The Census Bureau complex is a study in how to design a very large corporate campus with minimal impact to its site through sustainable design, while exploring an architectural expression that celebrates and heightens its relationship to the landscape.

Project Facts

Completion Year: 2007
Site Area: 30 acres
Project Area: 1,508,013 ft²
Building Height: 39 m
Number of Stories: 8

Project Awards

2009 • Chicago Athenaeum • Green Good Design Award
2007 • AIA - New York City Chapter • Design Award: Architecture
2007 • AIA - New York City Chapter • Interior Architecture of Interest to the Public Realm
2007 • AIA - New York State • Design Award: Institutional, Award of Excellence
2007 • AIA - New York State • Design Award: Interiors, Citation for Design
2007 • Architectural Record/Business Week • Good Design is Good Business: Award of Excellence
2007 • International Interior Design Association / Metropolis • Smart Environments Award
2007 • U.S. General Services Administration • Sustainability/Workplace Environment Citation
2005 • AIA - New York City Chapter • Design Award: Project
2005 • Miami Architectural Bienal • Gold Metal: Buildings over 10,000 Square Feet
2002 • U.S. General Services Administration • Design Award: On the Boards Citation

The nature of the U.S. Census Bureau’s work presented an unusual design challenge for its new headquarters building: with staff temporarily swelling during the census-taking process every ten years, the bureau needed workspaces designed for cyclical expansion and contraction. SOM conceived an open plan in the spirit of a vibrant Office Urbanism, with flexible neighborhoods of employees stacked vertically and connected by stairs and two-story common areas containing pantries and meeting areas.

After studying top corporate workplace designs, SOM clustered amenities like a library, a gymnasium, a credit union, and medical facilities around an underground street that ties the complex together. The open offices that rise above this subterranean “city” challenge traditional government facilities organized around long, drab corridors. The interior core is marked with a bright color spectrum to enliven the space and help with wayfinding. Individual workspaces are natural-hued and daylit with personal climate controls. The facility meets LEED® Silver rating standards, with narrow floorplates to maximize daylight penetration and sustainable interior finishes.

The 2.5 million sf Census Bureau complex is a study in designing a very large corporate campus with minimal impact to its site by adopting sustainable measures and principles. Comprised of 1,500,000 sf of offices for 6,000 employees, with associated support programs, the Census Bureau incorporates water reclamation, recycled building materials, solar collection systems, underfloor air distribution and naturally daylit building interiors into its design.

In addition, the building’s shape, massing, cladding and roofing materials were all selected to explore the architectural expression of sustainable architecture. The building takes full advantage of its natural surroundings, maximizing views of the adjacent Nature Preserve and Community Gardens. With its wood-clad offices and ivy-draped parking structures, the Census Bureau blurs the distinction between the building and its landscape, making it a truly 21st-century landmark.

The US Census Bureau Headquarters is the first federal government office building that was designed and constructed to achieve a LEED® Gold rating.