Green building home to multiple Mountain Medics

By Bruce Hinson, Fort Carson MountaineerSeptember 27, 2010

Green building home to multiple Mountain Medics
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT CARSON, Colo.-From left, Florian Walicki, principal architect at RNL Design, Col. Michael Place, commander of the 10th Combat Support Hospital and Col. John Keenan, deputy garrison commander for transformation cut the grand opening ribbon in fro... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Green building home to multiple Mountain Medics
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Green building home to multiple Mountain Medics
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CARSON, Colo.-Fort Carson's newest environmentally-high-performance structure now contains five medical units. Here, they can better train, equip and support the "Mountain Medics."

The grand opening of building 704 at Specker Avenue and Carey Street was celebrated by ribbon cutting, speeches, cake, band and tours of the facility Sept. 10. The event signaled a new era in these units' abilities to support the Overseas Contingency Operations.

The invocation was given by Chap. (Maj.) Jonathan Landon, 10th Combat Support Hospital. The speakers - Col. John Keenan, deputy garrison commander for transformation, Col. Michael Place, commander of the 10th CSH, and Florian Walicki, principal architect at RNL Design - all praised this new building and its ability to carry out the Army's mission as well as conserve resources.

In his remarks, Keenan said that this facility is a "$40 million project that we're looking at today and quite frankly, a lot of projects don't have the stamina to survive the scrutiny and oversight required to put (them in place). This is going to give our medical units a first-class facility for years to come. Finally, the 10th is physical proof of the Army's commitment to providing a quality facility for medical Soldiers to train and support their vital missions on the battlefield."

Evidenced by the words of the speakers, this ceremony was about more than a brick and mortar structure, it highlighted the significance of the Soldiers who use it.

"What's happening here today is the Army's commitment to Soldiers and soldiering by getting a facility of this magnitude, of this quality, to a unit like this," Place said. "We are proud to take possession of it, we are proud of the Soldiers that work here. This facility, as you've heard, reflects, really, the next generation of Soldiers. It's a 'high-speed' building: It's received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Award; it's used recycled construction materials ... it does the right thing environmentally."

This "green" building uses 68 percent less landscape irrigation water by using native grasses; it is estimated that it will save more than 750,000 gallons of water per year with dual flush toilets and low-flow sinks and showers; and the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system changes the air in only those spaces necessary.

According to Capt. Johnny Sanders, commander, Company A, 10th CSH, the company took possession of this building in March, sharing it with other medical unit: the 2nd Medical Detachment (Forward Surgical Team), the 223rd Medical Detachment (Preventative Medicine), the newly established 438th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Services) and the 221st Medical Detachment (Optometry Services). He said that these detachments comprise several different units that have the capability of deploying independently of one another, from performing battlefield surgeries on both humans and animals to optical fabrication, the units that occupy this facility represent the breadth and depth of the US Army Medical Department.

RNL Design's website addresses their commitment to projects that use the Earth's finite resources responsibly. They believe "the design of the built environment not only has the capacity but also the responsibility to build a new world with a bright green future."

Hensel Phelps Construction was the general contractor and is ranked among the top general contractors and construction managers in the nation by the Engineering News Record.