Armed Forces Reserve Center - Norman, OK

The AFRC and Field Maintenance Shop (FMS) serves as a combined Armory for the Oklahoma Army National Guard and United States Army Reserve, with administration and training areas, a drill floor, arms vaults, classrooms and a kitchen, plus multiple maintenance bays, paint and welding shops, locker rooms, and storage for controlled waste and flammable materials. The project scope also included parking for military and private vehicles, and a steel perimeter security fence and Entry Guard House.

Tilt-Up was selected for this project for its ability to help the building earn LEED certification (thanks to the use of regional materials and admixtures with high recycled material content) while meeting anti-terrorism protection requirements.

The building was designed to emulate historical armory design, with gun turrets and a rock facade, and a scale and massing similar to original armory structures. The contractor used special formliners and stains in native Oklahoma colors help further ground the building in a historical context.

To overcome the challenge of designing spaces with different requirements for two separate entities, the contractor used BIM software to produce real-time 3D models of the buildings. Combining local materials with cutting-edge design, the center respects the past while looking toward the future.