I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5194 
To prescribe Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 
Mr. KILEY of California (for himself and Mr. MOORE of West Virginia) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To prescribe Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Beautifying Federal 
Civic Architecture Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES. 
It is the policy of the United States that— 
(1) applicable Federal public buildings should— 
(A) uplift and beautify public spaces; 
(B) inspire the human spirit; 
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(C) ennoble the United States; 
(D) command respect from the general 
public; 
(E) be visually identifiable as civic build-
ings; and 
(F) as appropriate, respect regional archi-
tectural heritage; 
(2) designs for applicable Federal public build-
ings should be selected with substantial input from 
the local community; 
(3) architecture, particularly traditional archi-
tecture and classical architecture, that meets the cri-
teria described in paragraph (1) is the preferred ar-
chitecture for applicable Federal public buildings; 
(4) in the District of Columbia, classical archi-
tecture is the preferred and default architecture for 
applicable Federal public buildings absent excep-
tional factors necessitating another kind of architec-
ture; 
(5) where the architecture of applicable Federal 
public buildings diverges from the criteria described 
in paragraph (1), great care and consideration shall 
be taken to choose a design that— 
(A) commands respect from the general 
public; and 
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(B) clearly conveys to the general public 
the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of 
the system of self-government of the United 
States; 
(6) when renovating, reducing, or expanding ap-
plicable Federal public buildings that do not meet 
the criteria described in paragraph (1), the feasi-
bility and potential expense of building redesign to 
meet that criteria should be examined; and 
(7) where feasible and economical, a redesign 
described in paragraph (6) should be given substan-
tial consideration, especially with respect to the exte-
rior of the applicable Federal public building. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 2025 DOLLARS.—The term ‘‘2025 dollars’’ 
means dollars adjusted for inflation using the Gross 
Domestic Product price deflator of the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, with 2025 as the base year. 
(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra-
tion’’ means the General Services Administration. 
(3) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of General Serv-
ices. 
(4) APPLICABLE FEDERAL PUBLIC BUILDING.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘applicable 
Federal public building’’ means— 
(i) any Federal courthouse; 
(ii) any Federal agency headquarters; 
(iii) any public building in the Na-
tional Capital region (as defined in section 
8702 of title 40, United States Code); and 
(iv) any other public building, the cost 
or expected cost to design, build, and finish 
of which is more than $50,000,000 in 
2025 dollars. 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘applicable 
Federal public building’’ does not include an in-
frastructure project or a land port of entry. 
(5) BRUTALIST
ARCHITECTURE.—The term 
‘‘Brutalist architecture’’ means the style of architec-
ture that grew out of the early 20th-century mod-
ernist movement that is characterized by a massive 
and block-like appearance with a rigid geometric 
style and large-scale use of exposed poured concrete. 
(6) CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘classical ar-
chitecture’’ means the architectural tradition— 
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(i) derived from the forms, principles, 
and vocabulary of the architecture of 
Greek and Roman antiquity; and 
(ii) later developed and expanded on 
by— 
(I) Renaissance architects, in-
cluding Alberti, Brunelleschi, Michel-
angelo, and Palladio; 
(II) Enlightenment masters, in-
cluding Robert Adam, John Soane, 
and Christopher Wren; 
(III) 19th Century architects, in-
cluding Benjamin Henry Latrobe, 
Robert Mills, and Thomas U. Walter; 
and 
(IV) 20th Century practitioners, 
including 
Julian 
Abele, 
Daniel 
Burnham, Rafael Carmoega, Charles 
F. McKim, John Russell Pope, Julia 
Morgan, and the firm of Delano and 
Aldrich. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘classical ar-
chitecture’’ includes styles such as Neoclassical, 
Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, 
and Art Deco. 
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(7) DECONSTRUCTIVIST
ARCHITECTURE.—The 
term ‘‘Deconstructivist architecture’’ means the style 
of architecture— 
(A) 
generally 
known 
as 
‘‘deconstructivism’’; and 
(B) that emerged during the late 1980s 
and features fragmentation, disorder, disconti-
nuity, distortion, skewed geometry, and the ap-
pearance of instability. 
(8) GENERAL
PUBLIC.—The term ‘‘general 
public’’ means members of the public who are not— 
(A) artists, architects, engineers, art or ar-
chitecture critics, instructors or professors of 
art or architecture, or members of the building 
industry; or 
(B) affiliated with any interest group, 
trade association, or any other organization 
whose membership is financially affected by de-
cisions involving the design, construction, or re-
modeling of public buildings. 
(9) OFFICER.—The term ‘‘officer’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 2104 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
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(10) PREFERRED
ARCHITECTURE.—The term 
‘‘preferred architecture’’ means the architecture de-
scribed in section 2(3). 
(11) PUBLIC
BUILDING.—The term ‘‘public 
building’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
3301(a) of title 40, United States Code. 
(12) TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE.—The term 
‘‘traditional architecture’’ includes— 
(A) classical architecture; and 
(B) the historic humanistic architecture, 
including Gothic, Romanesque, Second Empire, 
Pueblo Revival, Spanish Colonial, and other 
Mediterranean styles of architecture historically 
rooted in various regions of the United States. 
SEC. 4. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR FEDERAL ARCHITEC-
TURE. 
To the maximum extent practicable, all Federal agen-
cies shall adhere to the following Guiding Principles for 
Federal Architecture (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Guid-
ing Principles’’): 
(1) PREFERRED ARCHITECTURAL STYLE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Provide requisite and 
adequate facilities in a preferred architectural 
style and form that is distinguished and reflects 
the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of 
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the Federal Government which, by its proven 
ability to meet those requirements, shall be 
classical architecture and traditional architec-
ture, while not excluding the possibility of alter-
native architectural styles in appropriate cir-
cumstances. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), each Federal agency shall en-
sure that— 
(i) major emphasis is placed on the 
choice of design that embodies architec-
tural excellence; 
(ii) specific attention is paid to the 
possibilities of incorporating into that de-
sign qualities that reflect the regional ar-
chitectural traditions of the area of the 
United States in which the applicable Fed-
eral public building is located; 
(iii) where appropriate, fine art is in-
corporated into that design, with emphasis 
on the work of living American artists; 
(iv) the design adheres to sound con-
struction practice and uses proven depend-
able materials, methods, and equipment; 
and 
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(v) applicable Federal public buildings 
are economical to build, operate, and main-
tain and accessible to the handicapped. 
(2) FLOW OF DESIGN.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Design must flow from 
the needs of the Federal Government and the 
aspirations and preferences of the people of the 
United States to the architectural profession, 
and not vice versa. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), each Federal agency shall— 
(i) be willing to pay additional costs to 
avoid excessive uniformity in the design of 
applicable Federal public buildings; 
(ii) where appropriate, carry out com-
petitions for the design of applicable Fed-
eral public buildings; and 
(iii) prior to the awarding of impor-
tant design contracts, seek the advice of 
distinguished architects practiced in clas-
sical architecture or traditional architec-
ture. 
(3) BUILDING SITES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The choice and devel-
opment of the site of an applicable Federal pub-
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lic building shall be considered the first step of 
the design process, which shall be the made in 
cooperation with State and local agencies. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), each Federal agency shall— 
(i) pay special attention to the general 
ensemble of streets and public places of 
which the applicable Federal public build-
ings will form a part; and 
(ii) where possible, ensure applicable 
Federal public buildings are located in a 
way so as to permit a generous develop-
ment of landscape. 
SEC. 5. GSA REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 
(1) adhere to the policy of the United States 
described in section 2 and the Guiding Principles; 
and 
(2) expeditiously update policies and procedures 
of the Administration— 
(A) to incorporate the policy of the United 
States described in section 2 and the Guiding 
Principles; and 
(B) to advance the purpose of this Act. 
