The Department of Enterprise Services will host an open house meeting to share information with the public about the planned construction of a new state-owned office building at 1063 Capitol Way S.

The 1063 Block Replacement Project open house will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 14, 2013, in the Presentation room at the 1500 Jefferson St. building in Olympia.

The project — authorized by the 2013 Legislature — calls for the demolition of the existing state-owned building at the site, which used to house a children's museum, as well as the parking garage behind it. Both structures with be replaced with a single office building.

The reasons for the project include:

• The current building at the location is more than 80 years old. Building a new office building makes more economic and environmental sense that renovating or refurbishing the existing structure.
• Improve the gateway to the state's Capitol Campus.
• Establish an efficient office building for executive and legislative agencies, including the Washington State Patrol.
• Develop a state-owned facility that is a model of high-performance and energy efficiency.

The Nov. 14 meeting is designed to share information about the project and gather public comment before design work starts. The open house will be the first opportunity for public involvement and comment as the project moves forward. There will be future opportunities for public involvement.

Free parking (after 6 p.m.) is available at the visitor lot located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Maple Park Avenue.

Participants can also join the meeting online.

Design-build teams selected

Enterprise Services recently selected three design-build team finalists for the project as part of a two-stage competition.

The first stage required the teams, composed of one general contractor, an architectural firm and other design services companies, to submit their qualifications. Five teams submitted qualifications.

The three selected firms were:

• Hoffman Construction of Portland, Belay Architecture of Tacoma and GBD Architects of Portland
• Mortenson Construction Company of Minneapolis with a regional office in Kirkland and SRG Partnership Inc. of Portland with a regional office in Seattle
• Sellen Construction Company of Seattle and ZGF Architects of Portland with an office in Seattle

During part two of the competition, the three firms will develop detailed architectural plans that include costs. These plans will be due to the state in early 2014. A final team will be selected about two months later.

Enterprise Services manages hundreds of design and construction projects across the state valued at more than $500 million. The department has an established record of serving its clients with projects that are on time and within budget.

Enterprise Services is also responsible for the care of the Capitol Campus buildings and grounds.

Visit the project website for more information.