Naval Special Warfare Center Indoor Dynamic Shooting Range
A 30,000-SQUARE-FOOT RANGE PROVIDES NAVY SEALS WITH YEAR-ROUND TRAINING CAPABILITIES
Built in 1950, this training facility for Navy Seals was in desperate need of replacement. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic District turned to Gannett Fleming to lead a design-build effort to create a new facility.
What We Did
Gannett Fleming provided geotechnical, building systems solutions, and landscape architectural services for the design and construction of an indoor small arms training and practice facility that is used by trainees year-round.
The 30,000-square-foot range provides multiple dynamic shooting areas with steel bullet traps, overhead ballistic baffles, ballistic door and window closures, target lighting, and ventilation systems. It includes a multilevel close-combat area and mission planning and temporary weapons storage spaces.
Projectors in the space create a more realistic experience with the simulated weapons. A mezzanine allows Seals to run drills between floors, similar to the layout of a United States Navy ship. The new layout is designed for practice with night vision and features recording capabilities to allow teams to evaluation their performance after exercises.
The new building is comprised of a cast-in-place concrete foundation system that consists of mini-piles supporting grade beams integral with the structural slab. The new space includes:
- Advanced training classroom space.
- Armory.
- Indoor simulated marksmanship training room.
- Office space.
The dynamic targets can move from the walls and ceiling, with target movement controlled manually, for Seals in training. A woodshop allows for different templates to be made for a variety of obstacles.
The state-of-the-art range has 20 lanes and supports weapons training from pistols, rifles, shotguns, and machine guns, and offers year-round weather stability. The range area is clad in architectural precast concrete panels and brick supporting roof joists with metal deck.
Key Features
- Supports a variety of training weapons.
- Architectural precast panel construction and brick support roof.
- Projectors in the space create a more realistic experience with the simulated weapons.
Sustainability Features & Outcomes
- Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the range includes recycled flooring and wall materials with low VOC emissions.
- All adhesives have low VOC admissions.
- Environmentally friendly, non-toxic paints and finishes were incorporated into the design.
- A photovoltaic array is positioned on the roof of the small arms range to supplement a portion of the electrical power throughout the year.
Outcomes
- The small arms range provides specialized firearms qualifications capabilities, including known-distance small arms qualification, tactical maneuvering, and simulated scenario training.
- The non-range support areas of the building are cavity wall construction with brick veneer, supporting light gauge steel roof trusses, and metal deck.
- The range walls have adequate thickness to protect people outside the building from stray bullets and are sized for acoustic considerations.
- Ballistic plates hung from the roof joists protect the roof system.
CLIENT
Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic District
LOCATION
Virginia Beach, Va.
ROLE
Design, Construction