- LUKE AFB from Page 1 projects. They have to juggle multiple schedules and timetables so each
project will be ready for the end user –
the U.S. Air Force – at the proper time.
Another project on base is the Academic Training Center. Currently slated
as a $43.3 million project, including
additional modifications on the original
plans, the ATC is a two-story building
enclosing 145,000 square feet with an
“administrative side” and a “simulator
side.” The District and the contractor,
Archer Western, made extensive use of
structural steel for the building.
“One of the reasons a lot of the
structural steel was used for the roof
was the winds in this area,” said Bruce
Payne, the District’s field construction
representative for the ATC project. “We
know the roof covers such a large area,
so the wind load would be a factor.
The interior can be changed to suit the
needs of the Air Force without having to
demolish the building.”
Archer Western began the project
Nov. 5, 2012. In the beginning, Payne
said there were some difficulties with
underground utilities not being located
according to available maps. The team
worked with the base civil engineers to
resolve those issues. Also, the District
needed to ensure the utilities for the
building were both accessible and
unobtrusive. So, the contractor buried
them in a corridor between the buildings and off set them so they could be
accessed more easily. The delay did result in a need for the District to request
an extension beyond the completion
date. The Corps and the contractor are
coordinating that together.
“The relationship between us and
the Corps of Engineers is fantastic,” said
Bill Barsella – Senior Project manager
for Archer Western. “Whenever there is
a problem, everyone gets together and
the Corps is ready to come in and help
with the resolution. The Corps has a
great team and we’ve got a good group
of subcontractors.”
Payne said the classrooms, offices
and an auditorium are located on the
facilities administrative side. On the
simulator side, there are 12 Full Mission Simulators and associated control
facilities for the pilots. The facility has
three different types of ceilings – Gypsum, Acoustical ceiling and a cloud or
4 NewsCastle
The “weathered steel” look of the framing outside the Squadron Operations Building being built
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Roadrunner Resident Office at Luke
Air Force is an architectural feature designed to help ease the cost of maintenance because it
does not need to be repainted over and over. The building is part of a project in which the District
is constructing both it and the Aerial Maintenance Unit #1 and is due for turnover to the base in
December. (Daniel J. Calderón)
“floating” ceiling. Payne said the “floating” ceiling is, “a great architectural
feature,” because it gives the impression
the ceiling is higher than it actually sits.
Barsella said there has been no lost time
and no reportable accidents since the
project began. Almost directly across
from the ATC and next to the AMU#1/
Squad Operations complex is Building
431. There, the District is working on
a hangar upgrade to accommodate the
incoming F-35 squadrons.
“I’m very excited about the project,”
said Joel Rodriguez, the District’s construction representative for the project.
He said the contractor, KWR Construction, is “installing a new design with the
pop-up pits. It’s a prototype for the Air
Force.”
The pop-up pits will hold an array
of necessary tools and diagnostic
equipment to service the incoming F-35
aircraft. The design of the pits is unique
to KWR construction. Scott Zimmerman, superintendent for KWR, said his
team visited bases across the country to
research existing service pits in order to
come up with a new design to accommodate the new aircraft.
“These guys did a lot of research
with the other bases that had pop-up
pits,” Zimmerman said. “They looked
at a lot of bases and met with representatives from across the country. We’re
trying to do everything we can to meet
the Air Force’s requirements for these
planes. We’re excited to be the first to
get this implemented.”
Each of the towers in the new pits
has multiple failsafe devices to help
maintain the safety of the individuals
working on the planes. Faris Mohamed,
the project manager for KWR, said the
design of the pop-up pits will likely be
used for future projects. He is excited
about the flexibility and the ease of use
it will give the Air Force for future maintenance of their aircraft. Mohamed and
the team are humble about the project’s
scope.
“I know it [a hangar upgrade]
doesn’t sound like a big project; but,
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