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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
02.2015
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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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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 Efficiencies
Efficiencies 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-Zero
Hoffman 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 Levels
The 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 OUTCOMES
Beyond 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.
