Government

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.

The General Services Administration has awarded Highwoods Properties of Raleigh, N.C., the $26.6-million contract to develop a 112,000-sf office for the FBI in Tampa, Fla. The cost of the project includes a seven-acre land purchase. Construction is slated to begin in mid-2004.

NASA is seeking a developer for the planned 225,000-sf Conference and Education Center at the 213-acre NASA/Ames Research park located in Moffett Field, Calif. The $35-million project will feature 35,000 sf of meeting space, providing the sixth-largest conference facility in Silicon Valley.

The General Services Administration is planning the 710,000-sf renovation of its Washington, D.C., headquarters. Designed and engineered by Shalom Baranes, Studios and Syska Hennessy Group, the project is estimated to cost between $110 million and $130 million. The design process will reach completion by February 2005 with occupancy expected in the first quarter of 2009.

The Department of Health and Human Services has leased 30,000-sf of office space in the 10-story, 276,000-sf Tower Building in Rockville, Md.

The city of Lafayette, Calif., is planning to construct the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium at the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Created by twelve Bay Area educational and cultural institutions, the project is comprised of a 25,000-sf library and an attached 1,700-sf community room. Slated to open in 2006, the project is the first of its kind in the nation in size and scope. The collaborating groups are the Lawrence Hall of Science, Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland Museum of California, Commonwealth Club of California, John Muir/Mt.

North Carolina State University may add as much as 240,000-sf of office space to its Centennial Campus in Raleigh. Plans describe the development of several additional office buildings on 5.7 acres of the 1,334-acre site. The Centennial Campus will foster collaboration by allowing faculty and graduate students to work side-by-side with corporate researchers. Four buildings are currently under construction on the campus.

The Food and Drug Administration and the General Services Administration celebrated the opening of the Federal Research Center in Silver Spring, Md., on December 11, 2003. As the first building in the FDA’s new complex, the facility marks the completion of the first phase of the campus consolidation project which will create several interconnected facilities totalling up to 2.2 million sf. Replacing leased space in suburban Maryland, the $674 million campus build-out is located on the site of the former Naval Surface Warfare Center.

The General Services Administration will complete the ten-year, $150 million modernization of the 1 million-sf Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in June of 2004. The one-block project, located in Washington’s historic Federal Triangle, is nearly halfway through its third and final phase. The project contractor is Gilbane Building, with the joint venture of Heery and Tishman as independent construction manager. Designed by Burt Hill Kosar Rittelman, the renovation is faithful to the historic building’s original design while providing a world-class work environment.