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The new headquarters of the Oregon agency expected to take the lead in the event of a major statewide emergency was designed to exemplify resilience and sustainability.

Part of that inspiration came from a tight budget of $25 million, a figure lower than earlier estimates.

Deep thinking about priorities led to a stronger outcome, a process aided by the design-build delivery method, according to project members. The project was upgraded in design development from tracking Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design silver (a minimum required by the state) to gold.

The final product represents the 鈥渃ultural shift鈥� of the armed forces from a traditional employer to a contemporary one, said SERA Architects‘ Bill Poulos, senior project manager for the new headquarters of the Oregon Military Department.

鈥淵eah, we scaled back, but we think the project’s richer for it,鈥� he said.

The new facility will have 55,000 square feet of office administrative space. It will house the state’s adjutant general and his senior staff. The military department is now finalizing purchases of the adjacent parcels to finish what will be an administrative campus for the state’s military wing; build-out is expected to require 25 years.

鈥淥ver the past 15 years our headquarters element has grown significantly,鈥� said Jim Willeford, construction branch chief for the Oregon Military Department.

The new facility will be 鈥渕odern鈥� inside and out, according to project team members.

The exterior will feature a look honoring ground and air forces.

Inside will be low dividers, lots of light and a look hewing to the 鈥渢ruth to materials鈥� concept in architecture 鈥� that is, visible utility infrastructure, vaulted ceilings 鈥� absolutely no dropped ceilings.

Another challenge has been working with the soils at the site, which for years was an unregistered landfill of the Department of Corrections.

The project is primarily federally funded but got a $7 million boost from the state Legislature. That funding goes to the building features required under state law, like a mandate to dedicate 1.5 percent of construction costs to green features. The agency recently won approval to upgrade from a 50-kilowatt solar array to a 124-kilowatt one, which will help keep the building functioning in the event of a large-scale disaster.

But before that could happen, the project had to be programmed on the federal side, which took 15 years.

鈥淭hat’s normal for our projects,鈥� Willeford said. 鈥淚t takes a long time to go through the federal hoops to get a project approved.鈥�

Despite the slow pace of programming, the project is using the design-build delivery method to streamline the construction process. The military department switched to performing all its capital construction this way about 15 years ago.

Willeford said the department is the leading proponent for design-build among state agencies.

鈥淔or a number of reasons, design-build works best for us,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s a single contract, so we’re not held in the gap where I can only hold architects and engineers to a reasonable level of care, and yet I have to warrant to the construction industry that the contract documents are free from error, which, of course, no set of documents since the pyramids have been free from error.鈥�
Design-build is a 鈥渢rust-based鈥� system that puts the best people in the right positions, Willeford said. Risk assessments and charter documents are devised cooperatively.

鈥淚 also like that this helps us make the best-value selection, and not just take the bidders that bid the lowest,鈥� he said.

Though a ground-breaking ceremony with officials took place recently, civil work on the site began last fall. Crews are installing utilities and nearly ready to pour footings. Completion and occupancy is targeted for next summer.

Oregon Military Department Headquarters

Square footage: 55,000

Cost: $25 million

Contractor: Fortis Construction

Architect: SERA Architects

Major subcontractors: Coffman Excavation, Cherry City Electric, Alliance Mechanical

Expected completion: June 2018