GMU Long & Kimmy Nguyen Building

Promoting Public-Private Collaboration

Great Project Team! Effective site management, on schedule and budget, and superb safety record.

Tom Calhoun, Vice President, George Mason University

Location:

Fairfax, Virginia

Client:

George Mason University

Architect:

HOK

Additional collaborations with HOK:

Size:

180,000 Square Feet

Year Completed:

2009

Certification:

LEED Silver

Sector:

Education

Expertise:

Design-Build

Public-Private Partnerships

Sustainability

Virtual Design & Construction

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Positioned on a prominent site at George Mason University's (GMU) Fairfax campus, the Long & Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building was the first public-private university project in the state of Virginia. Clark provided design-build services, including construction, budgeting, design coordination, constructability reviews, and scheduling. The team ultimately expedited the schedule by more than two years.

The Long & Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building contains 80,000 square feet of academic space, including classrooms and faculty offices, and 80,000 square feet of research space. Additionally, 20,000 square feet of private lease space creates an environment for collaborative research between the university and the private sector.

The largest academic building at GMU at the time, the Engineering building is defined by a four-story glass atrium facing a main entryway into campus. The structure is comprised of five levels of structural steel with concrete on metal decks while the façade is a combination of brick, cast-stone, and split-face block, as well as curtain wall, metal panels, and punched windows.

Public Private Partnership

The Engineering Building was the first university project procured under Virginia's Public Private Educational Facility and Infrastructure Act of 2002, which allows public entities to partner with the private sector to design, construct, finance, and/or operate public facilities. The public-private partnership approach on this project allowed the delivery team to overlap key project activities, which expedited the schedule by more than two years. The building reached substantial completion just 18 months after breaking ground.