What's in Your Dream Squadron Building?

[jimmydeanno]

...copy room...

...copy room...

You must love paper...

[Fuzzy]

[1LtNurseOfficer]

I've been inside that 'dream building!'  It's too cool!!

[raivo]

Creepy. I'm watching Wargames on my other screen as I write this.

[AlphaSigOU]

I've been inside that 'dream building!'  It's too cool!!

And the operations center doesn't look anywhere like what's depicted in the movie 'WarGames'!  It's actually quite small and furnished in GI-issue.

In one of my previous jobs some years ago I helped redraw the floor plans for the Alternate Joint Communications Center (AJCC) inside Raven Rock Mountain, Pennsylvania. The Alternate National Military Command Center is located within the mountain. Very interesting place... which I'm not at liberty to discuss.

[Spike]

^ Too late......please pack a bag and be ready for transportation to GITMO. 

[NIN]

My Wing had a HQ design that had been submitted to the city, and we were told "make it smaller.."

The architect, a CAP member, had no really good idea how to "make it smaller." He hadn't been in CAP long enough to really get a good feel for what went on *really* at Wing.

I proposed the attached.  This was not quite what I had envisioned (there were a number of things "not quite right" that would have to be slightly redesigned and adjusted since I'm not a professional architect), but it did benefit from different (smaller) footprint and what I thought was a more versatile layout.  You could use this HQ for your HQ staff *and* on a weekend it would serve several training events concurrently, plus, you could run missions out of the entire HQ building.  It was designed to be built in several phases.  Phase I was basically the right side of the building (but in a pinch, it could have been the right side and the left front), and Phase II was the addition of a hangar.

The office labels were essentially nominal assignments, but the back section of the right side was designed to be "Ops" with a flight planning & briefing room opening onto the flight line, and then the OPSO, ES, Comm, Safety, etc, all within easy reach.

All of this was on one floor. Our current Wing HQ had logistics in the basement.  Let me tell you straight up: that really, really, really sucks.   Plus, you have to consider ADA accommodations, and two floors is just asking for an elevator!

[davidsinn]

My Wing had a HQ design that had been submitted to the city, and we were told "make it smaller.."

The architect, a CAP member, had no really good idea how to "make it smaller." He hadn't been in CAP long enough to really get a good feel for what went on *really* at Wing.

I proposed the attached.  This was not quite what I had envisioned (there were a number of things "not quite right" that would have to be slightly redesigned and adjusted since I'm not a professional architect), but it did benefit from different (smaller) footprint and what I thought was a more versatile layout.  You could use this HQ for your HQ staff *and* on a weekend it would serve several training events concurrently, plus, you could run missions out of the entire HQ building.  It was designed to be built in several phases.  Phase I was basically the right side of the building (but in a pinch, it could have been the right side and the left front), and Phase II was the addition of a hangar.

The office labels were essentially nominal assignments, but the back section of the right side was designed to be "Ops" with a flight planning & briefing room opening onto the flight line, and then the OPSO, ES, Comm, Safety, etc, all within easy reach.

All of this was on one floor. Our current Wing HQ had logistics in the basement.  Let me tell you straight up: that really, really, really sucks.   Plus, you have to consider ADA accommodations, and two floors is just asking for an elevator!

I have training for this and...that's hot. That is a very well laid out plan. The only changes I'd make would be delete a couple of exterior doors. Other than that it's perfect.

[SarDragon]

Which doors would you delete? As I see it, the current configuration provides two different exits for each area, in case of fire. Just asking the Q to  learn here.

[davidsinn]

Which doors would you delete? As I see it, the current configuration provides two different exits for each area, in case of fire. Just asking the Q to  learn here.

One man door on the hangar and reduce most double to single doors. You are correct about the exits. I worked for a glazing company so I know the cost differentials in single vs double plus the insulation advantage to a single door. You also want to insure that the interior hangar door is a two hour fire door not that it will make a difference with 80 gallons of 100LL on the other side. It also looks like you have a lot of windows. Major cost center right there. If this is something that's going to happen I might be interested in taking the design a bit further for you guys. I have better resources than you'll find in a home cad program from staples. PM if you're interested.

[SarDragon]

Understand completely. Will file that for future reference. Thanks.

[coudano]

All the usual stuff that you might imagine but especially:

A giant /dry/ walk-in closet in which to hang uniform issue items (organized for size).
A changing room in or near this would be handy as well.


My squadron's uniform supply is not where we meet, which is horribly inconvenient, and it's a storage room at the end of a row of T-Hangars, which is not exactly 'clean' for clothing storage.  Everything is sealed in plastic, or taped up in boxes, and it's a giant inconvenience to try to use it to outfit cadets; as well as to return items to it when cadets trade in, or even quit.

