The building for the Office of the Commissioner and Office of Regulatory Affairs marks another construction milestone as the Food and Drug and Administration consolidates numerous programs onto the White Oak Federal Research Center Campus in Silver Spring, Md.
The new OC/ORA building, measuring nearly 500,000 sq ft, features offices, conference rooms, auditoriums and areas for food service.
For one portion of the project, architectural plans and structural plans did not synchronize in regards to structural expansion, expansion-joint location and engineering of the glass wall due to expansion. Furthermore, expansion joints were an issue throughout the entire project because when locating the joints, details did not account for structural conflicts.
Tompkins directed a massive coordination effort along with both architects and steel, waterproofing, roofing and curtain-wall subcontractors to alleviate these issues.
The OC/ORA Building is on track to achieve LEED Gold.
Key Players
Owner: General Services Administration
Contractor: Tompkins Builders, Heery-Tishman
Architects: Kling Stubbins in association with RTKL Associates
Engineers: Total Engineering, Miller & Long, W.E. Bowers
