It has been one year since the Kankakee Illinois National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) and Readiness Center opened its doors to the service men and women that inspired its design. We greatly appreciate the work of our staff and consultant team who made this project possible, and we are honored to have created a facility that is both beautiful and functional. More so, we are honored to serve the brave men and women of the Illinois National Guard and to provide a space of which they can be proud. We’d like to thank all our servicemen and women this Veterans Day for their commitment and service to our country.  

The Kankakee AASF and Readiness Center is a center of civic heritage designed to celebrate those who will be using it: the soldier. The facility is designed to attract, retain, and care for over 200 service men and women, providing a bold, fresh, face for the National Guard, and breathing new life into the recruitment process. The unique façade mirrors a soldier’s camouflage while maximizing solar heat gain through carefully place colored poly-carbonate panels. These design features helped contribute to the facility earning LEED Silver Certification. To support the needs of three battalions and 12 Black Hawk helicopters, two hangars and 182,000 SF of space, Bailey Edward partnered with 10 consultants. The design collaboration was incredibly successful, landing a feature on the facility in The Military Engineer’s 2018 Energy Issue highlighting the sustainable design and innovative solutions. Furthermore, the Kankakee AASF was the recipient of the Midwest Engineering News Record Best Project Award in the category of Government and Public Buildings. Most recently, the Kankakee AASF was honored at the AIA Prairie Design Awards Reception where the facility received a Citation of Merit in the “Building of the Year” category. “The building’s unique design footprint emulating a Black Hawk helicopter rotor, open and naturally-lit interiors, and the incorporation of design tributes to the soldier throughout the facility were all features that led to this award,” stated Kevin Schnebly of BE.