Annville, PA

Pennsylvania Army National Guard Training Support Center

Client: US Property and Fiscal Office for Pennsylvania
Our Role: Design

Exterior of training center showing modern brick façade and large front windows.

The nation’s busiest National Guard training facility, Fort Indiantown Gap, serves 130,000 warfighters each year. In support of the Gap’s mission of providing a full spectrum of combat training opportunities, Army National Guard officials have initiated major site upgrades. The replacement of a wooden World War II-era building with the new Pennsylvania Army National Guard Training Support Center creates a world-class facility to prepare Guard members for domestic and overseas assignments.

GFT provided architecture, landscape architecture, geotechnical subsurface exploration, and engineering services for the replacement project. The team met the challenge of developing an aesthetically pleasing facility that achieved client goals while meeting the requirements of Department of Defense Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings. Sustainable strategies incorporated into the design enabled the work to build on the Gap’s nationally recognized environmental initiatives.

To support servicemember training, the new center offers 65,000 square feet on 10 acres for thousands of combat training aides, such as replicated weapons, munition rounds, and other devices. It features simulator spaces, flexible classroom space, a video teleconferencing-enabled meeting room, break room, fabrication and repair shop, and a 30,000-square-foot simulation armament warehouse.

The structure’s insulated tilt-up concrete walls and exposed full steel frame, along with blast-resistant windows and doors, provide required security while creating a visually appealing appearance. The interior spaces feature non-parallel walls to improve acoustics and visual aesthetics. Concrete curbs, segmental retaining wall, bollards, and access-control arms create and maintain a secure perimeter around the building.

The training center earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) by earning points related to energy efficiency and protection of resources.

Key Features

Energy-saving features result in a 94% energy-use reduction compared to code compliance, approaching net-zero energy. These include:
- Daylighting and daylighting controls.
- Enhanced thermal envelope performance.
- Geothermal HVAC systems.
- 230kW of roof-mounted photovoltaic solar panels.
More than 20% of the building’s materials, by dollar value, are recycled, reducing waste sent to landfills.
Site work to 10 acres of previously developed land, including pervious paving, stormwater detention, and anti-terrorism and force protection-compliant landscaping, improves stormwater quality and reduces run-off while protecting undeveloped land.
LEED Gold certification recognizes this sustainability achievement.

Outcomes

New training aids, devices, simulators, and simulations (TADSS) facility provides world-class teaching and warfighting preparedness opportunities.
Leading-edge simulation, classroom, and conference facilities foster effective learning.
Warehouse facilitates on-site access to thousands of military training aids.
Upgrade of outdated facility better supports mission preparedness.
Storage for thousands of replicated weapons and other training aids.
Building and site security in accordance with federal requirements.
SAME, 2024, National Design Awards, Grand Award: Industrial/Operations Category.