October 23, 2020
GSA / AFG Group Team Wins CMAA National Capital Chapter Award for St. Elizabeths Campus Center Building in Washington, DC
The historic, LEED Silver St. Elizabeths Campus Center Building Project was recognized in the Infrastructure over $150M Category.
Washington, DC, October 23, 2020 – The AFG Group, Inc. (AFG) / U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Team was honored to receive a Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Project of the Year Award from the Association’s National Capital Chapter. The award recognizes GSA/AFG’s outstanding construction management practices on the St. Elizabeths West Campus Center Building Project.
Built in 1853, the Center Building is the centerpiece of the St. Elizabeths Campus. The 176-acre site is a District of Columbia Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The campus is being developed as a level-5 secure site for federal agencies and is the new home of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Headquarters.
The 283,000 square foot, Bridging-Design-Build, Center Building Project required the total demolition of the building interior structure, while saving portions of the exterior skin and abatement, and salvaging materials for the installation of new tenant spaces. The new construction started with the structure from the foundation up, adding trough concrete columns, new decks, interior and exterior slab to slab shear walls, new stairs and new elevators for access and ABAAS compliance.
Over the course of the project, teams carefully restored, salvaged, or replicated 1,398 windows, 574 doors, and nearly 3M bricks to preserve the historical accuracy of the façade.
Together, the GSA/AFG Project Team oversaw all facets of the $210M project, from Pre-Design through Post-Construction while maintaining the project’s schedule, budget, and quality. In 2020, the historic building achieved LEED Silver status.
The GSA/AFG Team accepted the award at the 2020 CMAA NCC, Project Excellence and Scholarship Awards Program, held virtually on September 17, 2020. The annual event featured keynote speaker Michael Brennan, Ph.D., AIA, NCARB, Executive Director for the Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The project was recognized in the Infrastructure over $150M Category.
Shown from L-R: John Newlin (AFG Project Manager), Nattily Garcia (AFG Project Administrator), Dwayne Spriggs, CEM (AFG Estimator & Project Manager), John Fortinsky (GSA Project Manager), Kai Goodrich, CCM, CHC, LEED AP (AFG Program Manager), Louise Brodnitz, AIA (AFG Historic Preservationist).
About AFG Group, Inc.
AFG Group, Inc. is a woman-owned firm focused on multi-disciplined program, construction, and relocation management, with a national portfolio of work in healthcare, laboratories, courthouses, educational facilities, and government buildings. With 30 years of business acumen, AFG has earned a reputation for providing strong expertise, responsiveness, and project execution that helps owners navigate through complex design, procurement, construction, and activation processes.