U.S. General Services Administration
GSA makes sustainable investments at Atkins U.S. Courthouse in Miami
Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
ATLANTA – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the $471,000 award to Houser Walker Architecture, LLC, a small business based out of Atlanta. Funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, this award is for the design of the Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse streetscape project in Miami, Florida. As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Atkins U.S. Courthouse is one of 13 projects across ten states to receive Inflation Reduction Act funds through GSA’s Good Neighbor Program. This award highlights GSA’s commitment to promoting opportunities for small and socially/economically disadvantaged entities.
The Atkins U.S. Courthouse project includes the renovation of outdoor site lighting and use of landscaping solutions to improve pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic around the building. The new landscape, with perimeter trees, new pavement and lighting, will address stormwater issues and decrease the heat-island effect resulting from the existing concrete surfaces.
This work aligns with President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs the federal government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and to do so in ways that advance environmental justice and equity for all Americans.
“These investments are another way we remain good neighbors and collaborate with communities as we deliver the highest quality workplaces for agencies housed at the Atkins U.S. Courthouse,” said Jason Shelton, Regional Administrator for GSA’s Southeast Sunbelt Region. “We’re committed to investing in America so we can encourage vitality, economic mobility, and climate resilience while ensuring federal buildings enrich the communities they inhabit.”
GSA selected the 13 sites in order to make a positive impact on surrounding neighborhoods that are identified as disadvantaged by the White House Council on Environmental Quality Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. GSA also evaluated potential community impacts using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EJScreen, an environmental justice screening and mapping process.
“We’re excited to collaborate with local stakeholders on this project that will maximize benefits to the Miami community,” said Jeff Smith, Regional Commissioner for GSA’s Sunbelt Region Public Buildings Service. “By addressing issues such as stormwater runoff and heat islands created by parking lots, we will improve the surroundings for everyone who uses this space.”
The announcement furthers the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, under which the federal government is, for the first time, prioritizing the purchase of low-embodied carbon asphalt, concrete, glass and steel that have lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production, use and disposal. These investments aim to expand America’s industrial capacity for manufacturing goods and materials of the future, address the climate crisis and create good-paying jobs for workers in the region.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes $3.4 billion for GSA to build, modernize, and maintain more sustainable and cost-efficient high-performance facilities. This funding includes $2.15 billion specifically for low-embodied carbon construction materials. GSA’s Inflation Reduction Act projects will implement new technologies and accelerate GSA’s efforts toward achieving a net-zero emissions federal building portfolio by 2045. Through these investments, GSA estimates a total greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 2.3 million metric tons, the same amount that 500,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles produce each year.
This project is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, focused on growing the American economy from the bottom up and the middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing about $100 billion in products and services via federal contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit www.gsa.gov or join the conversation on social media @US_GSAR4 and other platforms.