A-E Small Business Networking Session, Lead Design Architect, New United States Courthouse, Chattanooga, TN

The General Services Administration (GSA) is currently in the process of selecting a lead design architect to design the new United States Courthouse in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  As part of this selection process, GSA has invited six (6) Architect/Engineering firms (listed below) to participate in the Stage II of the selection process. The firm chosen to design this new Courthouse will be required to achieve certain subcontracting goals with small businesses as part of the contract that will result from this selection.  In order to assist the shortlisted firms with filling out their teams and exceeding these subcontracting goals, GSA will host a virtual Small Business Networking Session for interested small business A/E firms at 11 am Eastern Time on June 20th, 2024 on Zoom. Pre-registration is required to participate in this networking session, please complete the signup form at the following link: https://forms.gle/QQyxY4Vt9FDj3Bbg8 (you may need to copy/paste the link in your browser).  The GSA Contracting Officer will email the Zoom link to those who have signed up for the event approximately 48 hours prior.  

Interested firms may also reach out directly to the six (6) shortlisted firms at the contacts below:

Fentress Architects (Karen Miller - kmiller@fentressarchitects.com)

Hartman-Cox Architects, LLP (teaming@hartmancox.com)

Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) (Kristine Bishop Johnson - kristine.johnson@hok.com  and Sarah Keane - sarah.keane@hok.com)

Jenkins-Peer Architects, PA (Rob Hsin - rhsin@jenkinspeer.com)

Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP (Kevin J. Kelly, AIA - k.kelly@ramsa.com  and Todd Dolson, AIA, LEED AP - tdolson@ssoe.com)

Studio Gang (Josh Ellman - jellman@studiogang.com)

Below is some additional background on the project:

Through our Design Excellence Program, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) commissions our nation’s most talented creative professionals to design outstanding federal workplaces. These projects embody an exemplary integrated process whose results deliver enduring value to taxpayers. GSA defines quality as the thoughtful expression of artistry, local culture, and democratic values like civic participation, accessibility, and transparency, achieved in balance with affordability, constructability, reliability, and industry-leading sustainable performance. Design Excellence is the means by which GSA realizes the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, which President Kennedy authorized in 1962, and it is one of the agency’s primary vehicles for catalyzing positive, inclusive change in local communities. Continuing this legacy of world-class public architecture, GSA announces an opportunity for Design Excellence for Lead Designer of the New United States Courthouse in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

The project is a new United States Courthouse to be erected in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The building will measure approximately 190,478 gross square feet, including 40 inside secured parking spaces. The new courthouse will meet the long term needs of the courts providing separate circulation for the public, judges and prisoners thereby improving security and the efficiency of courts’ operations as well as accommodating the ten year space requirements of the courts and court related agencies and expandable to meet the thirty year housing needs. The new courthouse will include seven (7) courtrooms and nine (9) judges’ chambers. Once built, the facility will provide workspace for the following tenant agencies: Eastern District of Tennessee U.S. District Court, U.S. Magistrate Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court as well as other federal tenant agencies which include GSA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Probation Office, U.S. Trustees and Congressional offices. The site for the new courthouse has not yet been identified. GSA is currently evaluating parcels of land in and around downtown Chattanooga around 3 - 5 acres in size and anticipates the site may be identified prior to finalizing the contract with the Lead Designer.

Desired outcomes of this project include the following:

1. A design that reflects tradition, strength, and stability of the American government.

2. Building massing that is monumental in nature while maintaining appropriate proportions, a balanced composition, and a hierarchy of elements.

3. Detailing that contributes to rhythm, order, and relatability at a human scale, while avoiding pure decoration. Texture and relief should be used strategically to avoid a one-dimensional appearance.

4. Material selections that represent permanence, durability, and solemnity.

5. A clear sense of wayfinding and progression for visitors, from a site arrival point that offers a public amenity, to a clear and elevated entry point to the building, through a spacious and light-filled lobby, to functional interior spaces that represent a consistent design intent. 

6. A design that draws inspiration from local architectural precedent and from the local natural landscape while providing a distinctive and notable new public landmark.

7. A public destination that is accessible, transparent, and inspirational to those participating in the judicial process.