NEW YORK – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, has awarded a $23 million contract to contractor Pilegaard-Henriksen of Denmark, for the construction of a new dormitory at Thule Air Base in Greenland.
The 48-person dormitory will be three stories and be designed with a special arctic foundation to mitigate impacts to the permafrost common in the Arctic Circle where the base is located. It will replace a 58-year-old facility that has seen wear from the harsh arctic climate. The new facility is intended to help improve the morale, productivity and career satisfaction of Airmen assigned to the remote post.
“This new dormitory will help to provide Airmen with the quality of life they deserve on assignment to Thule Air Base in the Arctic Circle,” said New York District Commander Col. Paul Owen. “Thule’s remoteness and harsh climate restricts all personnel assigned there to live on base, which is why it’s so important to provide top notch housing facilities.”
Thule Air Base is the U.S. Armed Forces' northernmost installation, located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Among other missions, Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
Construction on the new dormitory is slated to begin this summer and to be completed in 2015.
About Us: New York District is responsible for the Corps of Engineers’ water resource development, navigation, and regulatory activities in northeastern New Jersey, eastern and south-central New York State, including the New York Harbor and Long Island, and parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The District is also responsible for design and construction at Army and Air Force installations in New Jersey, New York, Virginia and overseas in Greenland.
Release no. 13-044