Construction continues on Nuclear Weapons Center facility

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Construction is underway on the second phase of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center expansion at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The first phase, completed in June, consisted of a $23.5 million, 57,000 square-foot facility connected to the existing Nuclear Weapons Center via a secure enclosed walkway. The second phase, a $23.3 million, 74,000 square-foot expansion will connect seamlessly with the first phase when complete.

The AFNWC is responsible for the sustainment, modernization and acquisition support of nuclear weapon system programs. It's also the focal point for nuclear and cruise missile program advocacy and management, logistics support, and engineering assessments and analyses.

The expansion further supports the consolidation of AFNWC personnel, currently located across the base, under one roof.

"This is the third of three facilities built that, once completed, consolidates the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center into one central campus," said Jeff Brinkmeier, Air Force Civil Engineer Center project manager.

The complex facility is being constructed with both security and energy conservation in mind.

Insulated concrete forms, or ICFs, were used for the external walls, providing enhanced insulation in addition to helping the facility meet critical security requirements.

ICFs are forms made from rigid foam insulation with a hollow center. The forms are reinforced with steel, and then concrete is poured in the center.

According to the EPS Industry Alliance, ICF exterior walls require up to 44 percent less energy to heat and 32 percent less energy to cool than comparable wood frame facilities. The walls on ICF buildings tend to cut air infiltration by as much as half in many cases.

The ICFs, in addition to other energy-savings measures, are expected to help the facility earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver designation, Brinkmeier said.

Besides energy savings, ICFs also make the facility more resistant to potential natural and manmade disasters, said John Wilson, project engineer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"The center is not set very far back from the adjacent street - ICFs were a necessity for building the facility at this location and still meeting antiterrorism force protection requirements," Wilson said.

Construction for the second phase is expected to reach completion in December 2016.