CISA to Get New Headquarters as $524M Contract Awarded

The US General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded Clark Construction a $524m contract to build the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security’s (CISA) headquarters.

CISA, part of the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS), is currently spread across several locations.

As the operational lead for federal cybersecurity, CISA leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce the risk to cyber and physical infrastructure.

One of the agency’s core initiatives is Secure by Design which aims to ensure that software manufacturers build security into their products.

The new CISA headquarters will be located in the St. Elizabeths West Campus, Washington, DC, and will be 630,000 square feet.

Government Push on Sustainable Federal Buildings

According to plans by ZGF Architects and Olin Studio, it will incorporate low embodied-carbon materials and sustainable systems, including a high-performance envelope, chilled beams, advanced lighting controls, and a dedicated outdoor air system with energy recovery and demand-controlled ventilation.

With the inclusion of green innovations, GSA estimates that the new headquarters’ energy use intensity will be 72% lower than that of other office buildings in the region.

The project aligns with the Biden administration’s federal sustainability plan, which aims to achieve net-zero operational emissions for federal buildings, and its Buy Clean initiative, prioritizing materials associated with lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions during their production.

Out of the $524m, $115m come from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding.

On LinkedIn, Hunter Dyas, an associate at ZGF Architects, said that the project took two years of design and then was on hold for two more years.

“We finally look forward to bringing the next level of sustainability, performance, and technology to fruition in this state-of-the-art government headquarters,” he added.