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Delivered by the design-build team of Hoffman Construction and TVA Architects, The Dalles Readiness Center replaces an aging armory for the Oregon Military Department (OMD) and adds classrooms/program space for Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC). The facility’s assembly hall is a major community asset, while its energy usage is targeted for net-zero.

HOFFMAN BUILDS:

The Dalles Readiness Center – an armory, classrooms, and a community venue, all in one building

Since the original armory was built in 1953, the needs of the National Guard and The Dalles community have changed significantly. By all standards – size, amenities, and energy efficiency – the new Readiness Center represents a higher level of excellence.

OMD requested a building that fulfilled its military purpose and its historic role as a gathering place for the public. James Willeford, Chief of Military Construction for Oregon, says the facility meets this goal by expanding potential uses of the building.

Owner: Oregon Military Department Design Team: TVA Construction Cost: $25,456,000 Square Footage: 62,689 Location: The Dalles, Oregon Completion Date: February 2014 Contract Type: Design-Build, Guaranteed Maximum Price

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“I’m not hearing of anyone else doing something of this substance with a National Guard facility — it’s taken some serious out-of-the-box thinking,” Willeford says.

In total, the new Readiness Center is 62,689 SF, which includes the main building, as well as a maintenance shop and space for CGCC. The three-story facility includes a 10,000 SF assembly hall, the only one of its size in an Oregon armory. With capacity for 1,000, the hall provides ample room for soldiers to practice maneuvers, and is also the largest public space for miles around.

With the land for the Readiness Center adjacent to and owned by CGCC, a partnership between OMD and the college grew out of the design-build process. CGCC and OMD worked together to move some classrooms and labs out of a basement and into the Readiness Center’s light-filled first floor. This eventually grew to include four classrooms, two labs, and a high-bay instructional space featuring a machine shop and state-of-the-art welding stations.

Even though the college got involved late in the project, Hoffman was able to deliver their vision without significantly adding to the schedule. The Readiness Center helps to articulate the college’s desire to promote sustainable technologies while also exemplifying CGCC’s image as a dynamic, modern, full-service community college.

The design-build team decided to use polished concrete for the floor in the Assembly Hall. It holds up better to multiple uses – from food service to yoga to military fitness training – and is easier to clean.

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A NEW LOOK FOR THE MODERN MILITARY

OMD wanted the look of the Readiness Center to reflect more than its military function. Outside, the steel-and-concrete building has modern lines and full glass façade. Inside, it feels like an art gallery, with tall white walls and glass guard rails on a prominent interior staircase.

The facility also has a collegial atmosphere. Students come and go during the week from four classrooms on the first floor, next to lounge areas and a breakroom “café.” A gas

fireplace and abundant natural light fill the classroom level, which includes offices for instructors and small meeting rooms. One floor up is the Assembly Hall, which is lined by a wide terrace that runs the entire front of the building.

“The OMD is happy with this new facility,” says Dave Arnold, the facility manager, who splits his time between The Dalles and Hood River armories. “It’s met its goal and probably exceeded the goal as far as a venue for the community.”

Besides the facility’s impressive design and usability, Arnold says that the best part about the place is its location. There are more than 40 armories in Oregon, but Arnold says, “Nobody has a location like this.”

The Readiness Center takes advantage of an overlook above the Columbia River Gorge. The tall, sleek glass façade is striking, and the views from the center’s deck are wide enough to display a curve in the Columbia River and white water rushing through The Dalles Dam.

Interior staircase

The café breakroom

CGCC lounge area

Workout room

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CGCC Electronics lab

The views from the upper stair deck

Classroom

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Divided in half by an impressive level change of over thirty feet, the site spans two separate plateaus. Pam Saftler, Project Manager for TVA Architects, says this presented cost challenges on a budget-conscious project.

“To mitigate extensive grading costs, we chose to use this inherent feature to organize the separate programmatic elements of the military and the college functions,” Saftler recalls. “It was OMD’s desire to encourage exposure and allow more interaction with the public. All major public spaces were provided with panoramic views to the river, mountains, and the city of The Dalles, below.”

