Financial and Environmental Comparison of Military Housing Options for Forward Operating Bases

摘要

For many years, housing for US Military personnel at forward operating bases has consisted of poor quality, shed-like buildings constructed of dimensional lumber and plywood. These housing units have a number of shortcomings, including complicated construction operations, poor durability, and poor insulative properties. These characteristics lead to slow base commissioning, poor life-span, and high fuel consumption rates. To address these shortcomings the Military is currently investigating a different housing system based on structural insulated panels (SIPs). This housing system offers improved performance with respect to construction, durability, and insulation. The lifecycle costs and environmental implications of the two systems should be understood. This paper offers a framework for evaluating and comparing the economic and environmental performance of the traditional military housing system to housing constructed of SIPs. Preliminary financial and environmental impact results are provided and basic conclusions are made.