Organized Labor

General Services Administration (GSA) Regional Administrator Peter Stamison said, “This building is a major step forward in leading the way for sustainable design, energy efficiency, and urban renewal.” He said the building also offered workplace solutions for the tens of thousands of federal employees in the Pacific Rim region. The GSA serves as a centralized procurement and property management agency for the federal government.

Mayne’s architectural firm Morphosis designed the state-of-the-art 605,000 sq. ft., 18-story tower and office building for the GSA to incorporate “systems and design strategies that make it a model environment with respect to health, productivity, and creativity.” It features open work areas located at the building perimeter and private offices and conference spaces at the center cores, eliminates corner offices and affords views of the city from 90 percent of the workstations. The building is designed to maximize use of natural light and natural ventilation using a sophisticated window system. It also features computerized lighting controls using sensors that detect light and motion, and perforated metal sunscreens to provide shading.

GSA Administrator Lurita Doan thanked Mayne and executive architect Smith Group, as well as Hunt Construction Group for construction management and General Contractor Dick Corporation/Morganti General Contractors. “I hope this spurs economic ripples that extend well beyond this project,” she said. “The building pays tribute to all the public servants who will work here.” The building will house the regional offices of the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Defense and Agriculture, as well as the Social Security Administration and Office of Personnel Management. The project also includes a plaza, café, childcare center and conference facilities.

Barbara Kaufman of Governor Schwarzenegger’s office read a statement from the governor. He said the building’s award winning green design was keeping in the California tradition of conservation and that “It’s important that we celebrate construction projects that use less resources.” He commended the green design and the creation of a healthy environment.

Mayor Newsom acknowledged the leadership of Pelosi and former mayor Willie Brown in seeing that the project was built and praised the innovative design and sustainable practices used. “This is an important tipping point for what can happen in this part of San Francisco,” Mayor Newsom said. He pointed out that there was new construction going up next door to the federal building, which he said he hoped would help revitalize the area. “This project is consistent with San Francisco values,” he said. “We are on the cutting edge with the most stringent green building standards.”

GSA’s Commissioner for the Public Buildings Service, David Winstead, said that, “It’s not often that a project embodies all that we are trying to do in the buildings division of the GSA. Five years after the groundbreaking, we are here.” Winstead said that by following the stringent design standards, the GSA would see a 27 percent reduction in the cost of operation. He said that over 80 percent of the building uses natural light, cutting down on the need for electric lights, which he said typically amount to 80 percent of a building’s energy use.

The agency’s Office of the Chief Architect and its Design Excellence Program won an American Institute of Architects Award in May. Winstead said at the time that, “This award pays tribute to the success of our program. By collaborating with the highest caliber of architects, we are creating a legacy of public architecture that continues to enrich and revitalize American communities.”

Architect Thom Mayne said that, “When architecture engages social, cultural, political and ethical currents, it has the potential to transform the way we see the world and our place in it.” He said that the Federal Building establishes a new benchmark for the intelligent use of natural resources in the United States. He noted that the design process brought together a team of internationally recognized experts in natural ventilation and sustainability, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, whose building technology experts contributed detailed computer simulations of the building’s interior environment.

“Working with these world leaders in engineering, the building’s systems will be outstanding examples of integrated engineering and sustainable design, reflecting the wise stewardship of limited resources,” Mayne said. He acknowledged the more than 2,000 people who built the new structure and said he hoped workers would bring their children to see the building and be proud that they built it.

During the ceremony at the plaza outside the building a group of protesters from the peace group Code Pink unfurled a banner with the word “IMPEACH,” directly facing the stage. The group has held similar protests to urge Speaker Pelosi to support impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Mayne joked that he didn’t think they wanted to impeach him but did make a pointed comment that, “The cost of this building is equal to eleven hours in Iraq.”

Ms. Pelosi didn’t acknowledge the protest.

“I want to thank all the men and women of the building trades who built this new building,” Pelosi said. She said it was a 20 year effort that couldn’t have happened without the support of former mayor Willie Brown. She thanked Mayor Newsom and architect Mayne. “San Francisco is a green city, and this building is a good example of that,” Pelosi said. She called the building a “monument to possibilities and a monument to imagination,” and said its construction showed a “responsibility to the environment and future generations.”

Pelosi also said she was proud that the building included public art. The GSA’s Art in Architecture Program commissions leading artists to create large-scale works of art for new federal buildings. The agency reserves one-half of one percent of the estimated construction cost of each new federal building to commission project artists.

The building is open to the public for self-guided tours.