Former Combat Support Building (Building 273), Greenham Common

Hardened combat support building, constructed circa 1984-5, subsequently modified.

MATERIALS: reinforced concrete, heavy steel doors.

PLAN: the Combat Support Building is located to the south of the former runway in the technical area of the former airfield. It is located immediately north-east of the Wing Headquarters Building (Building 274: this was the airbase command centre in the 1980s) with which it is functionally related. It is a single-storey, flat-roofed rectangular building with its longer axis oriented west-east. A courtyard at the south-east corner of the building with high blast walls protects the two entrances comprising a main entrance in the south elevation and a sliding door in the east elevation. Access to the courtyard is via dog-leg entrances to the west and east. Inside the building, to the west of the entrance, is a reception area, to its north, the boardroom, and in the eastern half of the building are data storage areas.

EXTERIOR: the exterior is largely blind with a slightly projecting eaves band. The main entrance is in the south elevation. This is a very deep and solid steel blast-proof door with external hinges. In the east elevation is a similarly thick steel sliding door on external runners. There is a solid steel escape hatch in the north elevation with external hinges. On the building’s south elevation, within its blast yard and to the east of the entrance, are remnants of white stencilled instructions within an orange painted border. Entitled ‘Clearing Procedures’, the instructions are now much faded but in part appear to be instructions for weapons handling. The yard floor is concrete hard-standing made up of large pre-cast slabs. There are two air vents on the roof in the south-east corner. A number of external air cooling fans, security cameras and cabling and downpipes are not part of the original building being very recent additions; these are not of special interest.

INTERIOR: to the west of the entrance, in the south-western part of the interior, is an inserted modern reception area/office with a part glazed wall. This inserted wall is not of special interest. Within this room, against the south wall, is a rectangular brick construction which is presumed to be original and has the appearance of some kind of cooking/heating facility. Along the west wall of the original building, and therefore within both the current reception area and the board room to its north, are a series of steel-shuttered ‘windows’, the centre of which is recessed in an upside-down ‘T’-shape. These are not true windows however, as they do not extend through the considerable width of the wall to the outside of the building. In the north elevation is a solid steel escape hatch.

An internal north-south wall divides the building in two providing data storage to the east. This area was not inspected but is understood to include an old plant room with original ceiling-hung air circulation plant.