The Corps recently completed the $65 million Echelons Above Brigade (EAB) Barracks Complex at Fort Campbell, Ky., and on July 30 Soldiers will begin moving in and exploring the outdoor recreational facilities the complex provides.
The project involved constructing two four-story barracks, which will house 528 Soldiers. In addition to the 209,000 square feet of living space, the project includes several athletic facilities and social gathering features within the complex. Included in the complex are two new softball fields, a soccer field, two sand volleyball courts, two horseshoe pits, covered pavilions, barbeque grills, patio areas, enhanced landscaping, preservation of existing tennis courts, basketball courts, and physical fitness stations.
"These facilities help to promote physical activities and group activities which are important to improving the quality of life and morale of Soldiers," said Jason Phillips, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville , Fort Campbell Resident Office, project engineer.
The construction contractor, Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC., has been hard at work since September 2012 when work began to demolish over 500,000 square feet of existing World War II-era barracks and administrative buildings that were on site. The demolished structures were crushed and segregated on site for use as a recycled construction backfill material.
Using a site that had already been developed in the past was just one of the many sustainable features of this project which helped it to become a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified project. The project included bicycle storage, preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, maximizing open spaces with recreational green spaces, enhanced storm water quality control requirements, reduction of water use by 30 percent, and on-site recycling/reuse of paving and concrete materials. Additionally, a 57% energy reduction was achieved by the help of an advanced geothermal control package that regulates a large borefield constructed under the soccer field.
"It has been a difficult journey with a tight schedule, but after all the dust has settled we are turning over a really nice facility that will improve the quality of life for those protecting our nations freedom. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the trenches so you have to step back and remember it is all about the soldiers," said Jason Phillips.