The Navy has hired contractors to design a plan to gut Building 197 at the Washington Navy Yard. A Navy contract, obtained Friday by NBC Washington, details what Navy administrators have ordered as they work to re-open the headquarters building, in which Aaron Alexis shot and killed 12 people last month. The contract, issued Sept. 30, will pay Colorado-based CH2M HILL construction company $6.4 million to create concept designs for Building 197’s repair. The Navy’s request instructs CH2M HILL’s contractors they must come up with a design that “changes the feel, finish, appearance and layout” of Building 197, creating “a different sense of place and mitigating the psychological and emotional impacts” of the shooting rampage. A final design plan must be completed by Nov. 15, after which Navy leaders would seek approval for the renovations from the Washington, D.C. Historical Preservation Office, which has oversight of historic buildings in the District, a Navy official said.
