ZGF Architects tapped to design Homeland Security HQ project

Zimmer Gunsul Architects L.L.P. will design a 2.2-million-square-foot office project at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters, a consolidation project in Washington D.C.

The U.S. General Services Administration selected Portland-based ZGF to design offices for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration.

The project is part of a project to consolidate DHS activities and is the largest federal project in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since construction of the Pentagon in 1943.

The campus will consist of 4.5 million square feet of workspace and 1.5 million square feet of parking.

“It is an honor to be selected for such an important national commission,” said Robert Frasca.

The project is located at St. Elizabeths Hospital, a former mental health hospital that is also a National Historic Landmark. The project will be designed to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s “gold” Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

The design team also includes Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Syska Hennessey Group, Olin and Thornton Tomasett.