House Hearing Room Renovation

Room 2172, which contains the House Foreign Affairs Committee, recently underwent renovations that include a refurbished wall-to-wall audiovisual (AV) system designed by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), allowing for surround sound. Now, when Members speak at a hearing, their voices are picked up more clearly, making for better broadcasts.

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) also designed and introduced a custom dais, the first of its kind in the House office buildings, and added several improved accessibility features. The craftspeople behind it all hope they've helped to breathe new life into a storied space.

The room has held its fair share of famous and routine gatherings alike. Like the other hearing rooms within the House and Senate office buildings, it is used for Members to meet for formalized hearings or committee and subcommittee meetings.

The first iteration of the House Foreign Affairs Committee originated in 1775 as the Committee of Secret Correspondence, chaired by Benjamin Franklin. Together, the group aimed to gather intelligence from the country's English colonizer and monitor European support for American independence. In 1822, it became the Committee for Foreign Affairs. Today, as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, its work looks quite different — the representatives are focused on oversight and legislation across areas including diplomacy, international law, foreign aid and the promotion of democracy. Just as the committee's work has evolved, so have the needs of its diverse Members.

Rayburn 2172, the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing room. Renovations preserved historic elements and added better technology; A portrait of Benjamin Franklin hangs in Rayburn 2172.

Members of the 118th Congress already divide their time between home states and Washington, D.C. While on the Hill, they work across their personal offices, respective committee assignments and the House or Senate floors. It's imperative that all these areas are secure, accessible and conducive to lawmaking activities.

A Team Effort

The preservation of Rayburn 2172, like the rest of the House and Senate office building space, is under the purview of the AOC. Until 2022, when the AOC began to move forward with plans to renovate, the space's features were characteristic of a typical hearing room: the three-tiered dais, with a seat for each Member, was flanked by stairs running up either side. The tall, curtained windows met crown molding at the top. The ceiling was punctuated by "egg crate" tiles backlit by fluorescent lights. Nestled in the room's corners were speakers from a bulky, outdated AV system.

In their design plans, the AOC's teams hoped to make the room more accessible for those using wheelchairs and other assistive mobility or speech devices. They also aimed to refurbish the room with several electrical upgrades — all while respecting its historic fabric.

Rachel Davis, General Engineer in the House Office Buildings, served as Program Manager for the renovation project from its start. Liaising between project teams as well as Members of the committee, she was tasked with balancing fluctuations across construction and delivery timelines with stakeholders' expectations. Essentially, she needed to foster an innovative and empowered workforce by "keeping everyone in the loop." For nearly two years, Davis helped lead the project as it evolved through three phases. The first was the design phase.

Architect Robin Ingram, who's been with the AOC for more than three decades, took the lead on the design. He created the construction documents by using existing master drawings and taking his own painstaking measurements. Exactitude was paramount. The upgrades needed to be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, which specify dimensions down to the inch. But Ingram was prepared; throughout his tenure, he's renovated several hearing rooms and has worked on projects across every building on the Capitol campus.

"One of my favorite things about this job is that I still get to be a 'doer,' and I do something different each day," Ingram remarked. "This was a huge project, and the other folks made me look good. We all worked together quite well."

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AOC's Jeff Rye, Rachel Davis and Bill Burns pose together in the hearing room. They credit great teamwork as key to the project's success.

"These projects are definitely joint ventures," Davis agreed. "Everyone's involvement was crucial in getting us from stage to stage."

During the design phase, Davis, along with teams within the Office of the Chief Engineer, CAO and the committee itself, selected colors and styles for elements like drapes, paint and chairs. Once selections were complete, the project moved into its second stage: procurement.

Ingram's designs were sent to the AOC's Construction Division, which forecast associated costs and gathered approvals needed to eventually begin the third and final phase, construction. Approval must always come from the Committee Chair, the Majority and Minority Leaders, and the Speaker of the House. Next, the plans are sent to appropriations.

Once the funds for the renovation were approved, the Construction Division started to work its magic. Bill Burns, who served as the on-site Construction Manager for the project, worked with Davis to reconcile any divergence between the plans outlined in the design and the dimensions and physical specifications of the room itself.

