March 2013
Walsh Project Awarded Honorable Mention for Green Project of the Year
Being battle-ready and highly reliable is a must for a military vehicle. Achieving this critically important standard is an extreme challenge given the U.S. Army's continual advances in the design of vehicles with experimental engines, alternative fuels, nontraditional power-trains, high-density energy storage capabilities, high-voltage electrical systems, armor plating, high-density electronics, and complex navigational systems.
Compounding the challenge of testing a vehicle equipped with new and experimental technologies, military vehicles must be operated at extremely high power levels and must be tested under extreme conditions. Evaluating systems and integrated vehicle platforms under high stress conditions requires development, validation and commissioning to create these battle-ready machines.
To meet these challenges, the U.S. Army needed a one-of-a-kind, fully integrated test facility, the likes of which had not been attempted before. Built by Walsh Construction Company, Detroit, this facility has come to be known as the Ground Systems Power and Energy Lab (GSPEL). BEI Associates and Jacobs Technology, Southfield, served as the design team.