The Opus Group™ Completes Construction on Armed Forces Readiness Center Complex for Iowa National Guard

10/18/2011
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Opus Group™ announced the completion of construction on the new Armed Forces Readiness Center Complex for the Iowa Army National Guard. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the two-building campus consists of an 113,000-square-foot Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) and a 60,500-square-foot Field Maintenance Shop (FMS). The complex is a joint facility, including the Iowa Army National Guard and the United States Army Reserve Units.

The AFRC houses ten military units, and will be the headquarters for 60 full-time personnel and up to 500 weekend Soldiers. In addition to a large drill hall for troop formations and community send offs, the facility includes offices and classrooms, storage areas, weapon simulation laboratory, vault storage and auxiliary training areas. 

The FMS will be used to repair and maintain equipment and fleets. This facility includes 12 leading-edge maintenance bays equipped with shop lubes and compressed air, water and vacuum systems. 

The new buildings were designed and built to LEED Gold standards (certification pending), including energy efficient lighting and geothermal heating/cooling system, high insulation values, local and recycled construction materials and low emitting materials to ensure high indoor air quality. 

“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work as a team with the Iowa National Guard,” said Jeff Smith, director of project management, Opus Design Build, L.L.C. “A complex of this caliber in Iowa is a great asset to the state, and we are honored to play such an important role in bringing this dream to fruition.” 

The Iowa National Guard is holding a building dedication on Oct. 19, 2011. Activities will include a brief ceremony to commemorate the occasion, ribbon cutting and an open house of each facility. Members of the state legislature will be in attendance in addition to other key community members. The dedication is free of charge and open to the public. 

"The completion of this beautiful new complex represents the latest in energy-efficient technology and is the largest readiness center in eastern Iowa,” said Colonel Scott Ayres, director of installation management, Iowa Army National Guard.  “We're very pleased with the quality and timeliness of construction that helped us ensure that we met construction requirements.  The citizens of Iowa should be proud of this new facility."  

About The Opus Group
The Opus Group™ is a family of national commercial real estate companies headquartered in Minneapolis, with expertise in development, project management and construction, architecture and engineering, finance, sales and leasing. The Opus Group includes Opus Holding, L.L.C. and Opus Holding, Inc. and their operating subsidiaries, Opus Development Corporation, Opus Design Build, L.L.C. and Opus AE Group, Inc. Specializing in office, industrial, retail, residential living, institutional and government projects, The Opus Group has broad capabilities, deep experience and a proven design-build model that delivers solutions for customers on time and on budget. For more information, visit www.opus-group.com.