On March 15, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recognized the Conrad B. Duberstein U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse with a Citation Award in Workplace Design at an awards ceremony in Washington DC. During the event, GSA and its Administrator Robin Carnahan presented the agency’s top design awards for 19 federal projects, representing the best in architecture and arts.
“Through these awards, we are reaffirming our belief that excellence in design means creating spaces in which the federal government can deliver government effectively while also providing great overall experiences for the people who work in and visit federal facilities.” — Robin Carnahan, GSA Administrator
Duberstein, a four-story Romanesque revival structure, was originally completed in 1892 with a subsequent seven-story expansion in 1933. Today, the U.S. Courts Bankruptcy and Probation Consolidation aims to reactivate the Johnson Street entrance and upgrade the workplace through a phased approach to design and construction. This renovation reimagines the workplace environment for each U.S. Courts department and bridges the historic elements of the building with contemporary state-of-the-art office needs for future flexibility. The investment on integrated design such as energy efficiency and smart building technologies was key to the design philosophy.
“The spaces are understated and straightforward, letting the building’s history and its architecture speak for themselves.” — Kay Sargent, GSA Design Awards Juror
“On behalf of the entire AE team, I am so proud to receive this GSA Workplace award for the U.S. Courthouse consolidation project at the Conrad B. Duberstein U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in conjunction with GSA project manager, Robert Olohan. [Dattner Architects’ Principal] Paul Bauer and I were excited to connect with GSA leadership, the jury, and fellow award recipients after the event in DC. Dattner looks forward to continuing these conversations on current and future endeavors.” — Catherine Selby, Dattner Architects’ Principal
