Case Study: U.S. General Services Administration builds a secure, energy-efficient Social Security Administration National Support Center with Thornton Tomasetti

U.S. General Services Administration completes a LEED Gold data center 3 months ahead of schedule with Thornton Tomasetti

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) required a highly secure and sustainable National Support Center for the Social Security Administration. The challenge was to design and build this mission-critical facility, which delivers benefits to 60 million Americans, to ISC Level 4 security standards and achieve LEED Gold certification on an aggressive schedule. Thornton Tomasetti provided structural engineering and protective design services for this project.

Thornton Tomasetti designed a resilient steel structure for the office building and a fortified data center capable of withstanding heavy loads and potential threats. Their innovative, collaborative design-build approach and use of advanced BIM allowed the project to be completed three months ahead of schedule and under budget. The results included a 41.95% reduction in energy consumption against the ASHRAE standard, LEED Gold certification, and the facility becoming the first of its type for the GSA to earn that distinction.

U.S. General Services Administration (gsa)