Two new dormitory buildings under construction Published Jan. 7, 2013 By Emily Crowe 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- With the rising number of young Airmen assigned to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., the construction of new dormitory buildings is a welcome sight for base residents. Contractors are hard at work putting up two new dorms that will house a total of 192 unaccompanied Airmen in the near future. "There will be two identical, side-by-side dormitory buildings," said Wayne Pierce, base architect and project manager. "The fiscal year 11 dorm is the one currently going up, and contractors are now on site to begin the fiscal year 12 dorm." Based on the Air Force's Dorms-4-Airmen concept, each dorm building will boast 96 individual rooms, each with its own private bathroom. Four rooms will make up a quad unit, and each unit will be equipped with a full kitchen including an oven, microwave and refrigerator, as well as a washer and dryer. There will be a small common area in each building and private personal storage space for each resident. To top it off, each room will be furnished with brand-new furniture. The new buildings will be LEED-silver certified thanks in part to energy-efficient mechanical systems and individual thermostats. Additionally, each building will have ample parking spaces for dorm residents. Robert Ferry, chief of unaccompanied housing, said that the new dorms will create several quality of life advantages for Cannon's Air Commandos. "The biggest thing will be getting out of the current double-occupancy posture," he said. "Bringing these dorms online will eliminate that." The fiscal year 11 dorm is slated to be ready for Airmen to move in by late 2013, and the fiscal year 12 dorm is expected to be completed by early 2014.