This new facility services three aviation units, utilizing three UH-60 Blackhawks and two 0H-58 Kiowa helicopters. The hangar portion of the facility is comprised of three heated maintenance bays and two unheated aircraft storage bays. The adjoining office area houses administrative areas, an aviation life support equipment shop, lockers, restrooms, and training areas.
One of the major challenges presented to the project team was the need to comply with the FAA’s building height limitation requirements while accommodating the minimum height required by the Indiana National Guard’s aviation equipment. Due to these constraints, the hangar structure was limited to a total height of 13′-4″.
This facility was the first of three phases in a $25.5 million, federally funded project “intended to enhance the Indiana National Guard’s ability to successfully perform its missions, from fighting world-wide terrorism to providing support in time of natural and manmade disasters to the citizens of Indiana.” The facility earned the Army’s SPiRiT Silver self-certified rating and gave the Guard much-needed access to the Chicago/northwest Indiana metropolitan area.
The Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial is a new national monument that was approved by Congress and President Obama (HR 503) June 2014 to be built in Washington DC. The National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial Act authorized the National Desert Storm Memorial Association, a 501(c)3 organization, to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate and honor those who, as members of the Armed Forces, served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield. The Association has been led by a dedicated group of veterans from most branches of the military since 2011. In March of 2017, President Trump signed legislation authorizing the memorial’s construction to be within Area I. Then, in June of 2018, the site at 23rd & Constitution was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, placing the memorial in very close proximity to the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
CSO has been an official partner of the project since its beginnings in 2012, preparing the first conceptual design for the project, working pro bono from 2012 to 2016. CSO is honored to have remained involved in the project throughout the subsequent site selection and concept design phases, due to our ongoing dedication and commitment to this historically important project.
Stay tuned to see how the design evolves!