JE Dunn Construction Receives USAF Design Award For Cannon Air Force Base Medical/Dental Clinic

JE Dunn Construction received an Honor Award in Facility Design in the USAF (The United States Air Force) Design Awards Program for the Cannon Air Force Base Medical/Dental Clinic Replacement project located in Clovis, N.M. The Cannon Air Force Base project was one of eight selected for awards and one of three to receive the Honor Award, the highest of the program’s three awards.

Partnered with Hoefer Wysocki, JE Dunn has designed and constructed over $750 million in healthcare facilities at more than 10 military bases across the nation to support the U.S. Air Force Healthcare Facilities Modernization Program during the past nine years.  

The USAF awards program was established in 1976 with the purpose of recognizing exceptional project teams as an essential component to delivering high-quality Air Force facilities. USAF award honorees have demonstrated professionalism, hard work, and dedication to their scope of work.

Cannon Air Force Base Medical and Dental Clinic includes a clinical wing and ancillary support wing connected by a commons area. The medical facility houses various clinic departments including Command, TOPA, Pharmacy, Family Health, Behavioral Health, Dental, Optometry, Radiology, Pediatrics, Flight Medicine, and Ambulance Services. The medical facility provides high-quality care and advanced technologies for patients, caregivers, and military personnel, as well as their families. Design and construction took 36 months.  

For the design-build project, the government’s goal wasa world-class healthcare facility comparable to similar, private-sector healthcare facilities to accommodate the mission of the 27th Special Operations Medical Group. The user wanted a respite area away from military life despite being on a military base and sought a building to reflect the positive features of the Southwest  United States, without overemphasizing the less desirable aspects of the area. Another user objective was a firm, fixed-price budget within the open extents of a design-build contract.

The team experienced multiple challenges throughout the design, including acquiring LEED Silver certification. To meet this challenge, the design-build team employed a collaborative, integrated approach to achieving sustainability requirements throughout the life of the project. From the LEED for Healthcare 2009 checklist submitted at proposal through the final LEED Silver certification of the project, achieving cost-effective sustainability measures was a primary project goal and was addressed continually throughout design and construction. All key design and construction team members had extensive experience on LEED projects and played critical roles in achieving the project’s sustainability goals.  

“The project was home run on interior design without sacrificing exterior,” said a USAF juror.

The main criteria for this project was AFMSA Health Facilities Division Guidelines, Cannon AFB Architectural Compatibility Guidelines and UFC 4-510-01, as well as a multitude of others. Based on Architectural Compatibility Guide for Cannon Air Force, the clinic is located in District 1: The Community Center, effectively the Town Center for military and civilian residents and workers. Because of substantial demolition and construction over the next decade, this district is being transformed into a more attractive, sustainable, and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.

The design-build team has executed several medical facility renovations together, prior to award of the Cannon Air Force Base Medical Dental Clinic. The team utilized multiple lessons-learned from those renovations to the design and execution of the new facility. For example, the team designed the dental mechanical room directly under the dental clinic. The team learned from its renovations at other clinics that having that vertical relationship allows for easier renovations later.  

“We are honored to receive this award and continue to provide high-quality environments in the federal market,” said Project Executive Craig Stearns.

The project team for the Cannon Air Force Base Medical/Dental Clinic project includes Hoefer Wysocki; BHC Rhodes; Henderson Engineers; Land3 Studio; Protection Engineering Consultants; Smith, Seckman & Reid; Bob D Campbell; Dimensional Innovations; Walker & Moore; Yearout Mechanical; DKD Electric; Western States Fire Protection; and many others.

The following firms received honor and merit awards in the USAF awards program: Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.; HDR; C2RL Engineers, Inc.; Kenneth Hahn Architects; Heffernan Holland; and Morgan Architecture.

JE Dunn formally received the USAF Design Award at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) Design and Construction Partnering Symposium in San Antonio, Texas on November 14, 2018.