134th Civil Engineer Squadron recognized for design of new training center

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brittany Crocker
  • 134th Air Refueling Wing

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center recently presented a Merit Award to the 134th Civil Engineer Squadron for its design of a newly-constructed building on the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center (TEC) campus here.

Craig R. McKinley Hall, constructed in 2016 to expand the TEC campus and mission, was one of five facilities recognized in November at the Design and Construction Partnering Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, as part of an Air Force-wide design contest.

“Overall, we are just extremely proud of the hard work the 134th CES put in with the design and construction companies,” said Capt. Travis Vaughn, contracting officer representative for the 134th CES. “We are pleased with the results, and students at the TEC have been well served with the new building.”

The TEC’s newest building is actually three buildings, totaling almost 50,000 square feet, which includes 12 classrooms (with potential for another) and two dormitory buildings consisting of single occupancy dormitory spaces. The buildings also feature state-of-the-art energy efficient technology, including low flow plumbing, high efficiency water heaters and HVAC systems, daylight sensing lights and low-emissivity glass that allows natural light to enter the building, keeping the interior cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

“A large portion of the building was constructed using materials with recycled content requirements, and about 65 percent of our construction waste was diverted from landfills into recyclable material,” Vaughn said.

Recycling sorters are located in hallways throughout the building, which support the Air Force’s “Win the War Against Waste” campaign. The building also includes several features to handle storm water responsibly, including low-maintenance hardscape, permeable pavers and 30,000 gallon capacity underground detention chambers that mitigate the effects of storm surges and runoff by releasing water slowly into the storm sewer. Several of the building’s 97 student rooms feature accessibility features to accommodate visiting students with physical or hearing disabilities.

The TEC is a detachment of the Air National Guard Readiness Center and is a tenant unit on McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. The TEC conducts an average of 16 Enlisted Professional Military Education courses and 40 Professional Continuing Education sessions throughout the year.

“TEC’s 50 years of success in training and educating future leaders, is a direct result of the support of our base host, the 134th Air Refueling Wing and its civil engineer squadron,” said Col. Kerry R. Lovely, TEC commander. “McKinley Hall has exceeded our expectations with its classrooms and billeting. It is the best example of that excellence, in all that we do together.”

A three-person jury compared Air Force-wide design entries with predetermined criteria like cost control, energy efficiency, functionalism and sustainability.

“These award-winning projects exemplify the Air Force’s commitment to partnering with industry to deliver quality, mission ready facilities,” said Col. Scott Matthews, AFCEC Facility Engineering director. “These designers optimized and balanced functionality, cost-efficiency, sustainability and aesthetics.”