[jimmydeanno]

...reduce most double to single doors...
...a lot of windows...

Just askin' to ask, but at what point do you take the working environment into consideration?  We've all been to the CAP meeting places that are in the basement of some church/community center and they're not very appealing or welcoming. 

If I were a staffer who was going to have some say into a building I certainly would prefer to have a window in my office as opposed to working in a closet.  Additionally, as a user, I find double doors to be much more welcoming than a single door (or a single door with a door sized window next to it).  They allow for two way traffic a grander entrance and feels more professional.

Additionally, windows add to the architectural detail of a building and can be used as an egress in case of fire.  I realize that windows *can* be expensive, but nothing says that they have to be.  I just moved into a new house that has some really nice windows.  I have the pricing for the windows as part of the package from the builder.  My living room windows, which there are three, are 2'6" X 8', double-pane, low-e glazed windows with an aluminum frame and double hung.  Each one of those was $375.00.  All the windows for my entire house (there are 14) were less than 6K. 

If I were building, I would probably sacrifice some other things in order to have adequate windows and doors, if only for asethetics...

[davidsinn]

...reduce most double to single doors...
...a lot of windows...

Just askin' to ask, but at what point do you take the working environment into consideration?  We've all been to the CAP meeting places that are in the basement of some church/community center and they're not very appealing or welcoming. 

If I were a staffer who was going to have some say into a building I certainly would prefer to have a window in my office as opposed to working in a closet.  Additionally, as a user, I find double doors to be much more welcoming than a single door (or a single door with a door sized window next to it).  They allow for two way traffic a grander entrance and feels more professional.

Additionally, windows add to the architectural detail of a building and can be used as an egress in case of fire.  I realize that windows *can* be expensive, but nothing says that they have to be.  I just moved into a new house that has some really nice windows.  I have the pricing for the windows as part of the package from the builder.  My living room windows, which there are three, are 2'6" X 8', double-pane, low-e glazed windows with an aluminum frame and double hung.  Each one of those was $375.00.  All the windows for my entire house (there are 14) were less than 6K. 

If I were building, I would probably sacrifice some other things in order to have adequate windows and doors, if only for asethetics...

All valid points...for a workplace. How often are your staffers going to be at HQ? Couple of times a month at most? I didn't say remove the windows but if I read the plan right the whole wall is glass like a storefront. Make them smaller. Glass is stupid expensive for a commercial building plus it reduces your usable wall space. I know. I designed it for a couple of years. I agree with the double doors in front. But you only need single doors on the side and back of the building though. The layout of the building itself is very good as a matter of fact I can't think of a single fault with the plan itself. I'm just looking at cost cutting measures for a cash strapped 501c3.

[NIN]

I can't type long, have to head out of this boring meeting, thankfully..

1) The double doors were intended to allow flexibility. Would stink trying to move things from the hangar to the offices that doesn't fit thru the doors. Yeah, they're not cheap.  Make 'em those school-style doors that have a 8" x 24" vertical window or something.

2) This building may not be CAP's building forever.  Whats the resale like and who is likely to buy a hangar/office on an airport?  Would double-doors be beneficial to them?  Industrial/commercial/insitutional buildings benefit from good-sized doorways (I'm reminded of my old National Guard aviation support facility, which had LOTS of double doors throughout)

3) The windows can be much smaller, but its nice to have natural light.  I just got "window happy" with the software.

4) Missing from this plan
   --  Since its a wing HQ, not a squadron HQ, it has no "locker" area for your ES teams.   
   --  A shower in each latrine (for those long missions).
   --  Any kind of a kitchen facility.

I think I mentioned it before, but the "work area" was intended for sort of "open air" work stations for your "part time" staff. The room might have file cabinets along the perimeter, but there would be desks.  This plan doesn't have a good space sketched out for that, but a prior version did.  The briefing room could serve that way too. In another version, it had storage for chairs, etc (ie. VFW hall-style)

Also, the idea was that the conference room/offices could be setup to use as mission staff offices when they're not being used for wing staff functions.   So on a weekend during a mission, someone might be setup in the cadet programs office doing ground team breifings.

the Logistics area has an overhead door that leads to the hangar (in phase I, thats not the hangar, that's "outside").

And depending on your site footprint, the hangar could be larger than depicted.

[Daryl Morning]

An HC-130 & HH-3F Pelican, both in CAP livery.  When you need em you NEED em.

But, seriously, a VoIP system to help coordinate the data flow with an in-house email/instant messenger server.