Ground will be broken for major new office structure at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during ceremonies to be held at 1O a.m. Friday, May 1O.
Upon completion in June 1986, the new structure, the Central Engineering Building, will provide some 1OO,OOO square feet of office space for 8OO to 9OO persons. The building will provide gross area of 17O,OOO square feet. In addition to office space, this total will include 15,OOO square feet for office support (conference rooms, automatic data processing equipment, reproduction facilities, storage) and 15,OOO square feet for light electronic laboratory facilities. The structure will consist of four floors of occupied space plus one level of parking.
Financing for the $17 million project is being provided by Caltech. Under an agreement signed in August, Caltech (JPL's parent organization) has advanced the funds to NASA (JPL's principal sponsor), in effect acting as private investor underwriting commercial building.
The Central Engineering Building is the first major new structure to be undertaken at JPL in more than nine years. The last large new building -- Space Flight Support, the headquarters for Voyager and several other flight projects -- was completed in 1976.
The new building, one element of comprehensive 15-year construction plan, is replacement facility. It will allow JPL to release 162,OOO square feet of leased space housing 65O persons while eliminating nearly half of the 84 trailer offices located around the Laboratory.
Construction of the Central Engineering Building will employ the so-called "fast-track" technique, implemented under single design/build contract, to shorten the construction cycle by six to nine months.
C.L. Peck Contractor of Los Angeles is the general contractor. Gin Wong Associates of Los Angeles is preparing the design.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is research and development center operated for NASA by Caltech. ##### #1O68 5/9/85HF CENTRAL ENGINEERING BUILDING GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY May 1O, 1985 Participants Dr. Lew Allen, director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mr. Frederick W. Bowen Jr., manager, NASA Resident Office, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mr. Fred H. Felberg, associate director -- institutional, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Dr. Donald R. Fowler, general counsel, California Institute of Technology Dr. Marvin L. Goldberger, president, California Institute of Technology Mr. Carl Herman, CEB project administrator, Facilities Engineering and Construction Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Gen. Billie J. McGarvey (U.S. Air Force, retired), director, Facilities Engineering Division, NASA Mr. David W. Morrisroe, vice president for business and finance, and treasurer, California Institute of Technology Mr. Robert J. Parks, deputy director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mr. C.L. Peck, chairman, C.L. Peck Contractor, Los Angeles Mr. William E. Rains, manager, Facilities Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Gen. Charles H. Terhune Jr. (U.S. Air Force, retired), former deputy director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mr. Gin Wong, president, Gin Wong Associates, Los Angeles Mr. William J. York Jr.
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