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Orlando, Fla. — Sept. 10, 2015 — A new Army Lodge recently opened in Georgia, exemplifying the expertise of international design firm VOA Associates Inc. VOA completed the $84 million project with the prime contract holder Stellar of Jacksonville.
VOA is an international architecture, planning, interior design, and landscape architecture firm which believes in using its design opportunities to shape the community in a way that is meaningful to the residents.
"VOA has extensive experience working with the Department of Defense, particularly in the Southeast region," said Ted G. Fery, principal and director for the VOA's Department of Defense market sector. "This new hotel blends perfectly with the mission styles from the end of the 19th century. It's been a pleasure working with Stellar and Fort Benning to maintain the Spanish Colonial Revival vernacular and historical nature of the community." VOA's work achieved an important LEED "Silver" design for the 457,500 square-foot, 860-room Army Lodge, which required specially selecting materials, elements, and methods to obtain favorable environmental and energy ratings.
A critical component of this design effort was the Army's sensitivity to the adjacent single-family homes. "We used stucco, wrought iron, simple facades, projecting window sills, and overhanging eaves to achieve the balance between function and beauty," Fery said. "This design creates a connection between the key public buildings within the historic district, the single-family residences, and this lodge that we think completes a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood."
The design effectively reduced the massive scale of the building by deliberate shaping of the building footprint by stepping down from four to three floors in the areas closest to the residential area to demonstrate an architectural sensitivity to their neighbors.
"Our decision to step down the massing of the Lodge to the homes next door makes this project special for us," Fery said. "The front is showcased with its Spanish Colonial Revival-like architecture and the entry takes two steps forward with the final step terminating in a Spanish-style parapet incorporating two cupolas. The porte cochere was connected to the lobby by an arcade that transitions to the arches along the first floor, reminiscent of the arches on the nearby historic Officer's Club."
VOA is an acknowledged leader in facilities planning, programming, design, renovation, repair, and new construction for the Department of Defense. For more information, visit www.voa.com.
