The federal government occupies through ownership or lease in excess of 840 million square feet of workspace, and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have fostered a renewed effort to secure those facilities against other terrorist attacks. Although the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City precipitated the completion of a Department of Justice study of the vulnerability of federal office buildings in the United States, little was done until after 9/11.

Primary post 9/11 building security initiatives have been directed toward entry control, surveillance and weapons detection. Issues such as setbacks, blast resistant buildings and progressive collapse have been discussed, but, to date, nothing has been officially adopted. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which controls approximately 40% of the government's office space, has initiated a review of the security standards with the intention of issuing a new set of standards for federal office buildings. Departments and agencies with facilities not managed or controlled by GSA will be responsible for implementing their own standards. New security guidelines for existing federal facilities will place an emphasis on access control, surveillance, weapons and explosives detection and parking garage security. For departments and agencies with strategic defense and homeland security missions, the security guidelines are likely to be much stricter, requiring buffers and limited access to the facilities. Some may require remote campus-like facilities.

Legislation

The new Department of Homeland Security headquarters facility will require approximately 2.2 million square feet of space on more than 100 acres of property to host the consolidation of eighteen components of eight department or agencies.

The Department will oversee, recommend and coordinate the government's efforts to protect the critical infrastructure of the United States. Regardless of the legislative outcome, it is certain that the physical security of federal workspace will be a priority in the coming months and years and will provide business opportunities for savvy companies.