A California military command center is nearly 50 miles from the closest retail hub.

Marine Corps Air Ground Command Center Twenty-Nine Palms is remote — so remote that military families would have to drive nearly 50 miles to Yucca Valley for one-stop shopping. Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) asked Haskell to create a building capable of housing a department store stocked with a large variety of goods; a convenience store with a walk-in beverage section, barbershop, Starbucks®, GNC® and other vendor spaces plus a multi-choice food court. The goal was an all-in-one, easy-to-use facility that was environmentally responsible.

We made shopping convenient and provided more choices for stationed families.

Our solution was a 136,000-square-foot Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) that brings one-stop shopping to the remote command center. The design-build project features a large, open-floor concept that provides an organized and welcoming shopping space. The building exterior, which integrates well with the desert site location and grounds, incorporates family-friendly walkways that link to an adjacent park and recreation area. The new MCX is truly a consumer’s shopping paradise.

Earth-friendly features offer tangible benefits.

The LEED® Gold-certified facility incorporated sustainable strategies and features that minimize energy consumption, conserve resources, avoid adverse environmental effects, provide occupant comfort and reduce total cost of ownership through a whole-building, life-cycle approach. One of the most notable features — invisible to shoppers — is the rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system. Converted solar energy generates 12.5%of the facility’s energy requirements.