 The National Capital Planning Commission ( NCPC ) unanimously approved plans for the building in 2007 . The groundbreaking ceremony took place the following year in June . Dignitaries in attendance included President George W. Bush , Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci , and former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger , George P. Shultz , and Madeleine Albright . During the ceremony , some of the speakers hinted their opposing views of Bush 's use of preventive war . Construction of the 154 @,@ 000 sq ft ( 14 @,@ 300 m2 ) headquarters , which is LEED Gold certified , was carried out by Clark Construction Group of Bethesda , Maryland . The U.S. Green Building Council certified it as the first environmentally friendly building on the National Mall . The headquarters , which is managed by real estate services firm Akridge , was dedicated in October 2011 . That same year , the Samuel W. Lewis Hall was dedicated in honor of the former ambassador to Israel and USIP president . " 
