Government

The new $28-million State Criminal Justice Facility in Montgomery, Ala., has been completed by Birmingham-based Doster Construction. Designed by PH&J Architects of Montgomery , the building will house the Alabama Department of Corrections, Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Alabama Department of Pardons and Paroles, the Highway Patrol, and a central energy plant. The facility was constructed at the former site of the 400,000-sf St. Margaret’s Hospital.

Sandia/California National Laboratories dedicated the new Distributed Information Systems Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., on June 10, 2004. The 70,000-sf facility will enable high-speed information transfer between labs, particularly those with a focus on nuclear weapons research. The $37.9-laboratory will accommodate 130 researchers and include unclassified space where twenty to thirty visiting researchers can work with Sandia staff members. Sandia operates sites in both Livermore and Albuquerque.

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston has been designated by NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) as the site of the $167-million Galveston National Laboratory. The seven-story facility will accommodate infectious disease research and could generate as much as $1.1 billion in regional economic impact over the next twenty years.

A new $44 million, 161,792-sf federal courthouse will be constructed in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Slated for completion in 2006, the project will be managed by a subsidiary of Pasadena-based Jacobs Engineering Group, who will provide design and construction services.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation celebrated the groundbreaking on its new Tampa field office on May 19, 2004. Located in the West Shore business district, the $26.6-million, 12,000-sf build-to-suit project is being constructed by Highwoods Properties of Raleigh, N.C. Replacing the bureau’s existing downtown Tampa facility, the new office is expected to reach completion in 2005.

Ground will be broken on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site in New York on July 4, 2004. Slated for completion in 2009, the tower could be the world’s tallest building. It will include a spire meant to evoke images of the Statue of Liberty. It will be located on the northwest part of the trade center site, not on the footprint of the former twin towers.

A new Oklahoma City Federal Building was dedicated on May 3, 2004. Adjacent to the site where the Murrah building once stood, the facility’s security features include a steel-plated main entrance, shatterproof glass, and bollards, which are concrete plugs preventing vehicles from getting too close. The $33-million horseshoe-shaped building began construction in October 2001, with federal agencies beginning occupancy in December 2003.

The USDA is constructing a BSL-3AG replacement facility in Ames, Iowa. Designed to foster scientific collaboration in animal health and food safety among three separate federal government agencies, the facility is structured for concurrent research on multiple animal disease pathogens. Designed by Merrick & Company of Aurora, Colo., the $60-million facility and $20-million infrastructure upgrade will include 159,000 sf of total space, 52,000-sf of it in high containment areas.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has invested more than $18 million in energy efficiency measures at 131 of its New York facilities. With funding from the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), the upgrades will significantly cut energy consumption, generate substantial savings, and enhance workplace productivity. ConEdison Solutions, an energy services company based in White Plains, NY, conducted a far-reaching USPS energy savings program in conjunction with NYSERDA.

A new 260,000-sf Louisiana State courthouse will be developed in Baton Rouge. The joint design team for the project, KPS Group of Birmingham and Post Architects of Baton Rouge, will complete the design and solicit construction bids by August 15, 2004. The $45-million project will reach completion in 18 to 24 months following groundbreaking. A site has not yet been selected for the courthouse.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected a Jacobs Engineering Group subsidiary to provide construction management services for the design and construction of a 120,000-sf laboratory for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The facility, sited on the grounds of Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., will house imaging equipment, high-containment laboratories, and administrative space.

Washington State University (WSU) is planning the seven-building Research and Education Complex on its Pullman campus. Each building will accommodate approximately 100,000 sf. Building 1, a $39 million addition to the existing Johnson Hall, will house bioscience research and is expected to reach completion in June 2005. Building 2, the $62-million Biotechnology/Life Sciences Facility, will include a vivarium.

The General Services Administration (GSA) has selected URS Corporation to provide engineering design services for the modernization of the Herbert C. Hoover Building complex in Washington, D.C. The complex is home to the headquarters of the Department of Commerce, the National Park Service’s White House Visitor Center, and the National Aquarium. Located next to the White House and across from the Washington Monument, it was built 70 years ago and consists of 1.85 million sf and more than eight miles of corridors running through the building.

San Jose State University  (SJSU) has opened the Space Technology Center and the Metropolitan Technology Center in the NASA Research Park in Mountain View, Calif. Both centers are sited in building 583C and share laboratory, office, and classroom space. The Space Technology Center, led by SJSU, is a government, industry, and educational consortium that includes Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and The Aerospace Corp.

The Ohio Supreme Court moved into its new Columbus facility in early February 2004 upon completion of a three-year, $83-million renovation. Formerly the Ohio Departments Building, the renovated facility will also house the Court of Claims and the Board of Discipline and Grievances.