GSA and NOAA Partner on a Satellite Operations Center

Posted May 1, 2003

Data coming from the sky, the earth, and the oceans will be collected and reside in a new satellite operations center in Suitland, Maryland. GSA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are partnering to create this futuristic facility in the Suitland Federal Center.

Award-winning Design
The project was designed by a joint venture of the Washington, DC, office of Einhorn Yafee Prescott and the Santa Monica-based Morphosis. GSA’s Design Excellence Program recognized it with a Citation for "On-the-Boards" architecture. The design is currently on display as part of an exhibit entitled "Of Our Time" at the National Building Museum in Washington.

Located on 15.6 acres, this award-winning building will be partially submerged in the ground to blend with the surrounding landscape. The structure is designed to receive a silver rating under the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED system.

On the lower two levels, administrative and support functions will be nestled under an earthen mound. Spaces related to the satellite operations will be sheltered in a central, three-story bar that will project above ground. A glass lobby with a security checkpoint will link the structures. The structure will include an observation platform for educational tours and community outreach.

NOAA’s Satellite Operations Control Center is currently located in the Suitland Federal Center’s World War II-era Federal Office Building 4. The new structure
will house current and future environmental satellite operations of national and global significance. Personnel from NOAA’s systems development office will also occupy the new building. The anticipated completion date is April 2005.