The site presented Hoffman other challenges. The high winds in the Columbia Gorge, which attract para-sailing on The Dalles riverfront during warmer months, caused headaches for construction crews. Dust became a major issue once the site was graded. For three months during the first summer of construction,

Hoffman used two water trucks continuously, spraying the site to keep dust contained and to be sensitive to neighbors downhill. On a staggered schedule each day, Hoffman used a hydrant near the college campus as a filling station, so at least one truck would be spraying at all times, says project engineer Tomasz Kaltur.

“That was the worst of it. It got better with the fall and the winter,” he says.

The wind also created challenges with structural concrete Peri formwork. To provide better control, Hoffman implemented a mandatory “double tag line,” positioning two people alongside the large forms as they were flown, one on each side. The few times wind conditions escalated, operations were stopped to ensure worker safety.

Hoffman’s concrete subsidiary, Hoffman Structures Inc., beat the schedule on the structure by getting a good jumpstart on the project. The foundation and a 32-foot retaining wall came out of the ground without a hitch.

BIM EfficienciesEfficiencies were realized by the early use of the electronic plan table, a Hoffman tool from the beginning of the project. All changes made by designers or through RFIs were filed into the plans electronically. This improved efficiency and timeliness of information distribution. Hoffman and OMD’s onsite inspector brought iPads into the field and used them to reference drawings and details on the spot. Photos were sent to designers and subcontractors immediately when questions arose.

BIM was utilized for mechanical piping, HVAC duct, electrical, plumbing, data and fire sprinkler on a structural/architectural model background.

BEAUTIFUL SITE, CHALLENGING ELEMENTS

A military storage area, loading dock, and government vehicles are located behind the building in a staging and parking area for the 150 National Guardsmen and women who use the center on training weekends.

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Solar Array Contributes to Net-ZeroHoffman installed two solar arrays on the low-pitched, asymmetrical roof. The site had no trees to speak of, an advantage for solar energy collection. The arrays, 50kW of panels as large as two ballroom dance floors, cover a significant expanse of the south-facing roof and have plenty of room to grow. The feature goes hand-in-hand with the renewable energy curriculum being taught downstairs by CGCC faculty.

Design-Build Input at All LevelsThe design-build process allowed room for common sense input from the building’s users. Community members wanted a bigger assembly hall. They got it. Per their request, it was outfitted with electrical outlets in the floor to accommodate trade shows.

A lesson learned by Hoffman on another similar project informed the type of floor to be installed in the hall. Rather than a rubberized basketball court floor, the design-build team decided to use polished concrete. It holds up better to multiple uses – from food service to yoga to military fitness training – and is easier to clean.

PROJECT GOALS, GREAT OUTCOMESBeyond serving the needs of soldiers, their families, and deployment missions, OMD is using the facility as a community resource and activities center. Rooms in the back of the building – locker rooms, a kitchen, an overlook into the Assembly Hall – are for use by many, not just those who wear fatigues. Fixtures, carpets, and finishes in muted grays and tans are stylish and modern. The only “olive drab” in the facility is evident in a storage room, where OMD personnel can lock their gear between training weekends.

The Readiness Center has already hosted a wide variety of recreational and civic events, from wedding receptions to high school graduations. The deck alone is large enough to host a party of up to 150. Recently, a motorized model airplane guild inquired about renting the assembly hall to fly planes.

In the end, the college became nearly as active in the design-build process as OMD. In partnership with the community, the effort created one building that serves many needs. For example, the community college hosted the Columbia Gorge Education and Industry Summit, a first-ever conference for educators and employers in Oregon and Washington.

Columbia Gorge Community College president Dr. Frank Toda calls the project, “One of the most complex endeavors we have ever tried to accomplish,” adding that, after years in the making, “This building is the community.”

The solar panels aren’t visible to the public from the parking lot. Same goes for the 88 geothermal wells underneath the lot that feed a heat pump.

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