Buckley structure named 'Best Sustainable Facility in the Air Force' Published March 18, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Scott McNabb 460th Space Wing Public Affairs BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- A Buckley building was recently named the Air Force's best sustainable facility. The Colorado National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility, home to helicopter maintenance and flying missions here, took the honor but it will be the design team, Coover-Clark & Associates, that takes home the hardware. "The Air Force's Design Award Program rewards the designers and engineers of exceptional facilities with tremendous national exposure and recognition for their accomplishments," said James Schwantes, 460th Civil Engineer Squadron base architect during the project. "Carol Coover-Clark and her team of innovative planners, designers, architects, and engineers richly deserve the Award for Best Sustainable Facility in the Air Force." Coover-Clark & Associates, inc. architects and planners said it was a great honor to get the award notification. "It represents a great point of pride for our office and those who participated in achieving the design goals for the soldiers who serve in the Colorado Army National Guard," said Brian Duggan, a Coover-Clark architect. Mr. Schwantes said this award reflects positively on Buckley too. He pointed out an executive order President Bush signed in January which set goals and timetables for dramatic reductions in energy consumption within the Federal Government. "Receiving the award for 'Best Sustainable Facility in the Air Force' puts Buckley in the spotlight as an early leader in achieving the goals of the President years ahead of schedule," he said. Mr. Duggan said Coover-Clark & Associates' approach is that military design process should be no different than any other community design project. "With creativity and know-how we can overcome the historical challenges of military design and precedents, while maintaining a good stewardship of the federal dollar," he explained. Mr. Schwantes said the Air Force design and construction awards program gives recognition for excellence, but is also intended to inspire all designers and engineers who develop facilities for the Air Force to strive to reach the highest standards of facilities excellence. "Although this award is given in recognition of superior design and engineering, it also reflects highly on the skills of 460th Civil Engineer Squadron to rapidly upgrade and maintain the infrastructure needed to support such a mammoth facility, along with all of the other facilities currently under construction and planned for the near future at Buckley," he said. "Much credit should also go to the Army Aviation Support Unit who guided the designers towards a solution that meets their helicopter support mission."