Construction of AFNWC building nearing completion

  • Published
  • By Lee Ross
  • Nuclues staff writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Construction on a new, roughly 57,000 square-foot-building as part of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, or AFNWC, is under way.

Contractors broke ground on March 18, and the building should be completed by Dec. 6 this year, according to Diep Nguyen, an engineer on the project.

When construction of what will be the AFNWC Phase 1 Sustainment Center building is completed, the structure will provide offices and "state of the art capabilities to support nuclear sustainment and emergency response actions worldwide," Ngyen wrote in an email.

The new building, which is north of H Avenue, just west of Wyoming, has a construction cost of more than $21 million, he said.

"The site selection was beneficial to this project because it is located in a developed business area with base community connectivity and located within access to a number of public alternative transportation routes," he said.

He also said that is part of the reason it will be LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver Certified, meaning it achieved a number of bench¬marks for environmentally friendly design.

"The building design limits storm water runoff and incor¬porates energy efficient design features such as water-efficient landscaping and fixtures, thermal comfort control and energy efficient-electrical and mechanical systems," Ngyen said. "Construction waste was limited by recycling as much of the waste as possible, limiting the amount of trash that goes to our landfill."