ARMY NATIONAL GUARD BUTTE READINESS CENTER

Finding a way to capture essences of this mining history in the form-making of the building was important to these units and to the design team. The dramatic colorization of the exposed earth, the black slag, and the stark black iconic structures that exist in the surrounding landscape all found their way into the form making and material choices for the building.

Size
Building A: 50,900 SF Building B: 9,000 SF Building C: 7,000 SF

Completed
2024

Client
Department of Military Affairs

Features
Daylighting
Classroom Space
Modern Office
Low Maintenance
Full Service Mess Hall

Awards
LEED Silver

The site for the project provided design inspiration for the building form and building placement. It is a vast, nearly 53-acre site that was previously ranchland. It is sloping to the east and surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges in all directions. The building form picks up on these subtle slopes and plays with parapet edges and changes of material that echo the soft surrounding landscape slopes.

The design team has been inspired by the dedication and engagement of our owner group including the State of Montana Architecture and Engineering Division, The Department of Military Affairs, and the personnel from our two Army National Guard Units – the 1889th Regional Support Group and the 230th Engineering Detachment. This engagement has led to an exceptional design that our State can be proud of.

Drawings

Butte Readiness Center Second Floor Plan

Full Description

Located west of Butte, MT this new National Guard Readiness Center serves two units. The 1889th, a battalion level administrative unit, and the 230th, an engineering unit, have different missions but a common sense of pride and professionalism in how they serve their country and community. The building efficiently meets the needs of these two units while also meeting force protection requirements and ambitious sustainability goals.
The 1889th needs to effectively work together in an office environment that encourages collaboration and productivity. They need to feel connected to their community and emboldened by their surroundings. For these purposes, most of their office spaces have been located on the second level of the building and provided with abundant views and natural daylight. A combination of enclosed offices, conferencing spaces, and open office environments provide for a variety of work environment and meeting needs.
The 230th is a horizontal engineering unit. For this unit, the building must support their essential need to gather, outfit their equipment, and deploy. As such, the building has clear circulation paths that support gathering and deploying by clearly connecting entry to gathering and gathering to storage and exit. The 230th is also supported by a large equipment yard and maintenance training bay – integral parts of the overall campus.

Team

Structural Engineer:
Morrison-Maierle

Civil Engineer:
Robert Peccia & Associates Inc.

MEP Engineer:
Morrison-Maierle

Landscape Design:
Sanderson Stewart

Kitchen:
H-C Design & Consulting

Sustainable Design

A highly integrated sustainable design exploration prioritized efficiency, effectiveness, and simplicity. Sustainability goals were aligned with unit mission and building operational goals. Capturing the nature of the building’s anticipated use through zoning and scheduling of systems was the first effective strategy towards building efficiency. Additionally, the integration of transpired solar wall preheat for the ventilation unit serving the largest daily use zone provides enhanced efficiency. Early and iterative energy modeling verified the most effective strategies for energy efficiency and led to the prioritization of installing a 50kW photovoltaic system.