Service Lines: Vertical Construction

USACE Savannah District awarded Bristol this project to construct a Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facility (TEMF) at Fort Bragg to support the operations of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command. Bristol constructed an 18,000-square-foot small TEMF, a 5,250-square-foot organizational storage building, a 420-square-foot oil storage building, a 420-square-foot hazardous waste storage building, and 128,115 square feet of tactical/organizational vehicle parking. The TEMF also contains information systems, fire protection and alarm systems, intrusion detection system (IDS) installation and energy monitoring control systems (EMCS) connection and antiterrorism measures.

The facility is a pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) with structural steel framing and a standing seam metal roof with metal wall panels. It has a concrete masonry unit (CMU) exterior with brick veneer/façade and is built on a concrete foundation. Interior walls are CMU to a height of 12 feet. The concrete slab on grade was sized and strengthened to accommodate vehicle maintenance type facilities. The facility, built for the maintenance, repair, and storage of heavy military tactical vehicles and equipment, has a 10-ton overhead bridge crane, full-service maintenance pit, high efficiency vehicle exhaust system, and welding hood. A fluid distribution room houses different types of fluid for vehicle upkeep.

Additionally, Bristol provided site development, removal and replacement of asphalt paving and footings, concrete curbs and ramps, security fencing and site lighting. Utilities include electric, water, sewer, storm water control, natural gas, and building information systems. Other work included parking and walkways, landscaping and signage, and air conditioning.

As part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification process, the project included exterior panels to utilize natural light for interior operations and Green Building. Existing concrete and asphalt were demolished and segregated to be reclaimed / recycled for future use.  Metal and cardboard were also segregated for recycling/reclamation. This project was just a few points away from meeting LEED® Gold criteria, far exceeding the points required for LEED® Silver.

Bristol was awarded this contract under a Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah District. The Seattle District took over the project at its start.

The Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facility (TEMF) consists of the design build and site work for a 35,290-square-foot standard medium TEMF with a 96-foot clear span and a 10-ton overhead crane located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The facility contains secure areas for communications security (COMSEC), weapons and non-sensitive storage, and separate rooms for general office space, tool storage, training, small item repair, restrooms and other dedicated spaces.

Associated with the TEMF—a concrete tilt-up construction project—are 26,274-square-yards of concrete hardstand for exterior storage of various types of military vehicles. The area also includes an oil storage building and a hazardous waste storage building, each 693 square feet, as well as a 11,088 square-foot organizational storage building.

Development of the Airborne Brigade Combat Team Training Facility located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, included construction of a classroom building; aircraft mockups; relocation of an existing jump tower, one existing C130 mockup, and one existing C17 mockup; and construction of new C130 and C17 mockups and jump pits. 

Additionally, eight parachute landing fall pits were built, each with an aircraft mockup. The project scope included connections to energy monitoring and control systems, fire alarm detection and reporting systems, automatic building sprinkler systems, and anti-terrorism and force protection (AT/FP) measures. 

Services included utilities (water, sewer and natural gas), electric power service, exterior lighting, paving, erosion-control measures, information systems, site improvements and fire protection. Comprehensive building and interior design services were also provided.

Bristol was contracted by US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Charleston District (administered by USACE Huntington District) for the design, construction, and start-up of a new, $11.2 million natural gas facility, located at the VA Medical Center Campus in Chillicothe, OH. This facility was designed to replace an aging, inefficient boiler plant and supply the year-round steam needs of the campus through the use of high-efficiency natural gas boilers. At the 90% design stage, a $13.5 million addition was incorporated, adding a wood chip burning biomass boiler and steam-driven turbine generator to Bristol’s scope. 

Bristol played an integral role during the design of the facility, from the initial client meetings and concept through submission of the full construction documents. Once the client’s vision of the project was known, Bristol formed a highly qualified team consisting of a local energy designer and an Ohio-based mechanical/electrical subcontractor. With this team in place, Bristol successfully began a series of design charette meetings to bring the initial boiler plant concept to life. 

Site work included underground steam and condensate piping in utilidors, water, sewer, storm and gas facilities, access roads and parking, site fencing, and landscaping. Bristol designed and constructed over one-half mile of new, commercial-rated asphalt roadway, which had to be integrated into the VA campus site adjacent to the golf course.

The foundation consists of conventional footings and grade beams with a concrete slab-on-grade. The wood chip storage area is a 12-foot-deep concrete pit designed to safely receive and store approximately 700 cubic yards of wood chips delivered by semi-trucks on a 24-hour schedule. The facility required an extensive subterranean retaining wall system to be constructed around the entire perimeter of the Biomass addition, including adjacent to the existing facility. 

