“It is a combination of nearly 256,000 square feet of new building combined with some elements of renovation,” Farkus said in a news release. “Central to the work of this project is providing a safe and secure environment very close to the new construction, where the NASIC staff will continue to function in their duties at a very high level of performance.”
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center awarded a $153 million contract in August to expand NASIC with a new intelligence production facility at Wright-Patterson.
The project is a collaborative effort between Air Force engineer center and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District.
NASIC is the U.S. Department of Defense’s primary source for foreign air and space threat analysis. NASIC is the Air Force’s service intelligence center and the nation’s air and space intelligence center.
The project was awarded Aug. 12, and the construction duration is 1,095 days from a Sept. 4 “notice to proceed," but this project has complicated phasing, Farkus said. Today, NASIC is scheduled to move into the new building by Jan. 16, 2025.
This four-year NASIC expansion is not the largest construction project in the base’s history, in dollar value. A consolidation of missions in the wake of the 2005 BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process remains the largest at $240 million, according to a base spokesman.
Messer Construction won a $126.3M contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its role in the project in August, selecting Messer from three bids. San Francisco-based architectural firm Gensler and Black & Veatch Architects — based in Kansas, with offices in Cincinnati and Columbus — designed the structure especially to be protected against electronic surveillance.
The government’s description of the project called for a 2‚500 KW emergency generator and atrium.
Overall, the project will add approximately 256,000 square feet, altering about 22,500 square feet.
Messer, with regional offices in Louisville, Cincinnati and Dayton, is the prime contractor for the project.
“We look forward to breaking ground in November and continuing our long track record of safely delivering high-quality projects at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Complex construction is our specialty, and we’re proud to provide the technical expertise required to support NASIC’s mission," said Matt Schnelle, vice president of Messer’s Dayton office
Farkus said the team learned early on in the design process this was not normal office space; rather it is in a unique setting, where specialized work is to be conducted, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We will increase their capacity to protect our fighting forces all over the world,” Farkus said. “The intelligence NASIC collects and analyzes saves lives.”
“NASIC’s mission growth outpaced our facilities' ability to efficiency and effectively support the mission,” Col. Maurizio Calabrese, NASIC commander, said in August. “We thank all the project delivery partners for their role in quickly designing and now awarding all aspects of this expansion ahead of schedule and within budget.”
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