WC Missouri News

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) has announced the winners of the 2024 Department of the Air Force Design Awards. The announcement, made on December 20, highlighted five projects recognized for their excellence in design, sustainability, and energy efficiency.

Dr. Timothy Sullivan, director of the Facility Engineering Directorate at AFCEC, commented on the significance of these awards: “This year’s winning projects demonstrate exceptional designs that meet operational needs while also improving mission readiness, quality of life and preparing our installations for future challenges.” He emphasized the importance of modernizing infrastructure to maintain a combat-ready force and enhance resilience within both the Air Force and Space Force.

The DAF Design Awards celebrate innovative solutions in creating high-performance facilities that adhere to Department of Defense and Air Force criteria. This year's awards were distributed across two categories: Facilities New Construction and Facilities Renovations and Additions.

In the Facilities New Construction category, Honor Awards were given to the KC-135 Maintenance Hangar & Shops at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tennessee and the Force Support Squadron Annex at Whiteman AFB in Missouri. Merit Awards went to the New KC-46A Hangar at Travis AFB in California. The Citation Award was presented to the Special Tactics Squadron Operations Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

For Facilities Renovations and Additions, a Merit Award was awarded to Multiple Medical Facilities Modernization at Edwards AFB in California.

Cheon-Joo Lee, program manager for DAF Design Awards, remarked on this year's submissions: “This program recognizes exemplary facility excellence at our installations,” noting how winning designs excelled in functionality, sustainability, climate resilience, cost control, and energy efficiency.

A panel from AFCEC’s Standards & Evaluation Branch assessed all entries based on aesthetic impact, material selection, cost-effectiveness over their lifecycle, and ability to meet long-term performance goals. Lee added: “We were impressed by the variety of submissions... These projects demonstrate a thorough understanding of what it takes to create sustainable, mission-ready facilities.”

The official award presentation will occur during the annual Air Force Facility Engineering Training & Partnering Symposium from February 25-27, 2025, in San Antonio.