Judges' Comments
- N/A
Project Data:
Completion Date: 6/1/2018
Square Footage: 27553
Building Use: P-380 F-35C Centralized Engine Repair Facility & Pilot Fit Facility
Location: Naval Air Station Lemoore, California
Project Description:
01
Naval Air Station Lemoore, the US Navy’s largest Strike Fighter Base, has been designated as the home for the Navy’s first F-35C squadron. The F-35 Lightning II is the most advanced fighter jet in the world; as such, over $600M in design and construction will be delivered at Lemoore between 2014 and 2022 to support the high-tech requirements of this 5th generation stealth aircraft. This project co-locates two functions: a Centralized Engine Repair Facility (CERF) and a Pilot Fit Facility (PFF). The CERF provides 4 maintenance bays, storage and crane systems to support engine repair while the PFF supports fabrication of specialized flight suits and calibration of computerized “smart” helmets.
02
Symbolizing the arrival of the Navy’s newest and most advanced fighter aircraft, this building is designed to capture the dynamic, modern, and high-tech characteristics of the F-35 through a variety of design elements such as the use of canted metal panel walls, windows and portals that evoke the sleek lines and unique shapes of the aircraft and the engine nozzle blades. Additionally, the colors and textures used in the building are inspired by the advanced composite materials used in the aircraft itself.
03
The site provides opportunities to accommodate both building programs while optimizing respective functional adjacencies to nearby facilities on base. The engine maintenance/CERF function is situated in close proximity to the airfield and the existing F/A-18 engine maintenance facility, enabling the sharing of common manpower and efficient delivery of engines and supplies. The pilot gear fitting/PFF function is sited within a short walk to and from the F-35C Pilot Training Center. The building’s exterior architecture is thoughtfully designed to express the uniqueness of the F-35 while co-existing harmoniously with its surroundings, which include industrial buildings with various architectural themes from different eras.
The building seamlessly combines the industrial functions of the CERF with the administrative functions of the PFF. By joining them into one building, a whole host of benefits come to light. First, the sharing of common spaces reduces the overall footprint of both facilities, allowing them to be situated on the site without disrupting a major utility corridor that transects the site, minimizing scheduled power outages during construction and significantly reducing construction costs. Second, the program dollars saved (estimated at $4M) allow both facilities to be programmed in the same budget year, which helped advance the overall program delivery timeline. Third, the square footage saved by providing shared support spaces allows the building to be more efficient, reduces lifecycle energy and operating costs and encourages daily interactions between F-35 pilots and maintainers.
04
The first floor provides the primary spaces for both functional programs, with the CERF to the east and the PFF to the west. The CERF is where F-35C engines undergo routine maintenance. There are four maintenance bays with associated tool storage, high-density parts storage, and pass-through vehicular circulation for engine trailers, forklifts and tugs. Visual connections in and out of the CERF are important, engaging Sailors outside with the work performed inside, as well increasing daylighting and quality of the work environment for maintenance personnel inside.
The PFF is where F-35C pilots in training arrive to be measured and fitted for their flight suits which are tailored specifically to fit their individual body profiles, and their helmets that are custom shaped and calibrated to their eyesight. Interior spaces include shops for suit tailoring and helmet fabrication, secured storage and offices.
The second floor continues the concept of visual connections with windows in the conference room and offices that look down into the CERF below. New helmets get checked for calibration outside on the balcony, which provides an unobstructed clear line of sight out to the required quarter of a mile. These areas, as well as shared spaces on the lower level, provide interactive opportunities for the pilots and the maintenance teams that are entrusted with keeping their jets safe and fully operational.
05
The CERF function has the greatest impact on the building’s exterior design, since this is where the
F-35 engine, the beating heart of the aircraft, undergoes routine maintenance. The engine’s distinctive exhaust nozzle fin shapes inspired the building’s angled walls and window portal designs.
The PFF function influences the modern appearance of the exterior. The F-35’s revolutionary helmet display feature lets the pilot see through the aircraft and share a common operating picture with fellow airborne pilots. These features guide the design of façade transparencies, exposed structure, large curtain walls with visual connections, and sleek metal panel surfaces.
06
A unique site feature and potential constraint was present in existing concrete slabs left from two demolished 1960-era Turbo Jet Test Cell buildings. The slabs show the wear and tear and carry imprints of the past history and evolution of fighter jets at Lemoore. Instead of completely demolishing these slabs, pieces of them are being repurposed and installed in gabion walls to form a unique break area. This project has an important opportunity to carry forward pieces of the past that link this building and its users to the history of the Base and its future potential.
C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment
Submitted By: |
Jacobs |
Design Architect: |
Gretchen Johnson, AIA, LEED AP |
Associate Architect or Firm: |
|
Landscape Architect: |
Jacobs |
Owner / Developer: |
NAVFAC Southwest |
Engineer: |
Jacobs |
General Contractor: |
|
Consultant: |
|
Photographer: |
Jacobs |
P-380 F-35C Centralized Engine Repair Facility
Category
Commercial