Sundt knows a thing or two about building homes for the federal government. And it should: in the past 25 years, we’ve constructed more than 17,000 residential units for service members and their families on military installations across the country. That experience played a key role in the success of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) first ever new home construction project for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, which Sundt completed earlier this month.
The $10.4 million contract was for the construction of 21 residential units on an 11-acre site in Ajo, Ariz., a remote town about 30 miles north of the U.S./Mexico border. The project brings major improvements to the living conditions for CBP agents, who previously had few housing choices apart from renting from local property owners.
Sundt relied on its vast experience with federal government construction to improve the project in several ways, including helping it reach beyond its LEED Silver goal toward LEED Platinum – the highest honor awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Some of the green construction practices included use of recycled steel studs, regionally sourced concrete, and quartz countertops from a nearby stone quarry.