Konterra AJBP 7

Building 7, in the Annapolis Business Park near Ft. Meade, Maryland, is a follow-up building from the award-winning Building 6 in the same development. While Building 6 was the first in the world to meet the Department of Defense Medium Level Criteria for Blast Resistance, Building 7 is the first to meet this same level of protection for both Blast Resistance and Progressive Collapse. This criterion is distinctively different and more stringent than GSA levels of protection, although they are often confused.

The innovation in Building 7 includes the use of 30-ft.-wide panels at four stories tall on 14 ft. 6 in. floor-to-floor heights, to meet the "lost leg" analysis required; ribbon window appearance; curtain wall entries; a high glass-to-wall ratio approaching 50%; and nominal panels of 13 in. thick increased to 16½ in. for the ribbon window aesthetic panels.

The cost to build this protected building was only marginally greater than the cost to build a similar building that was not protected. This allowed for the first time a speculative project to come on the market without a known government lease, with the backup plan being it could be leased for market competitive rates to non-government users. The building has been accepted by the government with a site adapt prototype now underway for a second. Building 7 was recently recognized by The Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington with a Merit Award for Specialized Structural Elements.