January 11, 2006

The U.S General Services Administration, which is still searching for a new Chief Architect to replace Ed Feiner, FAIA, who left just under a year ago, has created a new position to help the Chief Architect manage construction issues.

The new position, posted on December 9, is called the Assistant Commissioner for Capital Construction Program Management. This person, according to the GSA job posting (www.gsa.gov), will advise on all policy matters concerning the management of the Public Building Service’s capital design and construction program. The position is vital, says GSA Commissioner of Public Buildings David Winstead, because of the huge amount of GSA construction projects. “Everyone is struggling with material cost increases and trying to find ways to deliver these projects on budget,” he says. As of December, the GSA had about 200 building projects underway, at a cost of about $11 billion. Sixty-four of these projects are new construction, and 112 are renovation projects.

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Feiner left the Chief Architect position just under a year ago, after serving since 1996. He was highly influential in establishing the GSA’s Design Excellence Program, which was started in 1993, and later headed by him. The program helped streamline and improve the architectural selection process for federal buildings by facilitating architects’ applications, and improving the participation of jurors.

GSA employee Les Shepherd has been filling in temporarily as chief architect since last February. Shepherd was Deputy Chief Architect from 1998-2002 and Director of Federal Buildings and Modernizations from 2002-2005. After Feiner’s departure, the GSA posted a call for a new Chief Architect in April, 2005, but closed it at the end of May. Winstead says there were not enough qualified candidates. The GSA reposted the position in December, and is now recruiting more aggressively.

Sam Lubell