A green giant:

New Forces Command headquarters

Dec 12, 2010 - Fort Bragg's premier construction project of the 21st century is one of the largest and "greenest" in North Carolina.

The combined headquarters for Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command is the state's second largest construction project currently under way in both size and value, according to Reed Construction Data Services, an Illinois company that tracks projects across the country. When the 600,000-square-foot building opens in the summer, it will be valued at an estimated $302 million. The only construction project that's bigger is a Caterpillar Inc. plant under construction in Winston-Salem, valued at $425 million with 850,000 square feet.

The headquarters is being built with sustainability in mind. Within the layout are green innovations that meet the standards for LEED Silver certification, which means the building receives points for energy-efficient features, and a third party verifies that it meets green goals. When the building eventually receives the certificate, expected in 2012, the U.S. Green Building Council says it will be the fifth-largest building of its kind in North Carolina.

Starting in 2013, all new buildings on military installations must be LEED Silver certified. The headquarters is getting a head start.

"A lot of hard work has gone into making this building as environmentally friendly and energy efficient as possible," said FORSCOM spokesman Jim Hinnant. "That can only get better as work moves on."

Green practices began the moment Fort Bragg was notified in 2005 that the headquarters would be moved to the installation, said Jim Polhamus, project manager at the Fort Bragg Directorate of Public Works. The two commands must relocate to Fort Bragg from Atlanta by Sept. 15, due to the Base Closure and Realignment law. {continued}