BCRA Design

A design-build, new construction project for two separate facilities, a 35,146 SF industrial transportation training building and a two-story 34,827 sf academic classroom facility which now houses the Air Force Transportation Management School at Fort Lee, Virginia. This LEED Silver project includes apaved vehicle training area, and a paved parking area. The High Bay Training facility provides an area for hands-on training in transportation management of KC 10 and C130 aircrafts. The program spaces include a High Bay training area, training classrooms,and office spaces, as well as exterior pavement for vehicle training. The High Bay is an impressive 35,146 sf space, entirely brick clad and supported by light gauge metal framed walls, a prevalent Virginia building material which is respectful of the surrounding architecture.  The mezzanine over the training and admin spaces is designed to accommodate the mechanical systems with access for maintenance from the lower level.  The design included 4 hangar-type high bay doors to allow access to aircraft mockups and provide heavy equipment training within the building and on the adjacent paved aprons.  The Academic building is largely administrative space, housing 30 high tech classrooms and over 50 offices on multiple floors.

The Air Force Transportation Management complex civil and foundation design packages were designed on a fast-track schedule ahead of the rest of the building design. The early design review packages ensured early Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan approval with the Commonwealth of Virginia, construction mobilization and construction of building foundations.  BCRA worked with the contractors' suppliers to develop the facility designs to accommodate pre-engineered components which compressed the long lead time material procurement and streamlined the construction critical path.The building design review submittals to the Government also contained Pre-Engineered Building shop drawings as part of the design drawing set and permitted the contractor’s early buy-out of the building’s steel frame.  This allowed the fabrication and erection of the 140-foot clear span frames while the design of the rest of the project progressed. 

The building mechanical systems exceed ASHRAE 90.1 by at least 30% and incorporate several energy-efficient aspects of design. The building envelope is designed to meet the federally mandated energy requirements of the RFP.  The design team also conducted a computer model simulation of the exterior envelope performance of both buildings for the Ft. Lee climate.  BCRA was the lead architect and interior designer and also provided civil and structural engineering.