Owner
U.S. General Services Administration
Architect
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill / HKS
GC
Skanska
Completion
2006
Contract Value
13m
Building Type
Government
Technology Type
Large/Special Glass, Sunshading, Green, Skylights
Facade
Design/build program including two custom façade 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 new US Census Bureau Headquarters is a showcase of sustainable design. A GSA building program for a new headquarters building for the Census Bureau consolidated six office locations into the new facility. Incorporating an expansive use of glass, the building was designed to LEED Silver standards.
The design features two separate buildings bound by a central courtyard on the 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 effective day-lighting to this area.
Feature areas of the Census Bureau Building are clad in brise soleil of wavy, 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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