Government

The General Services Administration is involved in a nine-year renovation of the Department of the Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C. Designed by architectural firm Shalom Baranes and Associates and engineering firm GHT, the facility will be renovated in six phases, each involving a full wing. Phase I, which began in November 2002, is slated for completion in May 2004. The renovation is comprised of new HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, security, and fire alarm systems.

Oregon Health & Science University has received $2.5-million of federal research funding to establish a National Center for Research on Bioterrorism Agents in Portland, Ore. Studying issues important to combating bioterrorism, the center will accommodate over 20 OHSU faculty members focused on disease research. A comprehensive database of pathogens will be developed to create more effective methods of vaccination against a bioterrorist attack.

The General Services Administration has selected Jacobs Engineering Group to provide construction management for renovations at the Social Security Administration’s headquarters in Woodlawn, Md. Renovations include façade replacement, interior finishes, re-roofing, mechanical systems, power distribution, emergency power, branch circuit wiring, lighting, fire protection branch piping and heads, LAN/WAN, telephone and data lines, and domestic water distribution.

The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute is working with the National Institute of Standards & Technology to develop a planned expansion of the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology called CARB II. The 140,000-sf, $38-million project will host new laboratories, core facilities, and training programs for the biotech work force and will cost $50-million to build. CARB I is an 88,000-sf building sited on six acres at the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center in Rockville, Md.

The U.S. Supreme Court has selected Hillier of Philadelphia to design the renovation of its Washington, D.C., facility. The $120-million, five-year project will address security issues as well as modernizing the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has opened a new regional headquarters that includes the agency's district office and a modern, multi-purpose laboratory. The new regional headquarters, which completes the FDA’s consolidation of 18 outdated laboratories around the country, is located in Irvine, Calif., and will serve the Southwest Pacific Region. Situated on a 10-acre plot purchased from the University of California, the facility will replace a 50-year-old lab in Los Angeles and the district office currently located in Irvine.

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs has leased the 60,767-sf Corporate Oaks One facility in Herndon, Va., from NVCommercial.  The two-story office building, previously occupied by VeriSign, was built in 1985 and renovated in 1999. Metro Management Services will provide property and construction management services.

U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), a nonprofit public health organization, will construct up to 150,000 sf of lab and office space adjacent to its current 80,000-sf Rockville, Md., headquarters. USP is located in the Twinbrook neighborhood, just north of the Department of Health and Human Services which USP serves.

The Army Corps of Engineers has contracted Centex Construction of Fairfax, Va., to construct a $60-million addition to the Andrew T. McNamara Building Defense Threat Reduction Center at Fort Belvoir. The 325,000-sf, six-story facility will be accompanied by a 300,000-sf parking structure for 1,000 vehicles. Designed by RTKL Associates, the project features a blast-resistant addition to the building and site work on a secured compound. Completion is expected in August 2005.

The $4-million Central Texas Technology Center, now under construction in New Braunfels, Texas, is slated for completion in March 2004. The center will provide vocational and technical training programs including welding technologies, allied construction trades, industrial manufacturing, computer technology, automotive mechanics, and nursing. Funding for the center is being supplied by a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and the New Braunfels and Sequin economic development corporations.

The San Mateo County Forensics Laboratory and Coroner's Office in San Mateo, California, is included on the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment 2003 list of "Top 10 Green Projects" which recognizes architectural design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. Designed by the San Francisco office of Hellmut, Obata + Kassabaum, the $12-million, 29,000-sf facility is a "living lab" for sustainability.

The Oakland City Council has selected developer Lennar Swinerton Group to construct a new Oakland Police Station. The current police facility will be demolished and replaced by the $160-million project, which includes 250,000-sf of police operations and office space, a 48,000-sf crime lab, an 18,200-sf property and evidence facility, and parking accommodating 900 cars. Lennar Swinerton Group is a joint venture between Lennar Partners, Swinerton Builders, and Hunter Group.

The General Services Administration and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) broke ground on the new NOAA satellite operations center on April 11, 2003. Designed by Santa Monica-based Morphosis and Einhorn Yaffee Prescott of Washington, the $61-million facility is located at the Suitland Federal Center. $50-million in high-tech equipment and $3-billion in control satellites will be housed in the new center. Construction manager for the 208,000-sf, three-building project is 3D/I. Completion is expected in 2005.

The $7-million, 17,000-sf Rosegarden Public Library will break ground this summer in San Jose, Calif. Designed by the San Francisco office of HGA Architects, the project is slated for completion by fall 2004. Using the latest techniques of sustainable design, the building will be LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. It will feature an Internet cafe, community rooms, an online checkout system, and online reference services.  

The City of Coronado has selected Robbins Jorgensen Christopher (RJC) of San Diego to design its new $30-million city hall and community center complex. Construction will begin in summer of 2003 and reach completion in fall of 2004. The project is sited on 16 waterfront acres. RJC will also provide interior design and landscape architecture services.