Skanska was commissioned by the General Services Administration (GSA) to design and construct the U.S. Census Bureau’s new 1.4 million-SF headquarters, near Washington, DC.
Phase I included nearly 770,000-SF of office space in the eight-story office tower, a cafeteria, conference center, auditorium and a 1,594-space parking structure. The first parking garage was the first completed piece of construction. Phase II included approximately 630,000-SF of office space in an adjacent eight-story office tower, a library, new gate house, walkway to/from the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) subway station, Remote Delivery Facility (RDF) and a 1,506-space parking structure. Phases III, IV and V included abatement and demolition of the existing buildings, civil site work, road work and landscaping. The main eight-story structure was completed in December 2006 and was occupied in stages to ensure that preparatory activities for the 2010 census could begin on schedule in early 2007.
The project also includes a fitness and health center. The 11,500-SF fitness center includes showers and changing rooms. These are complete facilities with provision for manual weight training, mechanically assisted training machines, aerobic training, group cycling and group treadmill classes. The health center is 4,620-SF including records and exam rooms. These are intended to not only provide first aid capability but are designed to function as part of the overall wellness program.
The site is linked to the adjacent Washington, DC area mass transit system called Metro, with covered walks to the Metro station which protect visitors and staff and reduce heat-holding effects of the pavement. Employees can also take advantage of one of the 310 bicycle racks and supporting shower room facilities. Recharging stations are provided for hybrid automobiles.
