Chicago, IL: The General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded Corgan Associates, Inc., and its design partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) the design of the new Social Security Administration (SSA) National Support Center (NSC) as part of the Hensel Phelps Design-Build team. Located in Northeast Maryland, the new 280,000 square-foot office and data center will replace the existing outdated National Computer Center and will house critical computer operations essential to providing prompt and accurate benefit payments to millions of Americans.
Designed for growth and flexibility, the new National Support Center anticipates future technological advancements that will promote the expansion and quality of services provided by the Social Security Administration. Upon completion, it will comply with Mission Critical Criteria from the Uptime Institute, including Tier 3 design certification standards and will provide the infrastructure necessary to support an estimated IT load of 10MW.
Brian George, Corgan Principal for the project, adds “Through an integrated design approach and a collaborative effort with SOM and our engineering partners, our design is able to meet and exceed the goals set by GSA by leveraging the Building Information Modeling (BIM) platform to provide the energy analysis and sustainable principles for the new campus.”
Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the state-of-the-art office and data center facility aims to set the benchmark for optimal energy performance in federal data centers. The new SSA campus is expected to meet all Federal energy and water conservation goals while achieving LEED® GOLD Certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
Jeffrey J. McCarthy, SOM Managing Partner, states, “The National Support Center represents the next generation of office and data center design excellence for the federal government in public architecture. SOM values our longstanding partnership with the GSA and shares its commitment to high performance sustainable design at every level.”
The Corgan/SOM design team will achieve energy efficiency through advanced building control systems, climatically responsive layouts, waste reduction principles, natural day-lighting, and solar control, both by building orientation and with solar control devices. Additional, high performance sustainable design permeates the new design with such elements as a six (6) acre array of photovoltaic (pv) panels and the recapture of stormwater to assist with cooling and provide potable water throughout the facilities. The mechanical engineering and plumbing design will be provided by KTA, Southland Mechanical, and MC Dean Electrical, civil engineering and landscape architecture by Timmons Group, and Thornton Tomasetti will provide the structural engineering design for the project.
About Corgan
From its founding in 1938, Corgan has grown into one of the largest U.S.-based design firms focused on architecture. Named the 2011 Design Firm of the Year by ENR Texas & Louisiana and recognized as the Best Large Firm to Work for in 2011 by ZweigWhite, Corgan employs over 300 professionals in its offices in Dallas, New York, Phoenix, Houston, Miami, Sacramento and Beijing. As its design influence has expanded from local to international, Corgan has developed special expertise in aviation, corporate, health care, education and mission critical facility design, as well as digital visualization services through Corgan MediaLab. For more information visit Corgan online at www.corgan.com
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban-planning firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,500 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi.