US Army Corp of Engineers

The interior is designed to create a professional, positive working environment.

Complying with Department of Defense and Base criteria, building on a secure military installation, and adhering to an aggressive schedule rank among the many challenges that were overcome by a skilled project team. The project also incorporates a variety of sustainable design measures to achieve LEED Gold certification.

The bold rectangular mass was designed to provide highly efficient office space in a compact envelope.  Inspired by pre-war high-rise buildings in New York, the stately edifice has a commanding presence, yet fits well into the architecture of the Base.  The general plan layout features 30’ structural bays along the length of the building, with the building divided into 3 bays -- a central bay for elevators, stairs, duct shafts and other support spaces flanked by two bays for general office use.  The resulting plan is virtually column free and allows a great degree of flexibility for space planning.

The spacious lobby and adjacent waiting area are controlled by a central guard station.  Open office areas are grouped into four quadrants to provide humanely scaled workspaces that maximize access to natural light and exterior views.  Private offices and conference rooms are clustered at the center of the building and at its ends. Color coded finishes identify each floor. The building floor plate is easily reconfigurable to meet a wide variety of departmental sizes.

Coordination of design (including all interior detailing and furniture) and engineering documents was instrumental in achieving the project goals established in a formal partnering process and facilitating completion of the parking garage four months and the administrative building two months ahead of schedule.

The parking structure features a double-threaded ramp design with two independent ramping systems that doubles the vehicle movement capacity when compared to a traditional ramping system.

Build Michigan Award, Associated General Contractors of America Special Issue Outstanding Project of the Year,  CAM Magazine