IQ Fall 2012 - (Page 20)

coMMuNIty BuILDINg// The warrior zone’s postmodern exterior suggests a place for community and entertainment. In the Zone thE WarrIor ZonE offErS YoUnG, MoStLY SInGLE SoLDIErS on thE MoVE a hIGhtEch rEcrEatIon facILItY anD SocIaL oUtLEt. By Ian p. Murphy soLDIers servINg oN bases in Afghanistan and Iraq may not have many of the comforts of home, but one thing they do have is an unprecedented level of connectivity with the rest of the world. And in their off hours, soldiers often use that access for entertainment, playing games online with friends all over the world. So when the U.S. Army was looking for a way to get soldiers out of their barracks to interact with others on bases stateside, the idea for the Warrior Zone was born. Opened in January, the state-of-the-art recreation facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) outside Tacoma, Wash., offers troops more than just a snack bar and a pool table. Featuring more than $1 million in high-tech entertainment equipment, the Warrior Zone is a cutting-edge recreation and community center tailored to young, active-duty troops. “A lot of the soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq had these mini-technology centers with computers and televisions, where they would come back from patrol and play games,” says Adam Wyden, senior design project manager in the Commercial Construction division of Stellar, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based firm chosen to lead the project. “That’s when they began to realize that this was not going to be the typical bowling alley or rest-and-relaxation venue.” Stellar has a nonappropriated fund, indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery contract with the U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s G9 Division, Morale, Welfare and Recreation 18 fall//2012 the quarterly publication of the design-build institute of america photo courtesy of chuck oldright, turning Leaf productions

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IQ Fall 2012

IQ Fall 2012

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