Federal Office Space
Comparison of Construction Costs for New Judiciary and Navy Buildings Gao ID: GGD-91-87BR May 30, 1991Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO compared the estimated construction costs of the proposed Judiciary office building and Naval Systems Command's office complex.
GAO found that: (1) the Judiciary building would be more costly, since it used more costly land, used more expensive underground parking, and had more special features than the Navy office complex; (2) the estimated cost per gross square foot was $180 for the Judiciary building, compared to $123 for the Navy buildings; (3) the estimated cost per gross square foot of office space was $261 for the Judiciary building, compared to $190 for the Navy buildings; (4) the estimated cost per square foot of useable office space for the Judiciary building was $335, compared to $268 for the Navy buildings; (5) the estimated value of the land for the Judiciary building was $230 per square foot, compared to $78 per square foot for the Navy office site; and (6) building a complex for Navy personnel in Northern Virginia would be less costly per square foot than building a more monumental building for Judiciary personnel in the District of Columbia.