SAN DIEGO-Construction is nearing completion on the P-745 weapons armament technology center at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in Ridgecrest, CA. The $68-million project is expected to be complete by July.
The design/build partnership includes San Diego-based Barnhart Balfour Beatty and KMA Architects, who designed the 177,718-square-foot research and development facility. It includes technical and management support offices, general engineering laboratories, secure compartmentalized information facility spaces and conference facilities.
“We helped design a world-class building that is truly as cutting-edge as the advanced military research that will be going on inside,” says KMA senior associate James Belmont. “In addition to the environmentally-friendly features and energy efficiencies, the building is being designed to withstand extreme desert conditions that include 100 mile an hour winds and temperatures that range from 15 degrees in the winter to over 100 degrees in the heat of the summer.”
The state-of-the-art, two-story project, which will also include 618 above ground parking stalls and extensively landscaped open space, was designed to meet the LEED Silver certification standards with the potential for Gold certification. KMA proposed the two-story structure to reduce the footprint of the building and preserve more open space for landscaping.
The building, constructed with steel framing and concrete tilt-up, will house hundreds of engineers and researchers and serves as a showcase facility for advanced concepts in military weapons systems.
NAWS China Lake is the high desert home of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, an organization within Naval Air Systems Command. The Navy and Marine Corps have developed or tested nearly every significant airborne weapon system in the past six decades at China Lake. The facility supports the primary research and development, test and evaluation work for air warfare and missile weapons systems. Missiles such as Sidewinder, Shrike and Walleye are just a few of the many products at China Lake, which have been developed for the fleet. China Lake encompasses 1.1 million acres of land in the Mojave Desert, accounting for approximately one-third of the Navy's total land holdings.
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Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
