Government

The General Services Administration (GSA) is building a $141-million Class A federal building in San Francisco. Designed by Morphosis of Santa Monica, Calif., the 600,000-sf project is comprised of a hybrid two-building set, an 18-story glass tower connected via a 3,000-sf plaza-level cafeteria to an adjacent four-story, 100,000-sf building. The tower is 65 feet wide, allowing natural light to enter on both sides, and features a stainless steel screen that acts as a natural circulation engine on the building's south side.

The US Postal Service has completed installation of over 175 advanced video surveillance systems in postal facilities to date. This includes systems in the Trenton, Hamilton and Eatontown facilities that were under national scrutiny as a result of the Anthrax terrorist threat. The video systems, installed by North American Video, are deployed in both retail and processing areas in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania facilities.

Fairfax-based Lorton Arts Foundation has submitted a proposal to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to redevelop the 41.4-acre former Lorton prison site as a community arts, education and cultural center. Centerbrook Architects of Centerbrook, Conn., designed the proposed Lorton Workhouse Arts Center, which would include galleries, event space, offices, artist studios, theatrical and production areas, heritage exhibits, and an outdoor music shed.

The City of Chester is engaged in a 63,000-sf renovation of City Hall. The 20-year-old, two-story facility will be updated by A&E Construction with a new, open glass atrium lobby overlooked by the Council Chamber. Designed by Hillier Architecture, the project began construction in February of 2002 and is slated for completion by December. Part of Chester's downtown revitalization initiative, the renovated facility will consolidate public services in a single structure.

The Texas Association of Counties is constructing a new eight-story, 82,000-sf office two blocks from the Texas Capitol in Austin. The nonprofit will occupy 70% of the facility and will lease out the remaining 26,000-sf. Designed by a collaboration of Austin architectural firm Steinbomer & Associates with Kell Munoz of San Antonio, the facility will house a 200-person training center, a business center, and an attached multi-story 292-car parking garage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) of St. Louis contracts to oversee initial projects of the Ames Modernization Program, a five-year, $430-million upgrade of the USDA animal disease research facilities on a 480-acre site in Ames, Iowa. The program will rebuild and centralize multiple laboratory and research centers, creating state-of-the-art laboratory and office environments in a campus designed for optimum functionality, flexibility, security, and future expansion.

Hays County has contracted the Austin office of Fort Worth-based Carter & Burgess to create the master plan and design for its consolidated courts and government center. Located on an eight acre county-owned site in central San Marcos, the complex will include four buildings. The first two facilities are estimated to reach 140,000- to 150,000 sf. Hays County currently occupies 80,000-sf in six separate San Marcos buildings.

North Carolina State University is developing the 1,334-acre Centennial Campus in Raleigh, N.C., a mixed-use "technopolis" of university, corporate and government R&D facilities. With 1.3 million sf built in 16 major building modules, the Centennial Campus will also include a town center, business incubators, housing, and an executive conference center and hotel. The campus is comprised of the 1,120-acre Centennial Campus and the 214-acre Centennial Biomedical Campus.

The State of Connecticut has selected Flad & Associates to design a renovation to their emergency response laboratory facility in Hartford. Flad is providing full architectural design services including programming and planning for the renovation of 2,500 sf of biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory and support space to provide the State Department of Public Health with state-of-the-art holding and testing areas for hazardous substances and material.

The $100-million contract for the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center's first construction sequence was awarded to Centex Construction. Located underground on the Capitol's east grounds, the center will be completed in several phases. The project team includes architect RTKL Associates and construction manager Gilbane Building.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is building a 3,000,000-gsf campus on 130 acres in the 660-acre White Oak Federal Center in Silver Spring, Md. The General Services Administration's National Capital Region broke ground on the first 125,000-gsf building in March of 2001. Designed by Kling Lindquist and RTKL Associates, the facility is a laboratory for the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Now 40% complete, the lab is slated for occupancy in early fiscal 2003.

Emory University will house the new Southeastern Center for Emerging Biologic Threats, a collaboration of state and federal agencies and top researchers working together to combat bioterrorism. Partners in the center include Emory University's Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, the Medical College of Georgia, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Tech, and the University of Georgia. Participating governmental agencies include the U.S.

The $30-million Lockheed Martin Mississippi Space & Technology Center is being developed by a partnership of Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin, NASA, and the State of Mississippi. Located at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, the 220,000-sf facility will create an estimated 270 jobs. The project is being funded by $30 million in state and county funds and an additional $30 million from Lockheed Martin.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), an agency created last year to manage airline security, is seeking 400,000 sf of office space by the end of August 2002 for its headquarters. Sites under consideration are in D.C. and Northern Virginia, where there are limited options for such a large space. The relocation could happen by the end of 2002. The TSA currently employs 3,000 personnel, a figure expected to increase with federal budget reallocations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to expand its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Eastern hub at North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus. The expansion will be housed in Venture Center IV, the final building master planned for Venture Center. Developed by Craig Davis Properties, the five-story, $125-million facility will begin construction this year with occupancy in late 2003. Venture IV will contain 110,000 nsf of rentable space.