investment that’s lasting for 80 to 90 years that is fantastic and leads to more use of that technology.
—Lance Davis, AIA, LEED AP, program manager for Design Excellence Architecture + Sustainability with the Public Buildings Service Office of Design and Construction, U.S. General Services Administration
Davis says different floors in GSA’s
headquarters may have entirely different layouts, depending on how the tenants will use the space. “Legal and accounting are not going to work in an open-office situation because the nature of the work they’re doing is private,” he says. “My of- fice, the Office of Design and Construc- tion, is going to be on one of the floors that is much more open with lots of touchdown stations, or community-type base areas. The work in our space is more interactive; when I’m talking to someone about a project, it’s OK that the electrical engineer sitting next to me overhears and can be a part of the conversation.” By keeping its headquarters’ layouts
clean and open, GSA can avoid the time and costs associated with a traditional move. Davis explains: “Typical move-in requires a request for design services; someone would have to come in and measure and decide what walls were coming down and going up. Then we wait for funding and contractors to do the work. Meanwhile, the occupants are located in subsequent space, and the overall costs are enormous.” In addition, Davis says allowing occu-
pants to have some control in modifying their space has led to happier workers. “What we’re doing at our central office is really a shining example for the other agencies to say ‘GSA central office did it, and this is how they made it work; this may be a viable option for the way we work, too.’”
Alternative Workspace Arrangements Along with its research about how build- ing occupants perform their jobs, GSA has been studying how buildings them-
JOHN W. MCCORMACK U.S. POST OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE
GSA’S 1800 F STREET RENOVATION WILL BRING APPROXIMATELY 2,000 EMPLOYEES FROM 10 LOCATIONS IN THE D.C. AREA INTO THE HEADQUARTERS SPACE. THE OPEN LOBBY PROVIDES A GLIMPSE INTO HOW GSA IS RENOVATING THE FLOORS IN THE BUILDING.
selves affect tenants. For example, the agency has experts studying biophilic design, which is the understanding of how nature and the environment affect building occupants. “There have been lots of studies, especially with the health- care industry, that show when you have a view to a lush park you heal faster than when you’re looking at nothing,” Davis says. “The same is true for your work. If you have a fantastic location in your home or office, then you potentially work even better.” Biophilic design is partially responsi-
ble for GSA’s support of alternative work- space arrangements, such as telework, which allows employees to work from home and provides them more work/life balance. Davis says managers are focus- ing less on the worker and more on the work that needs to be done. He explains: “When you start focusing on the work, in a lot of cases, you don’t really care when or where the employees work just that
A VEGETATED ROOF RECENTLY WAS PLANT- ED ON THE ART DECO JOHN W. MCCORMACK U.S. POST OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE, BOS- TON, WHICH WAS BUILT IN 1933. THE ROOF NOW OFFERS EMPLOYEES AN AMENITY TO VIEW FROM THEIR OFFICE SPACES AND TO WALK ON DURING BREAKS.