The Hatzerim Air Force Base is home to four Israeli Air Force squadrons and the Israel Air Force Flight Academy. Work began with the renovation and expansion of critical Israeli Air Force runway and adjacent taxiways. Tactical aircraft safety systems were also improved, with the construction of a brand-new Aircraft Arresting System that demanded highly reinforced concrete work to secure arresting nets.
Conti Federal adhered to highly stringent asphalt levelness requirements upon paving the new tarmac. This was achieved utilizing a specialized material transfer system during asphalt placement, resulting in any impact of dump trucks to be mitigated.
In conjunction with the runway and taxiway renovations, Conti Federal constructed a new 980 square meter (approximately 10,500 square feet) kosher kitchen consisting of 35 rooms while avoiding any interruption to the current dining operations that served 7,000 meals per day. All construction took place within a 50-year-old structure that Conti Federal repaired the existing structural elements of.
Conti Federal also installed a 135 square meter (1,453 square feet) TRAFO building to house high and low-voltage transformers to power the dining hall, hardening the structure significantly. Sitting on 20-meter-deep concrete piles with a heavily reinforced basement, walls, floor, and roof slab, a total of 995 cubic meters of concrete was poured for its construction.
All cast-in-place concrete work and security logistics were self-performed by Conti Federal, who also oversaw all management of the project including quality control, safety oversight, and coordination with both USACE Europe and the Israeli Air Force.
Conti Federal’s Warrior Lean™ construction management system demonstrated its capabilities in the real world as runway paving was completed and reopened for the Israeli Air Force use two months ahead of schedule. Real-time assessments of project changes were addressed with additional workforce to accelerate the project to meet the Israeli Air Force’s desire to have a new kitchen operation in time for the Passover holiday.