Building systems included mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, telecommunications, and dry pipe fire suppression systems. Electronic security systems included six color cameras on the exterior of the building that were tied to a 16-channel DVR that monitors and records on motion only. Access control keypads for the buildings were installed at each exterior door for secure accessibility to the buildings.

This $25.5 million facility provides all of the steam needs of the campus through the use of cutting-edge biomass technology, with natural gas back-up systems, and generates enough electricity to power the plant year-round. This project delivered the first operational biomass boiler facility to the VA nationwide.

Bristol was contracted by USACE Seattle District to design and construct a 100-agent Border Patrol Station on a 10-acre site in Sumas, WA. The station includes a radio tower, roadways, parking lots, utilities and landscaping.

The building sits on a pile-supported foundation and is a combination of structural steel and structural masonry construction. The exterior skin is composed of insulated metal siding panels, aluminum windows and concrete masonry unit veneer. The roof panels are insulated metal, and the clear story above the office area provides abundant natural lighting.

Roughly 15,000 square feet of the Sumas Station is office space, which includes individual offices, conference rooms/classrooms, training/muster rooms, a break room, and an exercise room with shower and separate locker facilities for men and women. Also within this area are local area network (LAN) rooms, as well as cabling, mechanical, and electrical rooms. The remaining 5,000 square feet is a detention area, which includes a secured armory, control room, holding cells, interrogation rooms, evidence rooms, and a secured sally port to transfer detainees. The secured armory includes a wire mesh partition equipped with a cipher lock gate separating the clerk area from weapons storage. Site work included covered parking and walkways as well as landscaping without compromising AT/FP requirements

USACE Alaska District awarded Bristol the first task order under the International and Interagency Support Indefinite Delivery type contract. This $6 million project included facility renovations and an addition to modernize the Chena Flood Control Project office, located in North Pole, Alaska. The office improvements provided a structure that met current and future operational needs, in addition to being energy efficient and environmentally friendly. 

New construction included a 2,600-square-foot addition to the east side of the existing office as well as a 950-square-foot emergency response bay. The new areas feature a cast-in-place concrete foundation and in-slab heating, structural timber frame, insulated and non-insulated walls and partition framing, membrane and metal roofing, composite exterior siding, wood clad aluminum framed windows, glazed storefront, a masonry heater and durable commercial-grade interior finishes and fixtures. Utilities were upgraded and a septic sewer system and photovoltaic system were installed.

The site incorporated a lighted paved parking area, site drainage, landscaping and seeding, underground electrical service, and sidewalks. During site excavation, approximately 127 cubic yards of contaminated soils was encountered, sampled, stockpiled, and removed.

Bristol managed the design and construction of the Child Development Center (CDC) for USACE Alaska District. The 22,907-square-foot CDC serves between 195 and 225 children, ages 6 through 10 providing before- and after-school day care, and by providing care for no-school days and holidays. The center includes administrative areas, a commercial kitchen, and activity areas. The architectural theme was to create a facility that would complement the existing community and community support facilities in building elements and color strategy. 

The building utilizes a natural color split-faced concrete Masonry unit (CMU) wainscot to anchor the building and protect it from damage. Above the CMU is a precast concrete cap that provides a break line between the CMU and the cement board siding above. Building masses are delineated with the different materials to break up the façade. The roofing system, asphalt shingles over an ice and water shield, is designed to blend with its surroundings. The roof lines are broken up with a raised clerestory form, providing natural light in the multipurpose room and the main atrium. All of these materials are timeless, compatible with surrounding buildings, and easy to maintain.

The CDC also includes a 51,520-square-foot paved play area surrounded by a 6-foot-tall, coated vinyl chain-link fence. The fence is equipped with double gates to allow vehicle access as needed and is 100-percent controlled by CDC staff to ensure the entrance is used for emergency and maintenance vehicles only. A 20-by-20-foot shade structure with two moveable picnic tables sits adjacent to the paved play surface. Creative outdoor play spaces are enhanced by several boulders set naturally into the ground; these areas also function as informal seating areas. The entire area has also been graded smooth to facilitate draining and provide a safe surface for field activities.

This project was designed and constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver standards; however, the client chose not to certify the project. Some components related to sustainability include breaking the roof lines up with a raised clerestory form, providing natural light in the multipurpose room and the main atrium and selecting materials for maximum use of recycled materials. Additionally, the stormwater design was laid out in a sustainable manner, landscaping was selected to reduce water use by 50%, overall water use was reduced by more than 40%, and the Building Energy Systems was commissioned in order to maximize efficiency. Lastly, low emitting paints, carpets and adhesives were utilized on the project.