Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Act”.
Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Act
A BILL
To promote classical and traditional architectural styles in Federal public buildings to enhance civic pride, reflect national heritage, and ensure aesthetic excellence in government infrastructure, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act:
2025 dollars— The term “2025 dollars” means dollars adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Gross Domestic Product price deflator and using 2025 as the base year.
Administration— The term “Administration” means the General Services Administration.
Administrator— The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of General Services.
Applicable Federal public building— The term “applicable Federal public building” means—
all Federal courthouse and agency headquarters;
all Federal public buildings in the National Capital Region; and
all other Federal public buildings that cost or are expected to cost more than 50,000,000 in 2025 dollars to design, build, and finish, but does not include infrastructure projects or land ports of entry.
Brutalist architecture— The term “Brutalist architecture” means the style of architecture that grew out of the early 20th-century modernist movement that is characterized by a massive and block-like appearance with a rigid geometric style and large-scale use of exposed poured concrete.
Classical architecture—
In general— The term “classical architecture” means the architectural tradition—
derived from the forms, principles, and vocabulary of the architecture of Greek and Roman antiquity; and
later developed and expanded on by—
Renaissance architects, including Alberti, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and Palladio;
Enlightenment masters, including Robert Adam, John Soane, and Christopher Wren;
19th Century architects, including Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Robert Mills, and Thomas U. Walter; and
20th Century practitioners, including Julian Abele, Daniel Burnham, Rafael Carmoega, Charles F. McKim, John Russell Pope, Julia Morgan, and the firm of Delano and Aldrich.
Inclusions— The term “classical architecture” encompasses styles such as Neoclassical, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco.
Deconstructivist architecture— The term “Deconstructivist architecture” means the style of architecture—
generally known as “deconstructivism”; and
that emerged during the late 1980s that features fragmentation, disorder, discontinuity, distortion, skewed geometry, and the appearance of instability.
General public— The term “general public” means members of the public who are not—
artists, architects, engineers, art or architecture critics, instructors or professors of art or architecture, or members of the building industry; or
affiliated with any interest group, trade association, or any other organization whose membership is financially affected by decisions involving the design, construction, or remodeling of public buildings.
Preferred architecture— The term “preferred architecture” means the architecture described in section 3(3).
Public building— The term “public building” has the meaning given such term in section 3301(a) of title 40, United States Code.
Traditional architecture— The term “traditional architecture” means—
classical architecture; and
the historic humanistic architecture, including—
Gothic;
Romanesque;
Second Empire;
Pueblo Revival;
Spanish Colonial; and
other Mediterranean styles of architecture historically rooted in various regions of America.
Sec. 3 Policy of the United States
It is the policy of the United States that—
applicable Federal public buildings should—
uplift and beautify public spaces;
inspire the human spirit;
ennoble the United States;
command respect from the general public;
be visually identifiable as civic buildings; and
as appropriate, respect regional architectural heritage;
building designs should be selected with substantial input from the local community;
architecture, particularly traditional and classical architecture, that meets the criteria described in paragraph (1), is the preferred architecture for applicable Federal public buildings;
in the District of Columbia, classical architecture shall be the preferred and default architecture for Federal public buildings absent exceptional factors necessitating another kind of architecture;
where the architecture of applicable Federal public buildings diverges from the preferred architecture set forth in paragraph (1), great care and consideration must be taken to choose a design that—
commands respect from the general public; and
clearly conveys to the general public the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability America’s system of self-government;
when renovating, reducing, or expanding applicable Federal public buildings that do not meet the criteria described in paragraph (1), the feasibility and potential expense of building redesign to meet those criteria should be examined; and
where feasible and economical, such redesign should be given substantial consideration, especially with regard to the building’s exterior.
Sec. 4 Guiding principles for Federal architecture
Agencies shall, to the extent practicable, adhere to the following Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture:
Provide requisite and adequate facilities in an architectural style and form that is distinguished and will reflect the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American National Government, including through the use of the following:
By their proven ability to meet these requirements, classical and traditional architecture are preferred modes of architectural design. This preference does not exclude the possibility of alternative styles in appropriate circumstances.
Major emphasis should be placed on the choice of design that embody architectural excellence.
Specific attention should be paid to the possibilities of incorporating into such designs qualities that reflect the regional architectural traditions of that part of the Nation in which buildings are located.
Where appropriate, fine art should be incorporated in the designs, with emphasis on the work of living American artists.
Designs shall adhere to sound construction practice and utilize materials, methods, and equipment proven dependability.
Buildings shall be economical to build, operate, and maintain, and should be accessible to the handicapped.
Design must flow from the needs of the Government and the aspirations and preferences of the American people to the architectural profession, and not vice versa, including through the use of the following:
The Government should be willing to pay some additional cost to avoid excessive uniformity in design of Federal buildings.
Competitions for the design of Federal buildings should be held where appropriate.
The advice of distinguished architects practiced in classical or traditional architecture ought to, as a rule, be sought prior to the award of important design contracts.
The choice and development of the building site should be considered the first step of the design process, including through the use of the following:
This choice should be made in cooperation with local agencies.
Special attention should be paid to the general ensemble of streets and public places of which Federal buildings will form a part.
Where possible, buildings should be located so as to permit a generous development of landscape.
Sec. 5 GSA requirements
In general— The Administrator shall adhere to the policy of the United States described in sections 3 and 4 and shall expeditiously update GSA policies and procedures to incorporate such policies and principles and advance the purpose of this Act.
Requirements— The Administrator shall—
ensure that GSA architects whose duties include reviewing, assisting with, or approving the selection of architects or designs for applicable Federal public buildings have formal training in, or substantial and significant experience with, classical or traditional architecture;
create the position of senior advisor for architectural design, for an individual with specialized experience in classical architecture, to help develop GSA procedures, advise on architectural standards, and provide guidance during design evaluations or design juries;
where the design of an applicable Federal public building is selected pursuant to a design-build competition under section 3309 of title 41, United States Code, list experience with classical or traditional architecture as specialized experience and technical competence in the phase-1 solicitation, and give substantial weight to these factors when evaluating which offerors will be advanced to phase 2; and
consistent with sections 4302 and 4312 of title 5, United States Code, make advancing the purposes and implementing the policies of this Act a critical performance element in the individual performance plans of the GSA Chief Architect and appropriate subordinate employees in the GSA Public Buildings Service involved in selecting designs for applicable Federal public buildings.
Requirements for design competition— Where GSA intends to select a building design pursuant to a design competition, the Administrator shall—
actively recruit architectural firms and, as applicable, designers with experience in classical and traditional architecture to enter such competition; and
to the extent practicable, ensure that multiple design modes are advanced to the final evaluation round of such competition.
Notification— In the event the Administrator proposes to approve a design for a new applicable Federal public building that diverges from the preferred architecture, including Brutalist or Deconstructivist architecture or any design derived from or related to these types of architecture, the Administrator shall notify the President through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy not less than 30 days before GSA could reject such design without incurring substantial expenditures. Such notification shall set forth the reasons the Administrator proposes to approve such design, including—
a detailed explanation of why the Administrator believes selecting such design is justified, with particular focus on whether such design is as beautiful and reflective of the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American system of self-government as alternative designs of comparable cost of using preferred architecture;
the total expected cost of adopting the proposed design, including estimated maintenance and replacement costs throughout its expected lifecycle; and
a description of the designs using preferred architecture seriously considered for such project and the total expected cost of adopting such designs, including estimated maintenance and replacement costs throughout their expected lifecycles.