Pond Ingenuity V26 I1 - Winter 2022

10 Pond | www.pondco.com U .S. Army facilities and military bases are essential to our national security interest, yet development of our military infrastructure is not always as prominent in the news as other investments. Nonetheless, building new facilities and maintaining military works to efficiently and effectively serve our nation’s defense missions is of vital importance. Executing these projects, from planning and programming to design to construction and commissioning can be a challenge, but it is one that our A/E/C industry is committed to meet. The new Reception Complex and Battalion Headquarters project at Fort Jackson is one such example. Fifty Years a n d Beyond Fort Jackson is the largest initial entry training center in the U.S. Army, training an estimated 50 percent of all new soldiers each year. Providing the Army with new, freshly trained soldiers is the one of the post’s primary missions. Enlistee processing is administered by the 120th Adjutant General Battalion. The complex receives trainees throughout the day and night and has the facilities to feed, house, administratively process, and properly outfit the men and women beginning Army service. The existing facilities, built in the early 1970s, serve as a major southeastern gateway for in-processing and boot camp. For 50 plus years, without major improvements, the facility has achieved its mission but the proverbial breaking point was reached with maximum capacity and compliance challenges. Annual trainee throughput now approaches 50,000 soldiers, an unimaginable number in 1970. Not surprisingly, the over-used and deficient facilities have also led to non-compliance with various life, health, and safety codes. Additionally, the now inadequately sized facilities require 24/7 operations, a less than ideal operating condition for the military and civilian staffs. To remedy the current situation, Fort Jackson contracted with the Charleston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to administer the design and construction of an improvement program. Fort Jackson began conducting planning charettes, and in 2018, the initial Parametric Design Report recommended a two-phased approach featuring both new and refurbished facilities. Design Charettes Identify Stakeholder Needs The A/E was awarded a $5 million, three-year Multi-Discipline AE IDIQ contract in 2018. The first task order awarded was design of Phase II of the improvement project, comprising a new multi-facility Reception Complex totaling 182,163-SF. Design scope of the second phase included: a reception processing center incorporating the new 120th Reception Battalion HQ; a medical and dental clinic including spaces for audiology, immunizations, and optometry; barracks for 300 enlistees; an optical fabrication lab which manufacturers prescription eyeglasses for trainees and soldiers; a general purpose storage building, a telecommunications building, and a physical training (PT) track; as well as swing space including a temporary facility to house the reprogramming effort to ensure that the scope could be realized. A new DD1391 was developed indicating an increased program value to achieve the project vision. Additional funding was approved by Congress in the fall of 2019 allowing for a total CCL of $88 million. Following funding approval, a second design charrette was held in January 2020. Following the revised charrette report review meeting, the A/E team commenced full design efforts. Technical Excellence and Workload Management The overall design effort required collaboration between architects, engineers, cost consultants, environmental specialists, geotechnical consultants, land surveyors, safety professionals, and sustainability experts. The A/E team consisted of experienced discipline leaders to provide expertise and staffing sufficient to address the scale of the project, ensure redundancy, and build surge capacity when needed. The design team was led by Pond, and included Johnson McAdams (JMC) , Crawford Consu l t i ng, Un i ted Consulting, NV5, ABS Environmental, GEL Engineering, SafeMark, and Carolina Safety. Anticipate Design Challenges to Maintain Timelines De s i gn c h a ng e s r e s u l t i ng f rom unanticipated conditions and requested decision changes by the customer should not be a cause for frustration. They are simply part of the normal workflow. One of the ini t ial requirements for this project included a PT track located over a former landfill. Construction on landfills presents specific challenges for structural integrity and hazard mitigation. In addition to those challenges, the sited area was very steep, overgrown, and nearly inaccessible with construction rubble and debris. The site was also a former RCRA site, with contaminated g r o u n d w a t e r u n d e r g o i n g pump-and-treat remediat ion for decades before reaching acceptable final levels. The cost of constructing the track at this location was exorbitantly high, mainly due to the amount of cut, fill, and transport required. On top of these challenges, the chosen site was not convenient to the rest of the complex, presenting logistical challenges of getting enlistees to and from the track in a timely manner. To help minimize costs, the A/E team worked to balance the cut and fill within the site and made the PT track a bid option. Late in the 95% design phase, due to the challenges described, the Garrison Commander made the decision that the track would be removed from the project. It would remain within the program and be constructed later in a more feasible location. This scope change resulted in a ripple effect requiring significant redesign of the site hydrology, detention, water quality, site electrical, and sustainability certification. The team worked together to execute this modification efficiently, keeping the final deliverable on time and meeting stakeholder expectations. PA R T N E R I NG T O SUCCESS reception operations while the new complex is constructed. The new reception building, barracks and optical lab are expected to achieve USGBC LEED Silver certification. The originally approved construction cost limit (CCL) including all components was $54 million. The A/E team conducted a comprehensive design charrette in the spring of 2019. While the large list of stakeholders led to protracted meetings, it was important for the design team to fully understand all the explicit and implied mission requirements of the Fort Jackson user groups: the Reception Battalion commander and staff, medical clinic users and commanders, Fort Jackson leadership, privatized and non-privatized utility providers, and the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) responsible for facility operations and maintenance. The goal was clear: to ensure up-front buy-in and to reduce the probability of costly re-designs later that would be measured in both time and money. Success Factors During the initial charrette, the A/E team developed three site layout options. The selected option had the fol lowing key elements: a Reception Building incorporating the in-processing operations and support services, a medical and dental clinic, and a new 120th Reception Battalion HQ. Construction would be in the same location as the former reception building. Planning Expertise During the charrette, it was noted that the project programming, as documented in the DD139,1 did not allow for development of the entire project scope. Following discussion, the design effort was paused to allow for a 50 % of all new soldiers are trained at Fort Jackson each year 182,163 sq. ft design of new multi-facility reception complex 2026 expected construction completion Fall Printed with permission from The Military Engineer Magazine P H A S E I - New Dining Facility - Temporary Dining Facility For Use Until New One Was Operational - Updated Clothing Issuance (CIIP) Facility This phase was designed by in-house staff in the USACE Savannah and Charleston Districts. Design was completed in 2019 and construction was awarded in March 2021. Spare No Effort in Mastering the Details Medi ca l operat ions a r e comp l e x , and incorporating efficient medical and dental clinic operations in the Reception Building was a challenge. Additional coordination and quality assurance ensured the clinic was laid out with sufficient space and storage, optimized workflow, adequate examination and testing areas, and precisely placed protective and testing equipment that would withstand the anticipated enlistee load of several hundred enlistees per day, week after week. The design team focused on details to produce a fully compliant layout and design that worked well for the customer. LEED Certification Requires Specific Expertise and Innovative Thinking. When the PT Track was pulled from the project late in the design, an estimated 15 points were reduced or eliminated from consideration – a huge impact. The team had to work hard to identify other credits to pursue to still have a chance to achieve Silver certification. Creative approaches included pursuing certification as a campus, pushing the design for exemplary performance points, and pursuing multiple Innovation credits incorporating sustainability education and highlighting Army core values with corresponding graphics on large wall coverings in lobbies and hallways — some up to 20 feet in length. Pam Little, PE, PMP, Principal and Associate Vice President Randall Bailey, PE, PMP, FASCE, Senior Project Manager