The U.S. General Services Administration awarded a $524 million contract to Clark Construction for the 630,000-square-foot Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency headquarters in Washington, DC. the DC area.
GSA predicts that the energy use intensity of the building will be 72% lower than EUIs of typical office buildings in the region. The plans by ZGF Architects and Olin Studio call for the incorporation of low-carbon materials and sustainable systems, including a high-performance envelope, chilled beams, advanced lighting controls and a dedicated outdoor air system with energy recovery. ‘energy and ventilation controlled by demand.
“Our work here also demonstrates how we can incorporate sustainable practices,” Elliot Doomes, GSA’s commissioner of public building services, said in a statement.
GSA says this is its largest project to date funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The $115.8 million includes $80 million for the purchase of low-carbon building materials and a $35 million to meet high performance criteria. The IRA included $3.4 billion for GSA to put its purchasing power behind low-carbon-embedded materials.
The project is part of the Biden administration’s federal sustainability plan, which aims to achieve net zero operational emissions for federal buildings, as well as its Buy Clean initiative that prioritizes materials associated with lower levels of emissions of greenhouse gases during its production.
CISA’s headquarters are located on the west campus of St. Elizabeths on 176 acres, where Clark Construction previously worked on the $435 million US Coast Guard headquarters project more than a decade ago. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes CISA, is now working to consolidate its offices on campus.
“This facility will help safeguard our nation’s cyber landscape while setting new standards in sustainable construction for federal agencies,” Clark Group CEO Joe Hogan said in a statement.
