TACOMA, Wash. — A U.S. Army Base looks to enhance the quality of life for U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington.  

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, in partnership with the
Deputy Chief of the Staff of the Army, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selected JBLM out of 130 worldwide Army installations for the project.

As directed in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act, the project’s goal is to reduce embodied carbon by at least 30% – emissions from manufacturing, transportation, and installation of building materials. Lessons learned will be applied to future barracks, such as the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District’s FY25 JBLM Mass Timber Barracks project.

Working in support of the JBLM Directorate of Public Works and the U.S. Army, USACE Seattle District is
responsible for design, acquisition, and construction oversight.

When the project is completed in 2027, it will be the first-of-its-kind U.S. Army sustainable barracks pilot project.

Project features:

• 89,000-square-foot, three-story barracks
• “Twin barracks” style construction with two 44,500 square foot structures
• Enhanced quality of life housing for 168 unaccompanied soldiers
• Follows U.S. Army’s 4/2 module standard
• Four-bedroom, two-bath units
• Two-bedroom, one-bath units
• Shared kitchen/living area
•  Recreational/sport and picnic areas
• Air-conditioned rooms
• Proposed sustainable materials include Portland Limestone Cement, recycled steel, cellulose wool
  batt/high-performance XPS insulation and metal wall paneling in place of brick.