On April 8, over 140 guests gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) new Emergency Preparedness and Response Group (EP&R) facility in Winchester, VA. Attendees heard remarks from John F. Phelps, GSA Chief of Staff; R. David Paulison, FEMA Administrator; Thomas McQuillan, FEMA Director of Facility Management; and representatives from Cowperwood Company, building owner and developer.

This project began in January 2004 when FEMA requested a 155,523 square foot facility in northwestern Virginia to accommodate office and warehouse space to support their EP&R operations. Since the delineated area did not provide an existing facility to accommodate FEMA’s space needs, the project team proceeded to lease a build-to-suit facility. A 15-year lease in Frederick County, Virginia was awarded to Cowperwood Company and FEMA moved into the new facility in April 2008.

This is the second-largest FEMA facility in the United States and was designed with the highest security attributes. Although located in a secure area, the building is also easy for employees to access. It is also the first U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Certified Building in Frederick County, Virginia. LEED® certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally responsible and is constructed with energy conservation and building sustainability in mind.

This new facility boasts numerous environmentally-friendly features such as raised floors with an under-floor air distribution system, permeable surfaces in the parking areas to reduce damaging storm-water runoff, bio-swales to collect rainwater, and windows and roofs that take advantage of natural light. Additional features of this first class building include:

• Attractive facade-entrance
• Third Floor outdoor patio area adjacent to large break room
• Green roof over the warehouse
• Native plantings throughout property grounds
• Beautiful exterior amphitheater for large group activities and alternate place to eat lunch
• Exterior window sunshades to help cool the building
• Reuse of excavated boulders as natural security bollards
• Large warehouse with four bay doors
• Ample parking to account for "emergency surge events"

“GSA saved the government substantial costs through astute project management,” said Paul Tertell, FEMA Branch Chief of Real Property Facility Management. “I stopped keeping a running tally at $1.2 million.”

GSA currently has 25 federally-owned and leased buildings nationwide that are either LEED® Certified or designated as LEED® Gold or Silver rated facilities. GSA is pleased to add this facility to our inventory and to offer it as a workplace solution for our federal partners at FEMA.

This article appears in the Summer 2008 issue of the FOCUS newsletter. Please visit the current and past issues page to download and read the entire newsletter. To subscribe to FOCUS, complete the online subscription form.