OPUS PICKED TO BUILD $37.7 MILLION ARMY RESERVE COMPLEX

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA Ń Minneapolis-based Opus Northwest has been chosen to construct the new Armed Forces Reserve Center Complex in Cedar Rapids. Opus Northwest will serve as the design-builder and Opus Architects & Engineers will serve as architect of record for the $37.7 million project, which is slated to break ground in April. Construction will consist of a one-story, 113,506-square-foot armed forces reserve center and a 56,749-square-foot field maintenance shop. The facilities will contain offices for the Iowa Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve, troop supply and storage areas, a health clinic, a drill hall, a simulated weapons area and a staging center for troop deployment. The project will be applying for LEED-Gold certification. Sustainable measures being considered include energy-efficient mechanical systems, a geothermal HVAC system, insulated exterior wall roofing systems, extensive use of daylighting and lighting controls, and water conservation measures. Completion is expected in August 2011. Opus is calling the project the Iowa National Guard's large construction project since World War II. Ń Coleman Wood