At Fort Lewis, off-site construction allows for larger homes,
more features, and a faster build schedule
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Champion
Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: CHB), a leader in the factory-built housing industry,
today announced that its Genesis Homes unit, in collaboration with Equity
Residential and Lincoln Properties, will be among the first to provide modular
construction for permanent military housing on a U.S. Armed Forces base. The
new homes will be built off-site, replacing outdated military housing at Fort
Lewis Army Post in Washington State.
During the first phase of the project, Genesis Homes will provide 67
buildings of one and two story duplexes and triplexes, providing housing for
174 families. The homes will be built at Champion's Oregon facility.
The New Urbanism designed development will feature homes with covered
front porches, rear entry garages with alley access, and several different
elevations with different but complementary paint schemes. The homes will
range in size from 1,850 to 2,200 square feet and include open floor plans, 9-
foot ceilings, island kitchens, first floor laundry rooms and skylights.
Fort Lewis is one of four pilot projects for the Army's Residential
Communities Initiative (RCI) privatization program whose primary objective is
to eliminate inadequate family housing. In 2002, Equity Residential and their
development partner, Lincoln Property Company, signed a 50-year agreement to
provide the base with new homes, renovate existing homes, own and manage all
housing properties, as well as improve the overall quality of communities with
trails, recreation centers and other features.
Two years into the contract, the Army raised its minimum standards for
construction that increased square footage requirements and upgraded many
amenities. Equity Residential needed a solution that would allow it to meet
the new standards and maintain the architectural integrity of the project.
"Given the size, scope and importance of this project, this is another
highly credible endorsement of the advantages of using off-site construction,"
said Kevin Flaherty, vice president of Marketing, Genesis Homes, a unit of
Champion Enterprises. "Our building technology has advanced to the point
where you simply cannot tell the difference between a home built off-site by
Genesis and a traditional site-built home."
The condition of military housing nationwide is a major quality of life
issue for soldiers and their families, and studies have shown that new or
renovated quality homes can contribute to a soldier's decision to re-enlist.
Consequently, the Pentagon proposed and Congress enacted, the Military Housing
Privatization Initiative as part of the 1996 National Defense Authorization
Act. This law allows the military services to address their housing needs by
using privately financed and built housing constructed to market standards.
"By partnering with Genesis Homes and converting our conventional
construction to modular, we've been able to control construction and financing
costs due to the much shorter construction period," said Boyd Lucas, executive
development manager, Equity Residential. "At the same time, we've been able
to incorporate the new Army standards while getting structurally superior
homes."
At Fort Lewis, Genesis' advanced building process accelerates the ability
to provide Army personnel with updated housing for their families and with
minimal disruption to the base and neighborhood. By building off-site,
Genesis reduces the number of construction workers on base resulting in less
congestion and less security clearances needed. In addition, the amount of
construction waste and debris is greatly reduced making for a remarkably clean
job site and a safer work environment.
About Genesis Homes
Genesis Homes, a member of the Champion Enterprises, Inc. family of
homebuilders, is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich. Genesis operates nine
modular homebuilding facilities strategically located to serve builders and
developers nationwide. To learn more, contact Kevin Flaherty at
kflaherty@championhomes.net.
About Champion Enterprises
Champion Enterprises, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., a leading
manufacturer of factory-built housing, has produced more than 1.6 million
homes since 1953. Today, Champion operates 32 homebuilding manufacturing
facilities in North America and partners with nearly 3,000 independent
retailers, builders and developers. For more information, please visit
http://www.championhomes.net .
About Equity Residential
Equity Residential, an S&P 500 company, is the largest publicly traded
apartment company in America. Equity Residential (EQR) engages in the
acquisition, development, ownership, management, and operation of multifamily
properties in the United States. Nationwide, Equity Residential owns or has
investments in 933 properties in 32 states and the District of Columbia
consisting of 198,240 units. For more information on Equity Residential,
please visit our website at http://www.equityresidential.com .
About Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis, part of Forces Command, is the home of I Corps. It is one of
15 US power projection platforms. The Corps' primary focus is Pacific Rim.
The principal Fort Lewis maneuver units are the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry
Division and the 3d Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. It is also home to the
593d Corps Support Group, the 555th Engineer Group, the 1st MP Brigade
(Provisional), the I Corps NCO Academy, Headquarters, Fourth ROTC Region, the
1st Personnel Support Group, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), 2d Battalion
(Ranger), 75th Infantry, and Headquarters, 5th Army (West). Soldiers receive
first-rate medical care through Madigan Army Medical Center. Located in the
Pacific Northwest on Puget Sound, Fort Lewis is adjacent to McChord Air Force
Base. Fort Lewis has abundant high-quality, close-in training areas,
including 115 live fire ranges. Additional training space is available at the
Yakima Training Center in eastern Washington, including maneuver areas and
additional live fire ranges. Population served: Fort Lewis has more than
25,000 soldiers and civilian workers. The post supports 120,000(+) retirees
and more than 29,000 family members living both on and off post. Size: Fort
Lewis proper contains 86,000 acres; the Yakima Training Center covers 324,000
acres.
SOURCE Champion Enterprises, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.championhomes.net
http://www.equityresidential.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/110861.html
CONTACT:
Kevin Flaherty, Vice President Sales and
Marketing of Genesis Homes, +1-919-467-0099,
kflaherty@championhomes.net ; or Lisa D. Lettieri, Vice President
of Investor Relations of Champion Enterprises, +1-248-340-7731,
llettieri@championhomes.net
NOTE TO EDITORS: High-resolution photographs of the Fort Lewis
project are available on request.
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