District of Columbia Opens Consolidated Forensic Lab

The District of Columbia opened the $210 million Consolidated Forensic Laboratory in October of 2012 in Washington. The 351,000-sf (287,000-nsf) facility provides diagnostic labs for public health, autopsies, DNA testing, and the investigation of bioterrorism threats. The eight-story building includes two floors below grade and includes a BSL-3 suite. Accommodating 270 employees, the facility houses the DOH's Public Health Laboratory, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the Washington Morgue, and the Metropolitan Police Department Forensics Laboratory. The project team included general contractor Whiting Turner, construction manager Jacobs Engineering, design architect HOK, and Vanderweil Engineers. WorkingBuildings provided total building commissioning as well as threat analysis and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) development.