Main Justice Building - General Services Administration
Washington, D.C.
Originally built in 1934, the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Main Justice Building fills the entire block between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues and 9th and 10th Streets in the prominent Federal Triangle of Washington, D.C. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and houses more than 2,500 workers, including the Attorney General of the United States and his staff.
Heery International, in joint venture, provided construction management services for the $140 million, 1.2 million SF phased modernization of the historic Main Justice Building. The objective of the modernization was to restore the structure’s historic beauty while bringing it up to current building codes. The Heery team supported GSA from pre-design to close-out phases.
The renovation included a complete upgrade of the architectural, mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, fire protection and security systems. A $1 million press briefing facility was installed with high-tech audio/visual equipment. An energy management system was installed that provided environmental control of all units for temperature and humidity, and monitored energy performance.
To meet the challenge of maintaining operations 24 hours a day/365 days a year in the occupied building, Heery developed phasing plans to allow two-thirds of the building to remain occupied while the remaining area was under construction. The team had to maintain power, temperature control, life safety, data communications, security and back-up generators for the occupied portions. The team was required to have the new system run parallel with the old system until the last phase was completed.