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(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In adhering to the policy of the 
United States described in section 2 and the Guiding Prin-
ciples, the Administrator shall— 
(1) ensure that architects employed by the Ad-
ministration, whose duties include reviewing, assist-
ing with, or approving the selection of architects or 
designs for applicable Federal public buildings, have 
formal training in, or substantial and significant ex-
perience with, classical architecture or traditional ar-
chitecture; 
(2) establish a position of Senior Advisor for 
Architectural Design in the Administration, which 
shall be filled by an individual with specialized expe-
rience in classical architecture or traditional archi-
tecture, the responsibilities of which shall be— 
(A) to assist in the development of Admin-
istration procedures relating to carrying out 
this Act; 
(B) to advise on architectural standards; 
and 
(C) to provide guidance to the Adminis-
trator during design evaluations or design ju-
ries; 
(3) where the design of an applicable Federal 
public building is selected pursuant to a design-build 
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competition under section 3309 of title 41, United 
States Code— 
(A) list experience with classical architec-
ture or traditional architecture as specialized 
experience and technical competence in the 
phase-one solicitation; and 
(B) give substantial weight to those factors 
when evaluating which offerors will be advanced 
to phase-two; and 
(4) consistent with sections 4302 and 4312 of 
title 5, United States Code, make advancing the pur-
poses and implementing the policies of this Act a 
critical performance element in the individual per-
formance plans of the Chief Architect of the Admin-
istration and appropriate subordinate employees in 
the Public Buildings Service involved in selecting de-
signs for applicable Federal public buildings. 
(c) DESIGN COMPETITIONS.—In addition to the re-
quirements described in subsection (b)(3), if the Adminis-
trator intends to select a building design for an applicable 
Federal building pursuant to a design competition, the Ad-
ministrator shall— 
(1) actively recruit architectural firms; 
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(2) as applicable, recruit designers with experi-
ence in classical architecture and traditional archi-
tecture to enter the competition; and 
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure 
that multiple design modes are advanced to the final 
evaluation round. 
(d) NOTIFICATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—If the Administrator pro-
poses to approve a design for a new applicable Fed-
eral public building that diverges from the preferred 
architecture, 
including 
Brutalist 
architecture, 
Deconstructivist architecture, or any design derived 
from or related to those styles of architecture, the 
Administrator shall submit to the Assistant to the 
President for Domestic Policy, not later than 30 
days before the date on which the Administrator 
could reject the design without incurring substantial 
expenditures, a notification in accordance with para-
graph (2). 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A notification submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall describe the reasons the 
Administrator proposes to approve a design de-
scribed in that paragraph, including— 
(A) a detailed explanation of why the Ad-
ministrator believes selecting the design is justi-
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fied, with particular focus on whether the de-
sign is as beautiful and reflective of the dignity, 
enterprise, vigor, and stability of the system of 
self-government in the United States as alter-
native designs of comparable cost using pre-
ferred architecture; 
(B) the total expected cost of adopting the 
proposed design, including estimated mainte-
nance and replacement costs throughout the ex-
pected lifecycle of the design; and 
(C)(i) a description of the designs using 
preferred architecture seriously considered for 
the project; and 
(ii) the total expected cost of adopting 
those designs, including estimated maintenance 
and replacement costs throughout the expected 
lifecycles of those designs. 
SEC. 6. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
(a) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this Act im-
pairs or otherwise affects— 
(1) the authority granted by law to an executive 
department or agency, or the head thereof; or 
(2) the functions of the Director of the Office 
of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, 
administrative, or legislative proposals. 
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(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—This Act shall be imple-
mented consistent with applicable law and subject to the 
availability of appropriations. 
(c) NO CREATION OF RIGHT OR BENEFIT.—Nothing 
in this Act creates any right or benefit, substantive or pro-
cedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party 
against the United States, including— 
(1) its departments, agencies, or entities; 
(2) its officers, employees, or agents; or 
(3) any other person. 
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Annually, the Administrator shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Ac-
countability of the House of Representatives a report re-
lating to the carrying out of this Act, detailing adherence 
to the policy of the United States described in section 2 
and the Guiding Principles. 
Æ 
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