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The General Services Administration's (GSA) Honor Award for Architecture has been given to outstanding recipients every two years since 1990. "The award demonstrates GSA's commitment to provide the American people with the best architecture possible, " says Edward Feiner, GSA's chief architect. This year's competition attracted 143 total entries nationwide including the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building, Las Vegas which was entered by Cannon Design, a planning and design firm with offices in eight cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The 437,000-sq. ft., $95 million courthouse creates a symbolic corner within downtown Las Vegas while establishing a design precedent for large-scale public buildings in the city. "A key objective was to make sure people recognize it as a civic building, " says Mehrdad Yazdani, design principal, Cannon Dworsky. "There was to be no confusion. This is not an office or a casino. The plaza and overall form help make this clear. " While open in appearance, the facility is also secure. The elevated plaza provides protection from vehicular bombings. In addition, the facade of the building is blast resistant. In the event of an explosion, the glass panels will not be blown away.