"Ninety-five percent of the time we can make [the plans] happen, but those other times we simply shift components around because of how the building is erected," Burns said. "You could call that other 5 percent the 'pipe dreams.' The House Office Buildings are a well-oiled machine. It was a team effort for everyone, and there were a lot of players — but all the entities played well together. We had weekly or biweekly meetings throughout the project, so everyone was always well-informed."

Nearly all the renovations were planned out in advance. But certain steps — as with many construction projects — just couldn't be entirely anticipated.

Getting To Work

The renovation involved myriad behind-the-scenes tasks. Woodcrafters innovated new designs that would allow for screens, wires and other electrical components to be worked seamlessly into the dais. They were able to separate the original dais' historic façade from the sides and rear and preserved it throughout the process before reattaching it to the reconstructed parts.

The custom dais now features a computer monitor for each seat that lays flush with its wood surface, assistive technology to help Members with disabilities better communicate with the rest of the committee, and room for chairs and wheelchairs to pivot. It's also outfitted with space for better wiring and allows for future upgrades to be built in seamlessly.

AOC Construction Division woodcrafters use bar clamps to secure sections of the dais; A section of the new dais is constructed in an AOC wood shop. This model will serve as a prototype for future renovations.

Electricians found pathways through the dais that allowed the correct power load and capacity. They also rewired the room for new lighting. Elsewhere in the room, plasterers and painters refinished and recoated surfaces and performed repairs to historic elements. Stonemasons helped with retrenching and marble replacement. Mechanics and plumbers helped replace and repair affected heating and cooling systems.

"Our goal was to bring the committee room up to today's technology standards for a modernized, televised public hearing space," said Jeff Rye, a Construction Representative in the Construction Division who worked with Burns on the project. "One of the most important tasks in the renovation was allowing television systems to better capture sound and image well, since hearings are often broadcast. So everything else in the room needed to support that."

But installing a new AV system meant more than flipping a switch. Burns, Rye and the rest of the Construction Division team had to re-channel the whole room to accommodate new technology. In layman's terms, this means removing large sections of the ceiling, walls and floor. These daunting measures were made more complicated by their obligation to preserve the historic elements of the room.

"I would say our biggest goal is to be able to dismantle anything, then put it back and have it look like we were never there," remarked Rye.

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AOC Woodcrafter Dan Watts measures cuts to accommodate monitors in the new dais.

The Construction Division is accustomed to working in historic buildings. In Rayburn 2172, the team knew they'd need to think outside the box to retrofit an aging space with long-term accessibility and technological solutions that aligned with the room's specifications as well as the needs of Congress.

Davis agreed that ensuring cohesion between elements of the renovation and protecting them from the risk of damage were some of the most challenging aspects of the project. Whether it was installing dimmer panels for the new LED lights, protecting speakers close to water pipes from potential leaks or adding audio panels around historic artwork, the renovation resembled an operation and each tradesperson acted as a surgeon.

"My favorite part of historic preservation is knowing that we have the skill set, knowledge, tradespeople and management that cares about the fabric of the building," said Rye. "The high level of craftsmanship in the AOC's shops makes it easy to provide project guidance on my end. Our employees make it happen and they care about what they do."

It's expected that the flagship designs created for Rayburn 2172 — particularly the new dais — will likely be recreated across hearing rooms on the Capitol campus for years to come. When it's time, AOC teams will be poised to jump into action.

"It's a privilege and honor to work here. When it comes together, it makes the work all worth it," Rye said. "We're always looking forward to what's on the horizon."

New Innovations

By the time the construction phase was complete, the AOC and CAO successfully created a prototype for House-side hearing room renovations.

Together, those improvements included:

• The design, fabrication and installation of a custom dais, the first of its kind on the House side
• The installation of a new brass railing
• The design, construction and installation of new AV systems
• The construction of a separate AV room to house controls and panels
• The construction of new ADA-compliant restroom facilities adjoining the hearing room
• HVAC rewiring and duct repairs
• Reconfiguring anteroom stairs to install an ADA-compliant chairlift
• Adjusting the placement of each dais to better accommodate wheelchairs
• Repainting the walls and refinishing crown molding
• New furniture, drapes and carpet