The Robert F. Kennedy Main Justice Building houses the U.S. Attorney General's office, the Justice Department headquarters, and the largest historic art collection of any GSA-built facility, so its renovation had to be performed with the utmost care.
![]() |
The building’s art collection required the services of a full-time art conservator and a special “art protection package” for subcontractor bidding. PHOTO: BORIS FELDBLYUM PHOTOGRAPHY |
Offices housing hundreds of lawyers and staff had to remain operational during the construction of a brand new $3.1 million conference center and data room, the restoration of the main library and executive suites, and the installation of a new M/E/P system. All this had to be done while maintaining the highest levels of security and dealing with hazardous materials.
BD+C Reconstruction Awards judge Walker C. Johnson, FAIA, Johnson Lasky Architects, Chicago, assessed the restoration job as “a very difficult project, well executed.”
To best preserve the building's extensive art collection, protective shields were placed around the murals, sculptures, and plaster reliefs. Temperature, humidity, and dust controls were also installed, making the collection much better equipped to stand the test of time.
Due to the highly sensitive nature of the facility itself, extra security measures were employed throughout the project. Construction personnel were classified into three tiers and were permitted access to specific building areas based on these three levels of security clearance.
An extensive asbestos abatement effort was conducted, along with the removal of lead paint and careful handling of mercury vapor lamps containing PCBs. The construction manager, Gilbane Building Company, established a stop-work rule that brought construction to a halt the moment any hazardous material was uncovered.
Conservation efforts throughout the construction process ultimately returned close to $1 million to the GSA's purse.
For instance, instead of completely demolishing the existing courtyard plaza and garage structures, the design consultants determined that it was possible to renovate these features, thereby utilizing 95% of existing building materials. The courtyard's cobblestone blocks were removed, cleaned, refurbished, and reinstalled. The foundation of the courtyard's original fountain was preserved, while its pipes and pumps were replaced. And only the concrete with questionable integrity around the facility's garage beams was removed and repaired, rather than replacing all the concrete.
As for the facility's plaza deck, the Building Team tested the concrete structure's integrity to determine which sections could be repaired instead of being entirely rebuilt. Consequently, 14,520 tons of waste material were diverted from landfill.
The original foundation and structure of the building's entrance was preserved, saving another 110 tons of waste materials and decreasing the risk of penetrating a sensitive waterproofing membrane system.
Gilbane scored additional savings by utilizing a mechanism called early buyout. Taking advantage of the purchasing power of the entire four-phase construction job, Gilbane was able to secure prices early on in the project that otherwise would have been spent covering the escalating costs of building materials.
In sum, the project came in $4.2 million under budget, enabling the GSA to pursue additional work, including restoration and re-pointing of the limestone exterior, roof repair and replacement, ornate painting and plaster restoration, additional hazardous materials abatement, and fire code upgrades.
Related Stories
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 4, 2014
Ranked: Top courthouse sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fentress Architects, Tutor Perini, and AECOM top BD+C's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from courthouse facilities, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 3, 2014
Ranked: Top local government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
STV, HOK, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest local government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
| Sep 2, 2014
Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
Sponsored | | Aug 8, 2014
Safe and secure: Fire and security glazing solution for Plaquemines Parish Detention Center
When the designers at L. R. Kimball looked for an all-in-one clear, wire-free glazing solution that protects against fire, bullets and forced entry for the new Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, SAFTI FIRST supplied a complete single-source tested and listed assembly that was easy to install and maintenance-free.
| Aug 6, 2014
25 projects win awards for design-build excellence
The 2014 Design-Build Project/Team Awards showcase design-build best practices and celebrate the achievements of owners and design-build teams in nine categories across the spectrum of horizontal and vertical construction.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction market benefits from improving economy, new technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following years of fairly lackluster demand for commercial property remodeling, reconstruction revenue is improving, according to the 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, Turner, and Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, URS, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.