Once in a Generation Design: Transforming the Federal Future

The new administration has taken office, and there are new priorities. The White House immediately issued a directive for all executive branch staff to return to full-time work in person (Return to In-Person Work – The White House). The administration initiated a hiring freeze and intends to reduce the size of the federal workforce as well. Stephen Ehikian, the GSA’s new Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator, has outlined his priorities (GSA’s new leadership mostly comes from tech and finance sectors), which include partnering with the White House to relocate parts of the government out of Washington, D.C, while "…accelerating the disposition of underutilized and inefficient buildings".

The administration anticipates lawsuits from unions that have signed collective bargaining agreements guaranteeing staff the ability to work from home. While the courts adjudicate this matter, reducing federal staff and footprint and agency moves will become the administration’s priority.  

Amidst these dynamic changes, members of the Public Buildings Reform Board see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to right-size federal holdings. How vast are those holdings? The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal property and supports federal agencies, oversees approximately 565 million square feet of real estate. Yet this is only about 18% of the overall footprint maintained by the US  government, which occupies over 3.2 billion square feet.

To date, the federal government has successfully reduced its footage through several programs, including the Base Realignment and Closure Program focused on the Department of Defense and the GSA Disposition Process. In fiscal year 2022, the 24 largest government agencies disposed of nearly 2,000 federally owned buildings, eliminating more than 11 million square feet—amounting to just .3% of its properties. Clearly, there is more work to be done.

With over 100 various government entities—administrations, agencies, authorities, boards, bureaus, commissions, committees, corporations, consuls, departments, endowments, foundations, offices, and trusts—occupying properties, responding to such a large, diverse, and complex scenario is the challenge for designers and planners, and there will inevitably be some similarities across entities. Nevertheless, solutions to plan, right-size, and design properties to serve each entity, now and for the future, must be unique for each property and the organization it serves. One solution cannot serve all.

Photography by Garrett Rowland

Responding to Change

With multiple issues, including high-stakes politics, infrastructure, required function, union and non-union personnel, legal frameworks, work-from-home policies, uncertain resource availability, changing requirements, and potentially ambiguous or conflicting priorities, optimization and downsizing are complex. However, the roadmap is clear.

Focus on the Mission and Operations

Understanding an agency’s/department’s unique operations and mission is essential to identifying the right answers and determining the approach forward. Strategic planning, portfolio optimization, asset management, design, and ultimately, change management might all be factors in the process. The goal should be to create operational efficiency, energy savings, and improve productivity now and for the future through a reduction in space, improved space utilization, and human well-being. A project may entail space requirements reports, lease portfolio analysis, the consolidation of multiple locations to a centralized headquarters, reduction of remote facilities, and/or a building restack with phased future-state blocking recommendations and a capital outlay schedule.

Active Listening and Problem Seeking

Problem-seeking before problem-solving is key. Designers and planners must start every project with active listening techniques to identify challenges, develop forward-looking workplace strategies, and modify procedures. They will work with and listen to staff via various active listening techniques including benchmarking, developing spaghetti diagrams of circulation, diagramming ideal flows, interacting with focus groups, producing day-in-the-life scenarios, shadowing various staff, and completing workplace occupancy surveys, all potent tools.  

Photography by Robert Benson

Deliverables for Comprehensive Solutions

Developing effective and far-reaching enterprise-wide solutions to serve the strategic plan requires a comprehensive lean approach with a real estate strategy, space programs and functional programs, and a master plan. An infrastructure inventory, restacking options, and infrastructure capital plan are the required minimal deliverables, coupled with a disposition plan, and capital outlay schedule.  Post-occupancy evaluations, surveys, and retro-commissioning are also increasingly popular tools for verifying financial goals, mapping staff engagement, understanding use patterns and measuring energy savings. Some government departments have already completed many of these steps, so all these deliverables may not be required.

Conclusion

Compelling, strategically dynamic, enterprise-wide planning and design for federal government entities can address requirements from the new administration, drive innovation, meet changing workplace needs (including employee engagement and well-being), and manage financial goals. Understanding and coordinating capital outlay with the budgeting process for each project will enable the trajectory towards budgetary savings, continuous workplace improvement, and operational improvement.

The enormous potential to reduce footprint, streamline operations, control costs, and attract talent, especially younger generations, through design holds great promise for the federal government. Design can shape the work environment and user experience, transforming how we interact with colleagues and understand what we do, positively affecting the bottom line, organizational productivity, and staff quality of life.  

To learn more about planning for peak attendance in a reduced workplace footprint, this recent blog considers how organizations in private industry are addressing the challenge.