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Winning one Air Force-level award can seem like a feat in and of itself; winning two awards at the same time is extraordinary.
One Ramstein mechanical engineer assigned to the 86th Civil Engineer Squadron achieved the exceptional honor of receiving two Air Force awards.
German national Peter Heinrich won two Design Excellence awards, July 23, in Washington, District of Columbia, for his efforts on the Southside Fitness Center and the Aquatic Center Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
"We, my design team which included architects did our very best to create an excellent facility for Ramstein by creating optimized floor plans and using, for example, sandstone facades and other architectural features," Herr Heinrich said.
Born and raised in Kaiserslautern, Germany, the design team program manager and contracting officer said he was influenced by his engineer father to become a mechanical engineer himself, but he had a passion for it as well.
"It always seemed very interesting to me to work with technical equipment," he said. "I knew I wanted to be a mechanical engineer early on."
Herr Heinrich's road to becoming an engineer started with graduating in the mechanical engineer program, which is equivalent to a master's degree, at a German university in Kaiserslautern to working with the Air Force.
After graduating in 1976, he began working as a store manager for a supermarket while he was looking for an engineering job. It wasn't until 1977 that a position opened up with the Air Force at Ramstein. And, because 1977 was a slow year in the engineering career field in Germany, Herr Heinrich decided to pursue the opening.
Since then, he has been responsible for military construction projects totaling more than $250 million. Some of the notable projects he has worked on include: the new child development centers, the enlisted club, new dormitories, the 1st Combat Communications building and, more recently, the Aquatic Center.
According to Carol Cox, 86th Services Squadron Outdoor Recreation director, the Aquatic Center increases the quality of life for the Kaiserslautern Military Community in several areas.
"Swimming tones the entire body and provides an excellent cardiovascular workout," she said. "For those with injuries, the non-weight bearing aspects of the water assist with the healing process. The center also offers an alternative on those gray winter days and keeps the fun flowing."
Besides bringing design ideas to the table, Herr Heinrich also adds stability to a job that is constantly revolving.
"He brings a lot of continuity to our job," said Capt. Jorge Lopez, 86th CES chief of construction management. "With military members constantly deploying, it's nice to have a constant here. He can provide knowledge about projects, and it's easier to work with a person who has knowledge and history rather than reading it from a document."
When it comes down to it, Herr Heinrich just plain enjoys his job.
"I think being recognized by the Air Force is great. It gives you motivation to continue with your work and effort," he said. "I still think the job is interesting and going to work every day is not a pain. It's difficult, and a challenge daily, but there are many things that can be accomplished for the Air Force."
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2009 07:25 |
| Story ID: | 37481 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 531 |
| Downloads: | 505 |
This work, Engineer's Air Force winning design improves Ramstein's quality of life, by Amanda Dick, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
