It's not a memorial, agrees Barney, but it's not an ordinary building either. "It's more than Oklahoma City's building; it's more than just the federal government's building," she says. "People have made this a symbol in their lives. I want it to look brave. I want it to look open and clean. I want it to have clarity. If you move forward from a terrible event, you need to have a path with some clarity."

Visit the GSA on the Web (www.gsa.gov). Contact Carol Ross Barney by email (crossbarney@rbjarchitects.com).

Sidebar: Government Issue

Whether it's the new federal building in Oklahoma City or a new courthouse on Long Island, Ed Feiner, the GSA's chief architect, wants government buildings to be anything but the drab boxes built during the 1960s -- buildings featured on the "wall of shame" in his office.

"Commercial buildings come and go," says Feiner, who sports a suit and cowboy boots and speaks with a rapid-fire Bronx accent. "But it is our public buildings that will be here long after we're gone. How do you create something that expresses where we are now and where we want to go?"

During the past 10 years, Feiner has dramatically revamped how the GSA works with architects. The goal: Build the best designs from the best designers. Previously, designers were required to assemble teams of specialists and complete voluminous government forms up front. Now they submit a quarter-inch-thick portfolio. Previous federal-building experience is no longer a priority.

The changes are working. Some of the top names in architecture are behind the GSA's newest buildings, including courthouses in New York (designed by Richard Meier) and Las Vegas (designed by Mehrdad Yazdani). Thom Mayne, known for his ultra-modern designs, once claimed that he would never get selected for a federal project. Now he has three in the works.

Just how far has the GSA come? Feiner offers a full-page photo from a fashion magazine with a model posed in front of one of his new buildings. "Can you imagine a federal building being used in a fashion shoot?"