Strong, rapid construction for new firing range

Published June 23, 2011
By Steve Hoffmann
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The new indoor small arms firing range being built off Chappie James Boulevard near the Larcher Chapel will have four standing walls in a matter of hours. But shouldn't it take a little more time?

If any building should take the longest time to rise, it should be a structure that's housing speeding bullets. But when you realize these are thick, reinforced concrete walls bolted together with steel plates, you might breathe a sigh of relief.

"A large crane will pull on these walls and they will drop into place like a house of cards," said David Horner, construction oversight lead with CSC. Again, take a deep breath. These "cards" are big and heavy and made out of concrete that's eight inches thick with a mesh of steel rods throughout.

"The structure lends itself to this type of construction," said Mr. Horner. "It's a simple rectangle with four walls and a roof."

The type of construction is called tilt-up where, after the foundation and floor slab is in place, the walls are formed on site, complete with door and window openings, tilted up using a crane and bolted or welded together. When it's appropriate, this type of construction can be an efficient, cost-effective way to get a building up quickly. Once the walls are in place, the rest of the building will be built out and steel traps and bins will be installed to catch the bullets.

The small arms firing range is a $5.3 million project that will provide weapons training at Keesler rather than having to travel 17 miles to the Navy's combat arms training and maintenance facility at Camp Keller.

The contractor, Northwind Inc., began construction last November and is scheduled to complete the structure by December. Once completed, it will be handed over to 81st Security Forces and training will begin.