Completed in March 2002, the new building was designed to complement the initial structure, Operations Center I, which was built in 1999 and sits on a 28-acre site across the street. "We continued a complementary theme," said Program Manager Donnie Byrd of Carter & Burgess, which is based in Fort Worth, TX. "The exterior and most of the interior are similar. The second building has added amenities [such as] the cafeteria, kitchen and training facility."
Byrd explained that the design goal for the new building was to have a monumental entrance. "What we pro-vided for our client is a grand entrance with a cast stone feature wall," he said. "There's a lot of floor traffic, and we wanted to accent the reception and entrance where visitors come through. It's more of an inner floor circulation pattern inside the building. It's inviting people to use the stairways and to experience the natural light."