Danbury Armed Forces Reserve Center

The Armed Forces Reserve Center is a Korte-Fusco joint venture located in Danbury, CT and includes three separate buildings: the training center, a vehicle maintenance shop, and an unheated storage building/wash bay. The design of the training center focuses on local architecture and features Mid-Atlantic and New England architectural influences. As part of the design vernacular, stone cladding was a dominant element of the overall architecture. Exterior spaces were designed to take advantage of the natural vistas that surround the site as well as the sloping topography.

The primary entrance of the building is the focal point of the facility with a covered, open-air porch, which creates a natural gathering space and allows users to enjoy the outdoors and surrounding views while remaining protected from the elements. The prominent lobby space and high ceilings also allows additional light into the lobby and adjacent assembly hall. Dormer elements were used to create a more efficient ceiling, and increase the amount of natural daylight entering the space.

The building's materials are inspired by the existing fieldstone and are supplemented with brick and metal panels. The strong base of rock face concrete masonry transitions to brick and metal, a design feature that offers each elevation an appropriate scale and proportion. The building will be USGBC LEED Gold Certified and will attract as many as 200 reservists and guardsmen during the weekends.