Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) constructed a new two-tower office building (372,000 square feet) and a special purpose facility (50,000 square feet) at the FDIC Virginia Square campus in Arlington, Virginia. This new construction is adjacent to existing buildings that house the FDIC Data Center, Corporate University and Student Residence, built in 1991. The value of the new construction that will complete the campus is $106.5 million.
This project, known as “Virginia Square Phase II,” was carefully designed to conform to the architectural style of the existing structures, while incorporating best practices from the National Capital Planning Commission’s (NCPC) “The National Capital Urban Design and Security Plan” and the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Criteria for New Federal Office Buildings. In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing and the World Trade Center attack, the FDIC is strongly committed to implementing the latest policy and employing state-of-the-art design and construction technology for these new facilities.
In planning for the Virginia Square Phase II project (Phase II), the FDIC attempted to balance physical security requirements with the Arlington County Virginia Square Sector Plan that cites specific urban design guidelines. Some of these guidelines require accommodations for commercial retail space on the ground floor, close proximity to the street, and public access to the special purpose facility. These local government requirements proved to be security challenges. In attempting to achieve balance, FDIC has taken the spirit and direction found in the NCPC’s National Capital Urban Design and Security Plan and designed facilities that not only provide enhanced perimeter security and blast resistance, but create a campus in concert with the Arlington County urban landscape.
The best practices in the National Capital Urban Design and Security Plan and ISC Standards served as the FDIC Project Team’s blue print for developing and implementing balanced security initiatives. Funding was obtained commensurate with project approval from the FDIC Board of Directors in March 2002. In an effort to minimize the impact on the budget, the Project Team successfully employed creative value engineering. The $2.5 million estimated cost for the security initiatives was offset by approximately $ 1 million in savings relative to base building construction material and methodology.
For more information, contact William Kmetz at 202-898-6850 or by email at wkmetz@fdic.gov.
