design stages of the barracks project.
“Let us remember why we’re here today – to improve the quality of life for our Soldiers, whose service and sacrifice represent the best of us,” remarked Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, deputy commanding general, I Corps, JBLM. “Our Soldiers deserve the best, and this project is yet another step to ensuring they have it.”
Barracks construction and Army efforts to put its Soldiers first isn’t a short-lived trend either. The Army is requesting 41% more barracks project funding for fiscal year 2025 – a 325% increase over FY 2024.
“Our first and highest priority is to ensure Soldiers have safe living and working conditions,” said U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Kevin Vereen during the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee in May 2024. “While a soldier’s health extends beyond our installations and into communities, ultimately, health and ready Soldiers start with quality housing.”
Additionally, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) helped secure project funding as Senate Appropriations Chair for the highly anticipated sustainable barracks in FY24. “I believe strongly that we have an obligation and responsibility to take care of our veterans and ensure we have world-class military infrastructure to support our servicemembers,” said Murray in a news release announcing the funding.
Working in support of JBLM Directorate of Public Works, USACE Seattle District is responsible for design, contracting, construction oversight and most importantly – ensuring the project is completed on time and on budget.
“The Corps of Engineers is uniquely positioned to manage this project from beginning to end because we’re the Nation’s engineering experts and a trusted DoD partner,” said USACE Seattle District Commander Col. Kathryn Sanborn. “Our team is excited to work this, and future barracks projects in tandem with our JBLM neighbors to ensure safety, quality, cost and schedules are met. Soldiers depend on our success, and we won’t let them down.”
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2024 16:52 |
| Story ID: | 478852 |
| Location: | SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 118 |
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