Ariel Rios Federal Building - Phases I and II - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Headquarters — Historic Renovation and Modernization
Project Details
Owner: General Services Administration, Washington, DC
Contract Amount:
$30,166,712 (Phase I)
$81,273,515 (Phase II)
Date of Award:
February 1991 (Phase I)
June 1997 (Phase II)
Date of Completion:
July 1993 (Phase I)
January 2000 (Phase II)
Architects:
Notter, Finegold & Alexander, Washington, DC (Phase I)
RTKL Associates, Inc., Washington, DC (Phase II)
Located at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC, the Ariel Rios Federal Building is a central feature of the Federal Triangle Historic District. As such, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ariel Rios was constructed between 1931-1934 as part of a federal work program. The building design is of the late Victorian era and the finishes include stone, marble, ornamental metals, wood paneling, and plaster. Grunley was responsible for the complete renovation of this building (Phases I and II).
Phase I
Phase I involved the modernization of the south half of the building (300,000 s.f.), and included extensive asbestos removal and demolition of all office space and machine rooms, and the installation of new mechanical, electrical, sprinkler and fire alarm systems. Historic areas were preserved.
The renovation was originally designed for occupancy by the U.S. Department of Justice. Grunley was in the midst of constructing courtrooms and elaborate space for use by attorneys. With the change of administration in January 1993, the space was re-assigned to become the headquarters for the EPA. All courtrooms and lawyers' offices were demolished and the space was reconfigured into EPA offices.
Phase II
Phase II completed the modernization of the remaining 600,000 s.f. facility. Grunley managed over 60 subcontractors and suppliers for this phase. This complex renovation project was completed on time and within budget while the building remained occupied. The owner's revenue goals and the tenant's operating requirements were met by completing space, ready for occupancy, at the rate of one floor per month.
A number of state-of-the-art sustainable design features and environmental goals were attained, the most obvious being the benefits gained by re-using an existing urban building. Other benefits included:
- Improved and protected indoor air quality;
- Improved energy performance;
- Effective use of natural lighting; and
- The use of salvaged and re-used or recycled materials.
On the interior, Grunley:
- Removed all non-historic finishes;
- Removed hazardous waste materials (asbestos and lead);
- Removed and replaced the entire electrical and mechanical systems;
- Completely retrofitted historic passenger and freight elevators;
- Installed modern fire safety systems;
- Salvaged and restored existing doors, hardware, clocks, and light fixtures;
- Restored interior stone lobbies and stairs; and
- Installed a number of finishes.
This project won several awards, including:
- Construction Excellence Honor, GSA's 2002 Design Awards
- Award of Merit, Associated General Contractors of America, 2001
- Outstanding Superintendent of the Year, Tom Cox, DC Metropolitan Subcontractors Association, 1998