Government

The $17.9-million Regional Transportation Center is under construction in San Diego. Located on a 1.4-acre site in City Heights, the project will feature a 60,000-sf facility that will promote awareness of alternative fuel vehicles. The building is being funded via a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and by the San Diego Environmental Foundation, Ford Motor Co., Pearson Ford, California Air Resources Board, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the city of San Diego.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is planning to begin construction on its new 208,000-sf offices in Washington's Suitland Federal Center. Housing millions of dollars of technical equipment, the facility will feature a 140,000-sf "green" roof that functions as a self-sustained bed for local plant life.

The U.S. Probation Department is building out the sixth, seventh and tenth floors of 101 West Broadway in San Diego. Constructed by San Diego-based Johnson & Jennings General Contracting, the $2-million, 47,000-sf project began in September and is slated for completion in January 2003. The building is owned by Sentre Partners of San Diego, with interior design and space planning services provided by San Diego firm Jossy + Carrier Design Group.

Certek, a Raleigh, N.C., builder of modular biodefense research laboratories, was awarded a $2.1 million contract to construct a biodefense lab for the Pentagon. The lab will be manufactured in Durham, N.C., and transported to Washington D.C. for use by military services.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is planning to build an additional biodefense research lab facility on its Bethesda, Md., campus. NIH is also investing in campus renovations and new construction including a research center, clinic addition, lab space, and patient units. Ground was recently broken on a new 25-room family lodge to accommodate families who have patients at NIH. Security systems upgrades including a new visitors center and commercial delivery inspection station are also planned.

The Food and Drug Administration has leased 65,760 sf in a new building under construction in College Park for the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Laboratories will comprise 23,000-sf of the facility with the remainder as office space. Developed by Herndon-based Cambridge, the building is sited on 4.4 acres of land adjacent to an existing 300,000-sf FDA facility. Build-out of the facility, which will contain an additional 15,000-sf available for lease, will commence in March 2003. 

State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) will begin building a new 267,300-sf San Francisco facility in 2003. Expanding the worker's compensation insurer's Market Street headquarters, the 11-story, 170-ft-tall building will be connected to SCIF's existing 350,000-sf facility by a pedestrian bridge. The $82-million project will accommodate 800 employees and will enable the state-owned agency to consolidate its existing 2,100 employees as well as allowing for future growth.

The Food and Drug Administration has contracted Sempra Energy Solutions to construct a central utility plant at its 2.3 million-sf Silver Spring, Md. administration campus. The plant will use renewable energy by incorporating the use of photovoltaic panels, as well as efficient combined heat and power technology. Sempra's $98 million services contract includes supplying electricity as well as the heating and cooling infrastructure for the campus.

The General Services Administration's National Capital Region has selected architectural/engineering firm HNTB to design the $81.7-million renovation of the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building in Washington.

The City of Jacksonville selected Boston-based Cannon Design to design its $211-million, 1-million-sf county courthouse complex. Cannon provided planning, programming and design services for the project, which included conversion of the old federal courthouse in addition to the new complex.

The General Services Administration has awarded AI the interior design contract for the Department of Transportation's new 1.4-million-sf Southeast Federal Center headquarters. Based on designs by Gensler, the headquarters will be constructed on a 55-acre site along the Anacostia River.  

The Universityof Idaho is leading the development of Idaho Place in downtown Boise. Consolidating the University of Idaho’s and Idaho State University’s many existing Boise programs, the mixed-use center may also include other higher education institutions that have been invited to participate. The combined educational, retail, and residential center will be sited on an approximately 10-acre parcel and will provide opportunities for business, industry, and government to collaborate in research and public service.

Rockville, Md.-based BAE Systems has completed its six-story, 211,000-sf office and engineering facility in Rancho Bernardo, Calif. Designed by Turpit & Potter Architects, the facility is accompanied by a five-story, 340,000-sf parking structure. The $26-million expansion project was built by San Diego contractor Harper Construction. BAE's Technology Drive Campus now totals over 757,000-sf.

The 22,000-sf Regional Firearms Training Facility was recently completed in Otay Mesa for the Countyof San Diego. The center, completed by San Diego-based JVB Construction Management,  houses administrative offices, five classrooms, and a 350-seat auditorium.

The Department of Defense has selected the Waynesboro office of GSC Construction Inc. to construct a $21-million hazardous training facility for the FBI. The facility will be located at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.