Some of the most demanding work we’ve ever done has been for the Department of Defense. But military construction projects also happen to be some of our favorites.
That’s because they give us the chance to challenge ourselves in search of innovative solutions that add the most value to a job. And if the 500 or so military jobs we’ve done are any indication, we’ve become pretty darn good at it. That’s why when there’s a project on tap, Uncle Sam keeps calling The Korte Company.
We’re proud of these jobs in particular:
1. Armed Forces Reserve Center – Danbury, CT
We built three buildings on this job: A training center, a vehicle maintenance shop and an unheated storage building. It’s 117,000 square feet all told. We designed the structures in the New England and Mid-Atlantic styles and took inspiration from the region’s fieldstone to wrap the structures in stone cladding. But it’s not all old-fashioned: Taller ceilings allow for dormer elements that enhance natural lighting inside the Center. The site also features plenty of open-air porches and gathering areas for personnel. The work won us a Tilt-Up Concrete Association Achievement Award in 2014.
2. Hangar 5 – Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA
Our team completed the recapitalization and structural upgrade of Hangar 5 in three phases. The job centered around completing repairs and upgrades to the structure so it would meet Life Safety, Health and Environmental requirements and a host of other military-specific requirements. Shortly after we handed the 195,478-square-foot hanger back over to the Navy, our work was recognized with a Gold Award from The Society of American Military Engineers.
3. Armed Forces Reserve Center – Norman, OK
Korte crews delivered 234,420 square feet of LEED Gold-certified space on this project. The Center includes over 204,000 square feet of living and office spaces with movable partitions, a large kitchen, assembly hall, fitness center, armored vault and weapons simulator. The 30,000-plus-square foot vehicle maintenance shop comes with a library, IT space, locker room and storage areas.
4. Enlisted Dining Facility – Twentynine Palms, CA
This 31,000-square-foot dining facility replaced an aging dining area at the U.S. Navy’s Marine Task Force Training Command. The single-story building is made of reinforced masonry with a color scheme to match the base’s desert locale. This job earned us accolades including the 2008 National Design-Build Award and the Western Pacific Chapter Design-Build Award for best public sector building under $15 million. But more importantly? Marines have to eat, and the facility delivers, feeding up to 2,200 marines at a time per dining period.
5. Armed Forces Reserve Center – Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico
Our work included building a LEED Gold-certified two-story building that wraps around a courtyard and features offices, classrooms, an assembly hall, a fitness room, a weapons simulator, an armory and a vault. We also built a separate storage building on the site. One of the highlights of our build was construction of two 20,000-gallon water storage tanks that, together with a new pump, add significant fire suppression capability for the Center.
A trusted military construction company
From Washington State to Puerto Rico and Connecticut to Oklahoma, The Korte Company has blazed a trail of military construction jobs well done. We’re proud of every job we do, but a military project carries a little extra weight. Knowing that we’ve had a hand in helping the men and women in the armed services continue their mission motivates us to continue ours: Deliver sustainable, innovative construction solutions that save time and money.
You can see more of our military construction projects here. We also published this guide that shares some of the biggest lessons we’ve learned on the 500-plus military construction jobs we’ve completed since our founding in 1958.
