AFRL TANNER HILL ANTENNA RESEARCH FACILITY, Rome, NY
Project Overview
NKB developed a series of conceptual plans in response to AFRL’s need for a new Elevated Antenna Building (EAB). As a specialty research facility, the new EAB required a transmitter support structure for five radomes and an adjacent support building housing a conference room for 15-20 people, restrooms, laboratory space and utilities. Originally the project scope included demolition of an existing 30-foot-tall silo. In order to allow the AFRL facility to remain in operation during construction, NKB oversaw the relocation of the structure. This allowed AFRL to maintain full operation. The silo will be demolished once operations are fully transferred to the new facility. NKB designed a new, more modern 50-foot-tall silo tower for one of the three larger transmitter dishes being reused.
NKB’s design allowed for the new structure to support five elevated antenna bays to house one large (15 feet) and four smaller (10, 8, 6 and 4 feet) fiberglass radomes. The design to support these domes must be rigid to minimize tower/antenna deflection. An overhead gantry system is also required to lift equipment from the ground floor. In addition, there were significant structural requirements that needed to be met for the AFRL, with the goal to approximate zero deflection. Located in a windy area, any deflection could skew radar. Thus, NKB’s own structural engineers adapted and designed 16-inch-thick concrete walls for the building to get as close as possible to zero deflection.
Services
Architecture
Interior Design
Structural Engineering
Client
Air Force Research Laboratory
Key Project Elements
Communications Research & Testing Facility Design
Research Equipment Logistics, Hoisting & Handling Considerations
Zero-deflection Structural Design
Defense Research Laboratory Design
Office Support Facility Design Considerations
Integration with Existing Campus Design Aesthetic