Armed Forces Reserve Center – Fort Buchanan

Ft. Buchanan was originally the U.S. Army’s only active installation in Puerto Rico. Located on 700 acres just outside of the city limits of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ft. Buchanan is a primary site of military services on the island, as well as educational, recreational, community, and commercial programs to support military family members (active, reserve and retired) and the federal civilian communities. As part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations, a majority of the U.S. Army Reserve units in Puerto Rico were being relocated to Ft. Buchanan. To accommodate the relocation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saw the need for an Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC).

We took over the Ft. Buchanan AFRC project, working for our client Federal Insurance Company, after the bonding company elected to reassign the design-build contract. The project includes the 72,000 sq. ft. AFRC, a 9,000 sq. ft. vehicle Maintenance Shop (VMS), a 600 sq. ft. unheated storage building and 10,000 sq. ft. of organizational parking. Buildings are of permanent construction with M/E/P systems, secure communication systems and DOD-approved anti-terrorism force protection measures.

At the time of the takeover, the AFRC was 60% complete with various deficiencies which ranged ranging in severity. Although we took over the project midway through the construction phase, the team incorporated additional energy efficiency measures into the project’s design. Through M/E/P redesign and the use of enhanced building envelope systems, Ft. Buchanan AFRC was able to meet LEED Silver certifiable specifications.