Courtesy Photo | Building 1500, also known as the Engineering Management Building (EMB), began planning...... read more read more
Building 1500, the Engineering Management Building (EMB), headquarters or no matter what you might call it is an administrative facility that originally began in July of 1980 with a finished project cost of $11.8 million dollars. The facility was formally opened on Saturday, March 26, 1983.
Designed to originally accommodate upwards of 1,200 persons carrying out a variety of management, planning, engineering and administrative functions for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard the EMB became centric to upgrade people-support and production support facilities. By centralizing personnel formally housed in 14 widely scattered buildings including some formally used as warehouses, timber sheds and sail lofts constructed between 1847 - 1943, much increased efficiencies were made possible.
The core of the original building is 180,000 square feet and at the time envisioned to save much on energy cost by utilizing direct digital controls by remote computer to monitor heating and cooling loads. When viewed overall considering demolition of the 14 prior buildings that the new occupants came from along with other utility upgrades that occurred in the 1980s, NNSY was becoming well positioned to increase energy efficiency and help its bottom line for operating cost while providing workplace comfort.
Just as an aside here I might inject this personal history tidbit for you; Building 1500 workstation cubicles predate the personal desktop computer as pencil and paper absolutely ruled the day, I experienced it. Typewriters, route notes with ink signoff blocks, executive cover sheets on formal letters and so forth were so common. Our daily business model has indeed changed with personal computers as Building 1500 evolved into the digital age.
The EMB at the time of its dedication was considered one of the most significant new structures to be built at NNSY in 25 years. Modernization of a worker’s basic infrastructure is essential to increased productivity. Placement of many individuals preforming similar work tasks closely together have produced excellent work output under the roofline of Building 1500 roof these past four decades.
The original configuration shown on the acceptance program cover was once to be designed for expansion to have a full reflective mirror image of the EMB to the left also, that plan never occurred. In December 2010 a smaller annex was completed growing the EMB by another 50,000 square feet. Today we view this same administrative annex to the left of the main entrance as it further provides a consolidating of mission support functions and lends economies of scale for functional work groups to be adjacent to each other.
Stated at the opening ceremonies by then Shipyard Commander, Commodore David P. Donohue - “It is appropriate today to acknowledge the special role of Congressman G. William Whitehurst and Robert W. Daniel Jr. in placing this facility in the military construction program and then in restoring and saving the project when budget cuts threatened. Their actions complemented vigorous efforts by shipyard officials who documented the need for this building as part of a modernization program.”
A lookback at the Building 1500 opening day events of March 26, 1983 revels the following program agenda:
The Resident Office in Charge of Construction (ROICC) was presented a ceremonial wooden shaped key from Duke Construction Company that is then passed to Commodore David P. Donohue, Shipyard Commander that accepts key for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Remarks are then presented by Fourth District, Congressman Norman Sisisky followed by remarks by Second District, Congressman G. William Whitehurst. The ribbon is cut and a tour of the new building commences along with refreshments.
U.S. Congressman Norman Sisisky, died on March 29, 2001, yet in both appreciation and to honor his unwavering support of NNSY over many, many years, the EMB was formally renamed. A ceremony was held on September 29, 2003 for the naming of our Norman Sisisky Engineering and Management Building.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2023 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 441155 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Our Yard History: Happy 40th Birthday to the Engineering Management Building (EMB), by Marcus Robbins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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