A Reshuffling of Priorities at the GSA Rattles Architects

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has long had a reputation as a coveted client among architects. The agency is the nation’s largest landlord, with some 8,800 owned or leased assets across the country totaling about 370 million square feet, and encompassing everything from courthouses and office buildings to data centers. But there is more to the agency’s appeal than mere scale. For decades, the GSA has been known for commissioning high-profile, forward-thinking, and resilient civic buildings. But that seems to be changing as the Trump administration imposes its agenda. Among the White House’s earliest actions was an official memorandum paving the way to once again—as Trump did in his first term—attempt to establish classical architecture as the official style for federal buildings. The agency also has a goal, first reported by Wired, to sell a large share of its buildings, reducing the size of its owned real-estate portfolio by 50 percent. And now RECORD has learned of a pause in payments—at least temporarily—to architects, for work they have already performed.

One architecture firm* had nearly $2 million in outstanding invoices. However, after being informed last week that payment was in process, the company received its funds earlier this week. Though this is welcome news, the firm’s principal describes the situation as “scary,” since the office has obligations to both its employees and the project’s subconsultants.