Ford House Office Building

Constructed in a manner of months and completed in 1940, The Ford House Office Building was a new kind of federal office building that would be “economical, quickly constructed, and quickly available.” General Federal Office Building No. 1, or GFOB No.1, was the first of a new class of office building, created to be built economically with the “speed of a warehouse” and used by any agencies needing space, whether temporary or permanent. The GFOB No. 1 was acquired by the AOC in 1975 and is the fourth of the current office buildings occupied by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Description

WDP performed a visual building enclosure survey of the Office Buildings in Washington DC. The field survey of the eight-story limestone and brick masonry clad structure included examination of the entire building façade, both from the ground, with the aid of telephoto lens, and from aerial man-lifts, for closer, tactile surveys at locations reachable from the street. In addition to the exterior façade, each of the second floor and penthouse roofs were also visually surveyed. Coordination of the field survey required WDP to develop traffic control plans to accommodate a large manlift on the city streets, and to coordinate access among multiple companies and jurisdictions. Review of limited archived construction documents provided some information into the original construction. Limited exploratory investigation probes are recommended in order to accurately develop repair recommendations for repair and associated cost estimates.

Challenges/Solutions

Scope of Services