SALEM, OR — A Fortis Construction project, the Oregon Military Department's Major General George White Headquarters, has received top honors from the Design-Build Institute of America in the Commercial/Office category. Only three Commercial/Office projects across the country were honored with Merit Awards, with the other two category winners being private-sector, design-build efforts for Google and an International Software Developer in Redmond, Washington.

The Major General George White Headquarters is a two-story, 55,000-square-foot building that serves the Oregon Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. It is a headquarters meeting strictly defined security and sustainability standards, while also implementing a design to ease the cultural shift toward a more modern workplace.

To shift the culture toward more transparency and collaboration, the team developed an open-office scheme that centralizes enclosed offices and democratizes access to light and views. The resulting building is operationally low-cost, safe and sustainable. The facility was also delivered to act as an emergency response command center during times of crisis in Oregon.

The headquarters physically represents the cultural shift of the armed forces from a traditional employer to a contemporary one: the open office space and extensive use of glass/daylighting upgrades the workplace environment for staff members accustomed to bunker-like facilities. The project earned LEED Gold certification and can withstand security threats and natural disasters.

This is the third Design-Build Institute of America national honor for Fortis Construction, along with the Oregon Department of Administrative Services State Lands Remodel being honored in 2017 with a Merit Award in the Federal/State/County/Municipal category and Blain Grover being honored in 2018 as the DBIA Industry Professional Distinguished Leader of the Year.