Seattle’s Bullitt Center, built to meet the ambitious standards of the Living Building Challenge. The “roof” is comprised entirely of solar panels. LEED has been the sustainability standard for federal construction and renovation since 2003, but as discussed in an earlier post, the GSA is currently reviewing competing green building certification systems as required by […]
McNeil Island Corrections Center “Paradise is an island. So is hell,” said German author Judith Schalansky in the introduction to Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Never Set Foot on and Never Will. Today we begin a new series focusing on federally owned islands—most of which, we expect, will fall somewhere between those […]
The House Appropriations Committee voted last Wednesday (June 20, 2012) to cut about $100 million from the scandal-plagued GSA’s budget for next year. The legislation—as well as an amendment that denies bonuses to GSA officials under investigation for misconduct—was approved by the full committee with a voice vote. The approved FY 2013 Financial Services and […]
Photo: Whitehouse.gov President Barack Obama has just returned from a United Nations conference on global climate change in Paris, where he held forth for a program of legally binding agreements to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. That slate is likely to face opposition at home—Congressional Republican leaders have already indicated that they will not […]
Colliers International issued this week its Top Office Metro Snapshot, the firm’s review of the 20 largest office markets in the U.S. The bad news for the federal government is that rents are now rising in all 20 markets, further indication that the window of opportunity to improve rents is closing. That said, the Washington, DC […]
This is what it looks like when a few hundred real estate developers and advisors descend upon the security desk at GSA headquarters. Yesterday (January 17) GSA hosted an “industry day” conference to provide additional background relating to their Request For Information soliciting developer input on ideas to replace the existing J. Edgar Hoover (JEH) […]
“BRAC” is the abbreviation for Base Realignment and Closure. Though, to be technically correct, it is formally used by DoD as the acronym for Base Closure and Realignment. Either way, BRAC is the process by which…
Last week, we profiled the U.S. Courts; this week we take a look at the agency whose employees represent the federal government in those courts—the Office of the U.S. Attorneys (USA). Under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General (AG), the 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the nation are the chief federal law enforcement officers […]
In 2010, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the fiscal watchdog within the federal government, issued an order requiring that federal agencies consolidate data centers in order to save money and reduce redundancies. Twenty-four agencies,…
According to our research, the answer is very rarely. As of the December 2011 GSA lease inventory, there are a total of 339 GSA leases within the District of Columbia, totaling approximately 25.5 MSF. Of those,…
Think of the many ways in which computers control buildings, from HVAC systems to electronic door locks and the flow of gas, water, and electricity. Now think of the many ways in which those computers can go haywire, from corrupt software to a power surge. Finally, think of what a person with bad intentions might […]
Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution states that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law….” The Antideficiency Act (ADA), originally enacted in 1884 and most recently codified at 31 U.S.C. § 1341, is one means by which Congress enforces this fundamental principle. The Act’s […]
The Colliers Government Solutions team represents owners of government-leased properties nationally. So, we travel a lot. This slideshow profiles my trip earlier this year to Corpus Christi, Texas. (Use arrow buttons to advance slides) https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/View From Plane-edit.jpg Corpus Christi is located on Texas’ Gulf Coast, halfway between Houston and the Mexican border. It is far enough […]
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) Leadership changes in the 113th Congress already are having an impact on federal real estate decisions. Maryland lawmakers—led by Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who recently took over as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee—announced last week (Thursday, January 3) that the Treasury Department and GSA have agreed to delay plans to […]
