"The GSA intends to break ground on the building on March 19," 3D/I senior vice president Lee Evey tells GlobeSt.com. "The process of completing the project is expected to take about two-and-one-half years."

NOAA's new complex will be a state-of-the-art facility consisting of 208,000 of space spread out within a three-story structure. The development will occupy a 15-acre parcel of land within the Suitland Federal Center.

NOAA's National Environmental Satellite Data & Information Services Satellite Operations & Data Processing center will make its home within the tower, while NOAA offices will occupy the dome-roofed space beneath the tower. There will be about 550 NOAA employees working at the new building, and an additional 100 staff members are expected to work in the structure come 2021.