A public-private partnership with the U.S. Army, The Villages at Fort Irwin includes 715 new homes in four different neighborhoods for soldiers and their families. Homes feature a spacious great room, upgraded kitchen, at least three large bedrooms, generous interior storage space, and a two-car garage. New neighborhoods at Fort Irwin also include amenities like parks, tot lots, playgrounds, tennis courts, and basketball courts. A set of 200 new Senior Unaccompanied Housing apartments were also constructed as part of the Irwin Town Center, a mixed-use urban village.
As the desert environment changes from extreme cold to heat and high winds, the design at The Villages at Fort Irwin incorporates features to help residents endure a wide range of temperatures. To meet the project’s EnergyStar® requirements, exterior wall sections consist of 2x6 framing and R19 fiberglass insulation. Ceilings feature R38 fiberglass insulation and have solar powered attic ventilation to keep internal temperatures down. The windows have increased R values and coatings and, on south facing walls, have aluminum Bermuda shutters to provide additional shade and cooling. The exterior landscape primarily consists of heat- and drought-resistant native plants irrigated with drip irrigation and insulated from the sun with rock mulch to minimize evaporation. The recycling effort on the deconstruction of homes included wood products, exterior landscaping, plumbing fixtures and pipe, play structures, concrete and asphalt. The concrete and asphalt materials were recycled into Class II Base rock, which supply the needs of the current project and future projects on base.
