Airport Design and Planning

Atkins has been awarded a comprehensive design services contract for the new $31 million, 250-agent US Border Patrol (USBP) Station and Collocated Checkpoint facility in Texas.

Atkins will complete the design-build project under a contract awarded by ITSI Gilbane on behalf of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District. Atkins is making full use of its extensive in-house architectural and engineering resources to complete the work.

Atkins’ senior group manager Greg Wilk said: "The new station is a key component in the border-protection strategy of the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] and expanding the facility is vital to accommodate the growth of the USBP agent force. The award of this contract recognises Atkins’ history of successfully delivering projects for the DHS.”

The new complex will be built on a 50-acre site several miles southeast of Comstock in Texas, about six miles north of the US/Mexico border. Atkins’ scope of design services covers full site grading, drainage, paving and infrastructure. Atkins is also designing the 50,000-square foot Border Patrol Station structure, a 3,500-square foot checkpoint, an 11,800-square foot vehicle and facility maintenance building, a short-stay kennel, an indoor firing range, a fuelling station and a car-wash facility.

Site improvements will include landscaping with an emphasis on water conservation by using drought-resistant native plants, constructing masonry screen walls and fencing, and building a helicopter landing pad. The design work is being done with the objective of obtaining LEED Silver certification. In addition, the facility is being designed to meet the very latest physical and technical security standards.

The project incorporates an integrated Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based delivery process that leverages Atkins’ experience using AutoDesk’s Revit building information modelling software to provide closely coordinated, high-quality construction documents for the USACE.