Owner
U.S. General Services Administration
Architect
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill / HKS
Construction Manager
DMJM / Heery
Facade Consultant
Curtainwall Design Consulting
GC
Skanska
Completion
2006
Contract Value
14m
LEED Rating
Silver certified
Building Type
Government
Technology Type
Government Projects, Large/Special Glass, Sunshading, Green, Skylights
Facade
Design/build program including custom ribbon windows and two custom facade systems: a 103,000 sqft strip window system installed between precast panels and a 190,000 sqft unitized curtainwall system
Glass
Variations of 1 in insulated glass units with low-e coating, VE1-2M 1 in insulated glazing unit with 10% ceramic frit by Viracon
Description
This new home to the United States Census Bureau incorporates energy efficient design, natural ventilation and day-lighting, and is LEED Silver certified
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The US Census Bureau Headquarters is a showcase of sustainable design. GSA’s program called for a new headquarters building that consolidated six different Census Bureau offices and 6,000 employees into a new, singular facility designed to LEED Silver standards.
The campus features two separate buildings bound by a central courtyard on a 30-acre site, creating a structural mass that extends nearly a quarter-mile. The transparent glass facade is comprised of two custom systems: a 103,000 square foot strip-window system that is installed in continuous lengths between precast panels, and a 190,000 square foot fully glazed unitized curtainwall system that is used for walls facing the courtyard. A skylight system in the cafeteria provides day-lighting to this area.
Featured areas of the Census Bureau building are clad in brise soleil; laminated wood fins that are attached to a glass facade. The facade behind the fins is composed of pre-cast spandrels and alternates with strip-windows using 1-inch insulated glazing panels with a 10 percent ceramic frit. The fins extend past the edges of the walls, creating a sinuous skin that breaks the box and enlivens the site, as well as reducing glare. Glass walls facing the courtyard do not include the fin screen in an effort to maximize transparency and the provision of natural light to the interior. The glass in these areas does include a custom wavy frit pattern that mimics the wood screen elsewhere.
The strip window system was manufactured and assembled with Enclos Corp vendor/partner Aluvisa in Mexico City as a collaborative effort, while curtainwall units were fabricated and assembled in an Enclos manufacturing facility in Canada.
This project has generated many awards, among them:
Design Award: AIA New York City Chapter, 2005.
Award of Excellence: Architectural Record/
Business Week, 2007.
Sustainability in the Workplace Citation:
U.S. General Services Administration, 2007.
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