USACE - ERDC - Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

The ERDC is a Major Subordinate Command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that develops and applies innovative science and technology solutions to support warfighting, infrastructure, environment, water resources, and disaster operations. The ERDC consists of 2000 employees working in seven laboratories at four sites. The ERDC headquarters is located at the Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Miss. The operating elements at that site are the Coastal and Hydraulics, Environmental, Geotechnical and Structures, and the Information Technology Laboratories. The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) is located in Hanover, N.H. The Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) is located in Champaign, Ill. The Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) is located in Alexandria, Va. In the mid- 1960s the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that to successfully meet the challenge of its huge and increasingly complex construction program a new research laboratory was required. This decision led to the creation of the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) in 1968. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommended in 1968 that the Corps establish a laboratory dedicated to this mission. NAS further advised co-locating this facility with a major academic institution having a strong engineering college. After judging proposals from 20 major universities, the Army chose the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (UIUC) as the location for the new Construction Engineering Research Laboratory. The lab was dedicated July 25, 1969.

• I nstallation operations - Research into technologies and systems that can be used to reduce the manpower and costs associated with operating installations by improving the maintenance and repair of infrastructure, conserving and improving energy utilization, preventing pollution and complying with environmental regulations, and improving base operations management functions through business and process reinvention.
• Military Land Management - Research to provide knowledge, tools, and improved practices to support the sustained military use of military lands, seas, and airspace, and to support military stewardship of natural and cultural geophysical resources on these lands.
• Facility Acquisition and Revitalization - Research to improve the facility delivery process, mitigate facility multi-hazard risk, and develop enduring building systems.