Last May, the National Training Center's newest constructed facility
received the Green Building Certification Institutes Gold stamp of approval.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District held a plaque
dedication ceremony for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's new Company
Operations Facility here Sept. 28.

The COF is the second project to be certified Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council at Fort Irwin.
Last January, the Child Development Center was certified as LEED Gold and
was also the first CDC in the U.S. Army to achieve the prestigious rating.

Both projects achieved the certification with innovative construction
practices. Interior building lighting, and mechanical equipment are energy
efficient. The windows, walls and roof are well insulated to efficiently
cool and heat the building with minimal energy consumption.

"This project was initially required to meet the Corps of Engineers'
sustainability in construction standard of LEED Silver certification," said
Maj. Kenneth Shubert, deputy engineer of the Los Angeles District's Southern
California Engineer Resident Office.

"Because of the teamwork with our project contractor, Joint Venture RQ
Construction and Richard Brady and Associates, they were able to design the
facility to meet the requirements to achieve the LEED Gold certification."

"This Gold certification is just one example of taking care of our
environment," said George Rogers, CEO and president of RQ Construction.
"We're gonna' come and go and we need to leave this place a better place, a
cleaner place and a sustainable place."

The $8.3 million, 22,000 square-foot facility broke ground in February 2010
providing needed jobs and an economic boost to the surrounding community.
Designed in-house by RQ Construction, the project consists of two separate
buildings, each comprised of an administrative module, readiness
module(TA-50 storage lockers) and exterior covered hardstand with gated
access. Organizational storage and organizational vehicle parking is
included as well. It was completed within nine months and below the initial
budget.

The project is expected to see more than a 26 percent reduction in energy
cost and more than a 49 percent reduction in water use. Additionally, 95
percent of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill. These
savings are factored based upon a baseline that the USGBC has recognized or
adopted as a standard to measure against. These practices equate to savings
to the fort, and ultimately the taxpayer.

The Corps recently completed a renovation of the Garrison Headquarters a
project that is LEED Silver. Additionally, the Corps is renovating building
107 converting barracks into the post In/Out processing center. The
combined cost for these projects is $9.2 million, which again equals to job
growth and stimulation to the local economy. (USACE video by Brooks O. Hubbard IV)

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