Ribbon to be cut on eco-friendly dormitory

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Courtney Kippenberger
  • 47 FTW Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  After 16 months of construction, Laughlin's newest student pilot dormitory, which provides multiple benefits not only for the Laughlin community, but also the local community, is set to be unveiled at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the courtyard of the new dormitory.

Maj. Gen. Irving L. Halter Jr., 19th Air Force commander, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, will be the guest of honor at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Motivation for building the dormitory sprung from a necessity for more housing and a need to provide additional efficiencies to the student pilot community, Ben Graf, 47th Civil Engineer Squadron said.

The location of the building itself makes it much more convenient to student pilots, especially considering that training takes place during all hours of the day and occasionally at night. Living on base reduces the commute from Del Rio and ensures students can take advantage of flight training opportunities, said Mr. Graf.

Providing 56 rooms, the new dormitory is the first in a two-phase project. The second phase, currently awaiting approval from Congress, will add an additional 64 rooms, and will be modeled after the new dormitory.

The first of its kind for Laughlin, the facility contains a new system equipped with ground source heat pumps. Although undetectable by looking at the grounds, 58 wells drilled to a depth of 350 feet are located around the building. Water is pumped through these wells to help heat and cool the building. This geothermal process will save taxpayers money in the long run.

The new dormitory is also Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifiable. In order to be certifiable, a building must contain a required number of environmentally friendly additions. A few items that helped make Laughlin's dormitory LEED certifiable are recyclable materials in the building construction, energy efficient lighting and day lighting.

"The Air Force has long been committed to championing energy conservation and the use of renewable energy. These new dormitories are key to enhancing the quality of life for our Airmen in addition to enhancing our ability to carry out the mission," said Col. Mike Minahan, 47th Flying Training Wing commander.