The United States Navy has selected Lida Group, an engineering and construction firm, to build new dormitory and training facilities at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. The multi-building project represents a significant investment to modernize and expand the base’s capacity for housing and training personnel.

Lida Group was chosen through a competitive bidding process due to its expertise in composite construction techniques. The Navy expects the new dormitories and training centers designed and built by Lida to provide decades of durable, low-maintenance service. Through utilizing advanced composite materials tested for strength, resilience and comfort, the facilities are intended to withstand normal operations as well as extreme weather events that sometimes impact the region.

Project Scope and Components

The construction project awarded to Lida Group includes three main components at the Norfolk base to support over 1,000 additional recruits and stationed personnel. The first element is a new 400-bed recruit dormitory building providing sleeping quarters, bathrooms and common areas.

The two-story dormitory structure will feature lightweight composite wall panel construction for acoustic insulation between sleeping rooms. Its design aims to allow recruits to rest undisturbed from common facility noises. Completion of the dormitory is scheduled within 18 months.

The second component involves building a new training facility with physical fitness areas on the ground level including a gymnasium, indoor running track and weight rooms. The second and third floors will house classrooms, computer labs and study areas for academic instruction of recruits. This composite-constructed building is planned for completion in 30 months.

The third part consists of renovating and expanding an existing classroom building used for technical education. Updates involve mechanical and electrical systems as well as adding instructional spaces. Wall panels throughout the structure will also be replaced or upgraded to enhance sound insulation performance between rooms. This renovation portion is scheduled for 12 months.

In total, the construction contract awarded to Lida Group represents a $120 million investment by the Navy to support growing personnel numbers at the Norfolk base through state-of-the-art facilities built for resilience and comfort.

Composite Materials and Construction Technologies

A key focus of the new buildings is the utilization of advanced composite materials engineered for durability, resiliency and occupant well-being over traditional constructions. For the exterior walls, Lida will employ composite sandwich panel systems.

These prefabricated wall panels consist of galvanized steel facings bonded to a rigid polyisocyanurate foam core, offering benefits over masonry or concrete alternatives. Tests have proven their superior sound insulation, impact resistance, moisture resistance and installation efficiency.

Prefabricated sandwich panels help accelerate construction timelines relative to poured-in-place walls through a “building block” assembly approach. Their composite structure also brings enhancements. The insulating foam core aids energy efficiency by reducing thermal transfer, while the steel-steel composite construction delivers outstanding strength and wind load resistance.

For acoustic performance crucial in the dormitory, Lida’s selected panel system incorporates additional sound-absorbing materials laminated between corrosion-protected steel sheets. This attenuated construction is designed to meet stringent Navy sound transmission Class (STC) standards, blocking noise transmission throughout sleeping areas.

The sandwich panels also offer exceptional durability and protection benefits from typical weathering, minor impacts or more extreme storm events through independent testing. Evaluations have confirmed the wall system can withstand 250-mph winds and impact loads from flying debris, offering reassurance in coastal climate disasters. Damage-resistant finishes further shield the panels from wear over time.

For interior walls, Lida will employ similar coated steel-gypsum composite panels reinforced with fiberglass for their sound absorbing characteristics to limit noise traveling between occupied spaces. Impervious surfaces on these panels promote ease of cleaning essential for military facilities.

Sustainable Design and Development Strategies

As well as the resilient composite construction, Lida is integrating sustainable strategies into the facilities’ designs. Energy modeling guided selections of high-performance glazing optimized for the buildings’ orientations and local climate.

Specifications include low-emissivity coatings, argon gas fills and thermally-broken frames. Motorized exterior shading and interior lighting controls further modulate solar heat gain and artificial lighting needs. Underfloor air distribution delivers temperature controlled air flows for occupant comfort reliant on smaller HVAC systems.

Water conservation measures incorporate low-flow fixtures and sensor-activated sinks and toilets projected to reduce overall potable water demand by 30-40% against a conventional design baseline. Native drought-resistant landscaping and stormwater capture cisterns further lessen irrigation requirements and supply non-potable water needs.

