August 18, 2021

GSA St. Elizabeths West Addition Building Achieves LEED Platinum Certification

The high-performance building servicing the DHS was originally slated to reach LEED Gold.

However, with innovative design concepts and close adherence to USGBC guidance, the West Addition – Building 54 located on the St. Elizabeths West Campus, home of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Headquarters, has been certified as LEED Platinum.

The $51M, 90,000 sq ft, 4-story office building was constructed during Phase II of the campus development, during which AFG served as the construction management team for the U.S. General Services Administration. The building connects to via a glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge to the historic Center Building, and features unique terracotta sunscreen panels to enhance the shading that helped earn LEED points for Light Pollution Reduction; and Minimum Energy Performance.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to measure environmentally sensitive building design, construction, operations and maintenance. LEED Platinum is the highest rating a building can receive with a minimum of 80 points necessary; the West Addition was awarded 82 points.

To read more about AFG’s work on the DHS Headquarters, St. Elizabeths Campus West Addition, visit: ‘Coordinating Historic Requirements with Modern Performance: A Case Study of the West Addition Building on the St. Elizabeths Campus in Washington, DC

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.