Tyndall Air Force Base medical and vet facilities awarded LEED Silver

The newly modernized and expanded medical clinic and a new veterinary clinic at Tyndall Air Force Base have been designated LEED Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The 325th Medical Group clinic, Building 1465, required structural and design updates to provide mission-critical, comprehensive healthcare to more than 800 airmen and their families stationed at the base.

The $53.4 million design-build project – completed by Hoefer Welker and JE Dunn Construction – included extensive renovations to the three-story, 69,044-sq. ft. medical clinic as well as the design and construction of a new 2,267-sq. ft. veterinary clinic, Building 1309, to provide essential care to Military Working Dogs and the pets of military families. Before the new Veterinary Treatment Facility was built, veterinary care was administered from a retrofitted structure originally built in 1942 for another use.

“These new facilities are designed for longevity and efficiency with a focus on resiliency and sustainability, including reduced water use, improved indoor environmental quality, and optimized energy performance,” explains Chad Ingram, AIA, NCARB, LEED-AP, vice president and program manager. “The new facilities will serve the people and animals stationed at Tyndall now and well into the future.”

The clinic design required a complex, two-phase construction process to allow clinic operations to continue uninterrupted. Two temporary phasing facilities were built to accommodate clinic operations during construction. The design-build team faced setbacks near completion of the first phase in Oct. 2018, when 95% of Tyndall AFB structures were damaged by Hurricane Michael, with the cost of damage exceeding $3 billion. The team repaired the minimal damage to the temporary phasing facilities and resume work, completing construction in Dec. 2019.