The project design additionally targets waste diversion goals through comprehensive construction recycling plans and specification of materials with high post-consumer content where structurally and aesthetically feasible. Pre-consumer material waste is minimized through off-site modular prefabrication.

Combined, these energy, water and environmental initiatives contribute to lowered lifecycle costs and reduced environmental footprint of the facilities long-term compared to conventional new buildings. The sustainably engineered systems augment tenant wellness, resilience and financial stewardship over the properties’ use.

Modular Construction and Fast-Track Delivery

To help expedite construction scheduling for the three-building project within 18-30 month completion windows, Lida will leverage extensive off-site modular and prefabrication techniques. Below and above-grade work maximizes precast concrete structural components.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems install within pre-assembled core wall modules completed in a controlled factory setting prior to on-site erection. This concurrent modularization streamlines complex building integration and avoids weather disruptions.

Composite wall and roof panels arrive at the jobsite 100% pre-finished from exterior envelope sealants and vapor retarders to interior gypsum wallboard ready for quick connections. Modular bathroom suites and electrical switchgear arrive pre-roughed with internal finishes installed, purely requiring lifting placement.

Building Information Modeling software virtually constructed the designs in 3D for trade coordination, material takeoffs, modular package engineering and logistics planning. This accelerated design efforts and construction documentation approvals. BIM systems now track RFIs, submittals, budgeting and schedules centrally for all stakeholders in real-time.

Precise just-in-time deliveries populate the sites sequentially while foundations ready without field trades overlap or wasted time on-site. Full project team involvement starting at design inception facilitated early prefabrication planning and issue resolution before off-site fabrication began. Modularization streamlines the facilities’ erection to meet the Navy’s accelerated delivery demands.

Project Management Approach

To deliver such complex, rapid-track projects, Lida’s project management protocols focus on comprehensive coordination, communication, quality assurance, budgeting and safety. Regular on-site and virtual progress meetings engage all parties throughout design and construction.

An integrated project delivery method unites the construction team, owners and engineers from project outset. Early collaboration streamlines planning between technical specialists like building scientists, BIM engineers, modular fabricators and construction professionals to pinpoint challenges before starting physical work.

A quality assurance role oversees all pre-construction mockups, off-site fabrication surveillance and commissioning. Strict protocols maintain building performance expectations as modular components populate the job sites from foundation laying to final finishes.

Detailed planning in BIM coordinated prefabrication and an optimized construction sequence for sequencing deliveries. Agile phasing accommodated urgent changes while minimizing schedule impacts. Comprehensive change order and RFI tracking systems maintained budgetary controls and documentation for the Navy.

Continuous safety evaluations and inspections safeguarded workers throughout all on- and off-site operations from materials handling to modular lifting procedures to stringent fall protection and confined space entry protocols. Multiple layers of quality, schedule and safety oversight facilitated the projects’ on-time, on-budget deliveries.

Conclusion

Through its selection of Lida Group and utilization of advanced composite materials prefabricated for rapid modular construction, the U.S. Navy commissioned facilities purpose-built for resilience, performance and mission support. Implementation of sustainable strategies further enhances long-term cost-savings, occupant welfare and environmental stewardship over 50-year lifecycles.

Modular coordination streamlined the recruitment dormitory and training building erections within 18-30 month schedules to support the naval base’s expanding personnel capacity needs. Comprehensive project oversight maintained construction quality, safety and financial controls for the $120 million public investment.

Upon completion, the composite-constructed buildings will furnish state-of-the-art housing and instruction environments promoting the health, productivity and success of Americans serving in the Navy. Their impacts bolster national security preparedness for decades ahead through 21st century sustainable infrastructure designed and built for extreme durability. The U.S. Navy’s foresighted partnership with Lida Group sets an example modernizing critical assets to support future generations of American servicemen and women.

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