The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is modernizing Building 900 at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, a 43,000-square-foot barracks constructed in 1939, using innovative structural engineering to withstand severe weather while preserving the building's historic exterior.
The renovation will transform the building into modern housing for 72 soldiers, each with a private bedroom and bathroom, with two soldiers sharing a kitchen. Each floor will include new day rooms, common areas, and enhanced laundry facilities. The building will also receive entirely new heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems, lighting, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems.
Engineers are retrofitting the structure using progressive collapse design, a method that ensures localized damage won't cause the entire building to collapse. "Because Fort Sill is located in a region known for severe weather, the building is being designed to withstand tornadoes as well as seismic activity," said Jessica Goodin, construction manager for the Army Corps. "The reinforcement goes from the basement to the roof and works as one interlocking lattice."
This is the first use of progressive collapse design in the district. The project marks the first time shotcrete—a concrete mixture sprayed at high velocity—will be applied on Fort Sill as a final protective coating. Engineers are reinforcing concrete structural systems, installing rebar through drilled holes to lock floors to beams, and fortifying window openings with steel plate headers and carbon fiber wraps.
The team conducts rigorous pull tests on footings and structural reinforcements to ensure the building meets safety specifications, using hydraulic pumps attached to floor rings to test load capacity.