The Korte Company delivered the 64,800-square-foot Construction Support Building at the Uranium Processing Facility Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Design-Build facility project was part of a larger endeavor to modernize the Department of Energy’s Uranium Processing Facility.
The three-story building was designed to accommodate the 300 U.S. Department of Energy personnel who oversee the quality and safety of subsequent construction projects at the Oak Ridge complex.
The structure is LEED Gold certified, the first of its kind at the Y-12 complex. A number of design and construction elements helped this project attain LEED Gold, including the use of low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, strategic site selection to enhance maximum ambient light, and the installation of solar panel and geothermic wells — projected to save $2 million in life cycle savings.
The upper floors contain private offices, conference rooms and break rooms as well as restrooms, print rooms and storage areas. Mechanical, electrical and telecommunication rooms are centrally located within the facility for maximum efficiency.
The result was a project delivered on time with a $5 million cost savings, which is in addition to the $20 million in site preparedness savings achieved by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. The project received the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hedgehog Award, which honors teams who go above and beyond in helping secure an on-time delivery with cost savings.
