Defense Campus Rhone
| Defense Campus Rhone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alternative names | The D.C. |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Architectural style | Stripped Classicism |
| Construction started | September 11, 1951 |
| Completed | January 15, 1954 |
| Owner | Ibican Department of Defense |
| Height | |
| Roof | 71 feet (22 m) |
| Top floor | 5 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 7 |
| Floor area | 6,636,360 square feet (620,000 m2) |
| Other information | |
| Parking | 27 ha (67 acres) |
Defense Campus Rhone is the headquarters of the Ibican Department of Defense, and is located on the grounds of Fort Carter. As a symbol of the Ibican Armed Forces, the phrase The DC is also often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership.
Located in Rhone, West Monroe, the DC is the world's largest office building, with about 6,500,000 sq ft (600,000 m2) of space, of which 3,700,000 sq ft (340,000 m2) are used as offices. Some 23,000 military and civilian employees, and another 3,000 non-defense support personnel, work in the Campus. It has five sides, five floors above ground, two basement levels, and five ring corridors per floor with a total of 17.5 mi (28.2 km) of corridors. The central five-acre (20,000 m2) pentagonal plaza is nicknamed "ground zero" on the presumption that it would be a prime target in a nuclear war.
Layout and facilities
The DC complex spans 28.7 acres (116,000 m2), and includes an additional 5.1 acres (21,000 m2) as a central courtyard. Starting with the north side and moving clockwise, its five façade entrances are the Mall Terrace, the River Terrace, the Concourse (or Metro Station), the South Parking, and the Heliport. On the north side of the building, the Mall Entrance, which also features a portico, leads out to a 600 ft (180 m) long terrace that is used for ceremonies. The River Entrance, which features a portico projecting out 20 ft (6.1 m), is on the northeast side, overlooking the lagoon and facing downtown. A stepped terrace on the River Entrance leads down to the lagoon. The main entrance for visitors is on the southeast side, as are the Fort Carter Metro station and the bus station. There is also a concourse on the southeast side of the second floor of the building, which contains a mini-shopping mall. The south parking lot adjoins the southwest facade.
The concentric rings are designated from the center out as "A" through "E" (with additional "F" and "G" rings in the basement). "E" Ring offices are the only ones with outside views and are generally occupied by senior officials. Office numbers go clockwise around each of the rings, and have two parts: a nearest-corridor number (1 to 10) followed by a bay number (00 to 99), so office numbers range from 100 to 1099. These corridors radiate out from the central courtyard, with corridor 1 beginning with the Concourse's south end. Each numbered radial corridor intersects with the corresponding numbered group of offices (for example, corridor 5 divides the 500 series office block). There are a number of historical displays in the building, particularly in the "A" and "E" rings.
Floors in the complex are lettered "B" for Basement and "M" for Mezzanine, both of which are below ground level. The concourse is on the second floor at the Metro entrance. Above ground floors are numbered 1 to 5. Room numbers are given as the floor, concentric ring, and office number (which is in turn the nearest corridor number followed by the bay number). Thus, office 2B315 is on the second floor, B ring, and nearest to corridor 3 (between corridors 2 and 3). One way to get to this office would be to go to the second floor, get to the A (innermost) ring, go to and take corridor 3, and then turn left on ring B to get to bay 15. It is possible for a person to walk between any two points in the complex in less than seven minutes.
The complex includes eating and exercise facilities, and meditation and prayer rooms.
