Plans for U.S. Army’s Four-Building Modular Complex Unveiled

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorFt. Carson, Colo.–The first batch of 832 modular units has arrived on site at Ft. Carson, where the Warrior Group, a DeSoto, Texas-based provider of modular buildings, is developing a four-building, four-story permanent modular complex.Hensel-Phelps Construction Co., the general contractor to the US Army, is responsible for the design, manufacture and installation of approximately 500,000 sq. ft. of barracks and related facilities to accommodate and relocate soldiers to Ft. Carson as the US Army executes on the Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) 2005, re-positioning and Army transformation initiatives. The complex at Ft. Carlson is expected to be completed by November 2008.Warrior Group hopes that the buildings, which adhere to Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection guidelines and are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifiable, will serve as prototypes for similar Army facilities and university student lifestyle facilities or dormitories throughout the U.S.“With Warrior Group we don’t worry about availability of skilled workforce because their structures are built offsite in a controlled environment, and they provide professional installation services onsite,” says Paul O’Donnell, operations manager at Hensel-Phelps Construction Co.Warrior Group is partnering with All American Homes, a national modular home builder, who will be manufacturing all 832 units for the project. They will build 75 percent of the units in Dyersville, Iowa and 25 percent in Milliken, Colo. The boxes will be set in early February 2008.  Gail Warrior-Lawrence, president of Warrior Group, says, “having a proven track record has earned the company a solid reputation as a dependable turnkey provider, thus making it an attractive partner for other major military construction projects across the country.”“Permanent modular construction is well suited to the urgent and often specialized nature of the military’s housing needs,” says Warrior-Lawrence.