General Contractor for the State Capitol and Bataan Memorial Complex
State agencies rarely have a building they can empty so a contractor can work in it, and the capitol area is built on that fact. We renovate and build for the agencies, courts and legislative offices clustered around the Roundhouse and the Bataan Memorial Building, and we plan everything around people who must keep working: legislators and staff, judges and clerks, and the public who come to watch.
The New Mexico State Capitol, known as the Roundhouse, was built from 1964 to 1966 and dedicated December 8, 1966, at a cost of $4,676,860 for 232,346 square feet. It is the only circular state capitol in the United States and part of a complex with executive agency offices and the New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. A circular building has no square corners, and every trade that enters it learns that quickly. We bring that awareness to the buildings around it as well.
What the complex asks of a builder
Building types here include legislative and committee spaces, executive office suites, courtrooms, records storage, parking and public circulation, and each has specific requirements for security, acoustics and accessibility. In the Roundhouse, a 1992 renovation included committee room expansion, asbestos abatement, and mechanical, electrical and accessibility improvements, and the building was rededicated December 4, 1992. That list is a fair summary of what aging public buildings need again: hazardous material control, systems replacement and access for everyone.
We work with state project managers who juggle appropriations, session calendars and public scrutiny. A contractor in that environment needs to speak plainly about cost, to document decisions and to avoid surprises, and that is the way we run the job.
Building around a working Legislature
Session calendars set the real deadlines in this part of town. Noisy work, such as demolition, drilling and heavy deliveries, is scheduled for periods when chambers and committee rooms are not in use, and we agree on blackout dates in writing. Between sessions, we compress the work that cannot happen otherwise, and we protect finished spaces so the building is ready to open on the first day.
Security is part of the plan. Workers are screened, tools and materials are controlled and construction areas are separated from public paths. We submit rosters, escort deliveries when required and keep the site tidy for the people who walk past it each day. Phased construction on occupied sites is what this really means in practice.
Codes, approvals and historic status
The 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code adopts the 2021 International Building Code as amended and took effect July 14, 2023. For work in existing public buildings, the Regulation and Licensing Department's code page also lists the 2021 New Mexico Existing Building Code, and plumbing and mechanical work is moving to the 2024 New Mexico editions, with either accepted until January 1, 2027. We check which edition applies on the permit date.
The Bataan Memorial Building at 407 Galisteo Street, completed in 1900 as the third Territorial Capitol, was remodeled in Territorial Revival style from 1949 to 1952, with the dome removed and a five-story tower added, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 2025. Work on a listed building calls for review of changes, so we ask early which approvals the project needs and who grants them.
Renovation, systems and new construction
Typical scopes in this district include office renovations, mechanical and electrical upgrades, accessibility improvements, security and courtroom improvements, roof and envelope repairs, and new support buildings or parking. Our approach to municipal and government construction brings written procedures for submittals, change orders and payment applications, so project managers have a clear record.
Older buildings need investigation. We examine ceilings, chases, floors and roofs before we price, open sample areas to confirm conditions, and sample for asbestos and lead before disruption. A building that has been altered several times, as the Bataan Memorial Building has, rarely matches its drawings, and we plan.
Public owners and their requirements
State agencies, the courts, the Legislature and the city and county governments all buy construction differently. Procurement rules, bonding requirements, wage and reporting conditions and forms vary, and we prepare for each in advance. Our government and public sector experience means we expect to document, to hold bid dates and to make our books available for review.
Private owners in the vicinity, such as law offices, advocacy groups and professional firms, share these streets. Commercial real estate developers who build near the capitol find that parking, security and views are all sensitive topics, and we help work through them.
Scheduling, transit and parking
The Rail Runner's South Capitol station, which serves the capitol area, opened December 17, 2008. Staff and visitors use it, and so do trades, who can arrive without parking in already crowded lots. We plan work hours and parking with the owner and encourage transit or carpooling when it helps.
Deliveries are consolidated, staged at off-site yards when possible and moved into the work area in small loads. Where streets are closed or sidewalks are narrow, we confirm permits and signage in advance. Our pages on the Plaza and Historic District and Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive corridor describe how nearby streets and review processes affect scheduling.
Plan capitol-area work with us
Tell us the building, the occupants and the calendar you must respect. We will walk the space, document conditions and give you a phased schedule with the quiet periods marked.
Questions Owners Ask
Can you work in a public building while it stays open?
Yes, and it is the normal condition here. We divide the building into zones, use temporary partitions with dust control, agree on noisy work periods, and keep egress and fire protection in service. Legislative session calendars often set the blackout dates, and we put them on the schedule from the first day.
How do you handle hazardous materials in older public buildings?
We test before we disturb. A previous renovation of the Roundhouse included asbestos abatement, which shows how common the issue is in buildings of that age. Licensed abatement contractors work under a plan, with air monitoring and containment, and we complete that work before other trades enter the area.
What is different about working on a listed historic building?
Changes to a building on the National Register of Historic Places typically involve review, and the Bataan Memorial Building at 407 Galisteo Street was listed on February 28, 2025. We ask early which agency reviews the work, prepare documentation of existing conditions and plan the schedule to include that approval.
How do you control security on site?
We follow the owner security requirements: worker lists, identification, controlled deliveries, locked material storage and separation between construction and public areas. We train crews on the rules and assign a single point of contact so security staff always know whom to call.
Which building codes apply to a state office renovation?
The 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code, based on the 2021 International Building Code as amended, took effect July 14, 2023. The 2021 New Mexico Existing Building Code is also on the state code list for work in existing buildings. Your design team and the building official decide which provisions apply, and we confirm before construction.