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Recognition

  • 2005 United States Air Force Design Awards Program: Facility Design 
Overview: 

A new joint-use facility was designed for the Security Forces Squadron and the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance group.

The goals of the project included establishing an identity for the tenants by using an architectural language that speaks to the nature of the tenants’ roles in base functions. The building’s form relates to the functional requirements of surveillance, protection and authority. A sense of hierarchy was created that addresses the scale of the base in order to create distinctions between the function of this facility and the adjacent industrial facilities. The use of a varied palette of materials distinguishes this facility from the monolithic brick, metal or concrete block industrial buildings adjacent to it. Each material was given either a distinct form or a unique application so that it references the adjacent architectural context while at the same time separates itself from the more commonplace surroundings.

The design solution connects the facility to the base and the region. The composition of orthogonal forms relates to the spaces within and gives the exterior of the building scale that relates to the varying sized orthogonal buildings of the base. The two-story volume allows views over the base and runway. A formal relationship between the new facility and the existing base was created by aligning the building form with the grid of the base master plan.

The Oak Point design team worked closely together to incorporate several sustainable design features. The passive solar orientation of the facility reduces heat gain in the summer months and allows winter sunlight into the building. Products with recycled content were selected, including carpet tiles, rubber flooring, ceiling tiles and structural steel. Insulation values in the walls and ceilings exceed national code requirements. Insulation values in the walls and ceilings were designed to exceed national code requirements and an energy recovery wheel reduces the annual operating cost of the facility.

Client: Massachusetts National Guard Bureau
Features:
  • Distinct use of varied materials to both distinguish from and connect with adjacent architecture
  • Meet programmatic needs of two distinct tenants while taking advantage of shared core functions