U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School

Scope

When the Army decided to relocate the United States Military Academy Preparatory School from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to West Point under the BRAC initiative, the site they chose came with real complications: a closed municipal landfill, legacy contamination from a former motor pool, and a steep hillside that required substantial rock excavation before a single foundation could be poured. Kokolakis navigated these challenges to deliver the 257,000 SF design-build campus on an aggressive phased schedule, with portions turned over ahead of contract requirements.

The completed campus consolidates everything a cadet candidate needs into a single integrated environment: a three-story co-ed barracks, a four-story academic and administrative building, a full-service dining facility, and a state-of-the-art indoor athletic facility with an adjacent covered practice field. Outdoor athletic amenities include synthetic turf fields for football, soccer, and lacrosse; a running track; stadium seating; and field lighting. The architecture echoes West Point’s historic material palette — brick, granite, and stone — while incorporating ATFP-compliant blast-resistant curtainwall systems, reinforced concrete foundations, and advanced security and building automation infrastructure. A tiered amphitheater built from relocated natural boulders and a grand ceremonial staircase anchor the campus within its hillside setting.

The project earned a CPARS Exceptional rating, LEED Gold certification, the Design-Build Institute of America Merit Award for National Design-Build Project, and the ACEC New York Gold Award for Engineering Excellence, all in 2012 and 2013.

Unique Challenges

• Managed phased design-build delivery under an accelerated BRAC mandate, commencing procurement and construction well before final design documents were issued to meet Phase 1 occupancy requirements
• Closed a 5-acre municipal solid waste landfill concurrent with new facility construction, developing an integrated master schedule and site logistics plan to keep both scopes moving without disrupting trade access
• Identified and remediated two localized areas of subsurface contamination from the site’s former motor pool use, removing approximately 110 tons of contaminated soil and 4,650 gallons of contaminated water before adjacent construction began
• Proposed an alternative segmented retaining wall system in lieu of cast-in-place concrete, enabling winter installation, improving constructability, and delivering cost savings while maintaining structural and aesthetic requirements consistent with West Point’s architectural standards
• Coordinated value engineering initiatives in collaboration with the design team and owner, including retaining wall redesign and elimination of tube steel window surrounds, resulting in significant cost savings without compromising program or ATFP compliance