Army Corps of Engineers moves into new engineering and support center

Earlier this month, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., opened, enabling the Army Corps of Engineers’ Huntsville Center to consolidate its workforce into one building.

The three-story Redstone Gateway 300 building, which broke ground on Nov. 5, 2021, features 200,000 sf of Class A office space and 15,000 sf of warehouse space that was constructed with concrete tilt-up wall panels. The facility combines private and open office areas, collaborative spaces, a large training room, a dining area, and fitness center, and conference room for the Corps’ commander.

The project represents the fifth multi-story tilt-wall building constructed by Robins & Morton in the office park since 2020. The project is pursuing LEED certification. Robins & Morton, which is based in Birmingham, Ala, was the general contractor, and Nola| Van Peursem Architects, also Alabama-based, was the project architect. COPT Defense Properties was the developer. Last November, Sentar Inc., a woman-owned small business specializing in advanced cyber-intelligence solutions and technology, was awarded a contract for the Center’s PAX Functional Services and Support in such areas as customer training and quality assurance.

Huntsville Center focuses on construction management

The 468-acre Redstone Gateway, with more than 2.3 million sf of mixed-use space either built or under construction, is a joint venture development between COPT Defense Properties and Jim Wilson & Associates. The construction cost for the new Huntsville Center was not disclosed.

Huntsville Center’s origins date back to 1967, as Huntsville Division, whose first offices were in a converted textile mill. The Division has relocated several times since, the latest being into a facility at Thornton Research park in 2018.

The new building allows the Center to consolidate its off-post  leases, the Center’s workforce, and provides a more secure environment for the Center’s staff.

According to the Corps’ website, the Huntsville Center’s mission and functions are centered on four key processes: program and project management, engineering and technical services, construction management, and innovative contracting initiatives. The Corps executes more than 3,000 projects annually.