U.S. General Services Administration, Federal Office Building

Along with Hensel Phelps, Gensler is managing a design-build team that will deliver this new GSA office building to meet the 2030 “net zero” objectives of reducing energy and resource consumption, using high-performance materials and systems, and employing onsite harvesting of renewable energy sources. Because of these and other climate action strategies, Gensler helped the client to achieve LEED Platinum for Core + Shell and LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors.

A pilot of the Sustainable Sites© Initiative™, and a benchmark project for sustainable federal office buildings in hot and humid climates, the project implemented key sustainable design strategies including a high-performance, glass curtain facade that harvests daylight; wetlands restoration; and reclaimed water capture resulting in a 95% reduction in water consumption. A one-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) system mounted to the roof offsets nearly 20% of the facilities’ total energy use. Approximately 30% of the building is comprised of recycled content and 82% of the site’s generated construction waste had been diverted from landfill.

To address the project’s complexity, innovative project management was required throughout the process. Utilizing lean construction management principles, every step has been evaluated carefully in light of project goals rather than of historic approaches, allowing fulfillment of design-process tenets defined by the government’s “P100” standards, while aligning delivery with the efficiencies of a design-build schedule.