Thurgood Marshall US Courthouse

Chemistry in the courthouseAlan Berman explains to Keith Regan how good working relationships can make a renovation project go more smoothly. Millions of people have seen the Thurgood Marshall US Courthouse, even though many have never been to its Foley Square location in New York City. The exterior of the building, one of the first high-rise courthouses built in the United States, is often the setting for scenes in the NBC television show ÔÇ£Law & Order.ÔÇØ  The Cass Gilbert-designed building, which began construction in 1933 and opened in 1936, has also hosted some of the most high-profile court cases of the past century, including the 1949 trial of accused spy Alger Hiss, the 1953 espionage and treason trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and more recently, Martha StewartÔÇÖs ImClone insider stock trading case in 2004. The 720,000-square-foot buildingÔÇönamed after the first black US Supreme Court justice, who once served as a lower court judge in the facilityÔÇömay look the part as a classic setting for dispensing justice, but given its age, it has long struggled to keep up with the changing times. As early as 2004, the courts realized that the building needed to be modernized, says Alan Berman, project management chief for the General Services Administration (GSA), who is overseeing a $230 million two-phase renovation to the building that will modernize all the mechanical and electrical systems. ÔÇ£All the infrastructure was failing,ÔÇØ Berman notes. Tenants were forced to use bottled water because domestic water piping was failing, as was the sanitary system. Much of the buildingÔÇöwhich consists of a six-story base and a 26-story towerÔÇölacked central air conditioning, and the electrical system was not adequate to meet the needs of the modern court. Congress agreed to fund the project, spread out over three fiscal years starting in 2005, when design work began. The buildingÔÇÖs historic natureÔÇöit is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a New York City LandmarkÔÇöcomplicated the design process and added to the cost, Berman says. ÔÇ£We worked very closely with the New York State Historic Preservation Office on the design.ÔÇØ In fact, because it is a protected landmark, historical agencies had GilbertÔÇÖs original shop drawings for the project in their archives. Gilbert also designed the US Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, and the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House and the Woolworth Building, both located in downtown New York City. The courthouse is now vacant, with judges and support staff having been moved out of the 23 courtrooms, 45 judicial chambers and scores of smaller offices to nearby buildingsÔÇöincluding the Woolworth Building just a few blocks away and the nearby Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, a relatively new $400 million complex. Later this year, the project will move into the second phase, which will include a new roof and all new infrastructure, from central air conditioning to new lighting, plumbing and heating systems. To make room for all the new air ductwork, a bank of four elevators will be removed, and overall egress from the building in case of an emergency will be addressed as well. The GSA has registered the overall project with the US Green Building CouncilÔÇÖs LEED program. The project likely wonÔÇÖt quality for a medal designationÔÇöthe GSA strives for at least Silver status on most of its new construction projectsÔÇögiven the historic and other constraints, but the agency is hopeful it will be certified Green when completed. ÔÇ£YouÔÇÖre limited by the exterior structure. The building has these beautiful historic bronze windows that nobody wants to see replaced, and you really canÔÇÖt address all the energy efficiency issues if you leave them in place,ÔÇØ Berman notes. Green elements include a high-tech roof drainage system and significant expected improvements to the indoor air quality, thanks to the HVAC updates and the selection of environmentally friendly materials. While the building will be far more energy efficient with new systems in place, there will be tradeoffs on the energy front as well. For instance, most of the tower lacked central air conditioning, meaning that window units were used to cool offices while corridors were not cooled at all. Similarly, the original 1930s lighting in the hallways meant for dark corridors through much of the building, an issue that will be addressed for safety and other reasons. The new electrical system will also enable modern audio-video and computer systems to be put in place that will draw more power. ÔÇ£In the end, the building will be far more efficient, but energy costs will actually go up,ÔÇØ Berman states. The project remains on schedule, with the infrastructure work set to kick off this summer and be completed by late 2010. Plans call for the courts to move back into the building in January 2011. Berman believes the project has gone so smoothly in large part because he was given the authority to hand-select his project team at the GSA. That team includes project manager Kuo Tsu, project architect Mark Paull, contracting officer Joan Ryan, and Lisze Lam, an architect intern. He also credits good working relationships with the contractors on the job, including architects Beyer Blinder Belle, outside construction management firm Bovis Lend Lease, lead contractor Cauldwell Wingate and mechanical engineer Flack + Kurtz. The GSA has also enjoyed a strong working relationship with the federal court system, which is essentially the agencyÔÇÖs client in the project, with extensive up-front meetings that helped build trust and mutual respect. ┬áÔÇ£The chemistry is probably the best IÔÇÖve seen in all the projects IÔÇÖve been involved in during my career,ÔÇØ Berman says. ÔÇ£Everyone takes responsibility, everyone is accountable, and we all have the same goal: to get the project done on time and on budget. ItÔÇÖs actually made it a fun project. Everything has fallen into place so far, and with the right people and the right chemistry, it really makes it fun.ÔÇØ