The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), today dedicates building #51, the second office building for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, at the FDA's new headquarters facility in the White Oak Federal Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.

The FDA complex, whose completion is contingent on congressional funding, will be comprised of 14 interconnected buildings in a campus setting.  The new complex replaces 39 fragmented facilities in the Washington DC metro area, co-locating approximately 8,000 employees in award-winning new laboratories, office buildings and support facilities.  GSA is pursuing LEED certification, promoting sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. The campus will encourage collaboration among FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Office of Regulatory Affairs, and Office of the Commissioner.  The projected new construction totals 2.33 million sq. ft. with four structured parking garages.

The new building #51 is six stories, 300,000 sq. ft., and is designed to house approximately 1,100 FDA employees and contractors. The building was designed with an under floor air distribution system giving occupants the ability to control their room environments, raised flooring which allows flexibility of space, and a narrow floor plate to allow as much natural light as possible. Other spaces programmed for the building include shared copy rooms, pantries, conference rooms, open team spaces and file rooms.  The core and shell design of building #51 incorporates many elements of the earlier Center for Drug Evaluation and Research office buildings #21 and #22 as well as the benefits of lessons learned. The building facade design includes areas of curtain wall, brick with large punched windows, solid brick and limited areas of stone facing, as well as upgraded lobby finishes and progressive collapse structural design.