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Locationmajor

IAA Building

The IAA Building is the Los Santos headquarters of the fictional International Affairs Agency in Grand Theft Auto V.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • The building is in Pillbox Hill, at the junction of Power Street and Swiss Street, next to the FIB Headquarters.
  • It is a 53-floor IAA skyscraper, but the full tower is not freely enterable in ordinary Story Mode.
  • Its principal Story Mode appearance is Three’s Company, where Michael descends from the roof and the trio fight through an IAA office interior.
  • The building’s interior includes offices, corridors, security areas, an interview room and the Legal Affairs section on the 36th floor.
  • Monkey Business concerns an IAA operation at Humane Labs, not an assault on this tower.
  • The IAA Building is not a purchasable property, shop, safehouse, collectible venue or normal public facility.

About this guide

Spoiler warning: This guide discusses the story missions Three’s Company, Monkey Business, The Bureau Raid and related IAA plot developments.

Overview

This guide covers the IAA Building in Grand Theft Auto V, with clearly labelled notes for Grand Theft Auto Online where the location differs. It treats the building itself as the subject, not the wider Pillbox Hill district, the neighbouring FIB Headquarters, or the separate IAA research facility at Humane Labs.

This guide covers the IAA Building in Grand Theft Auto V, with clearly labelled notes for Grand Theft Auto Online where the location differs. It treats the building itself as the subject, not the wider Pillbox Hill district, the neighbouring FIB Headquarters, or the separate IAA research facility at Humane Labs.

Introduction

The IAA Building, formally the IAA Headquarters, is a high-rise government office in Pillbox Hill, Downtown Los Santos. It is the Los Santos headquarters of the fictional International Affairs Agency, the GTA universe’s satirical counterpart to the CIA.

The tower stands on the corner of Power Street and Swiss Street, immediately beside the FIB Headquarters. It is one of the most recognisable buildings in central Los Santos, although most of its interior is normally inaccessible. The building’s main playable interior is used during Three’s Company, in which Michael, Franklin and Trevor infiltrate the headquarters to rescue the alleged spy Ferdinand “Mr K” Kerimov.

The IAA Building is easy to confuse with two other locations:

They are separate places with separate interiors, missions and progression states.

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Position within Pillbox Hill

The IAA Building occupies a prominent corner in the government and commercial core of Downtown Los Santos. Its immediate footprint is bounded by:

The building should therefore be treated as a single tower and its immediate entrance or mission staging area. It is not the name of the whole government quarter and does not include the FIB Headquarters, the nearby streets, or the wider Downtown district.

The FIB Headquarters stands directly beside it. This proximity is central to the game’s story because the FIB and IAA are competing federal agencies whose rivalry drives several missions. The eastern side of the IAA Building is associated with Elgin Avenue, which provides another useful navigation reference when approaching from the central Downtown roads.

Neighbouring places

The following locations are near the IAA Building but are not part of it:

The FIB Headquarters must be kept separate in any mission guide. It has its own lobby, offices, servers, elevators, floors and heist damage states. It is the target of The Bureau Raid, not the IAA Building.

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The IAA Building is a tall, modern glass-and-steel office tower. Its appearance deliberately complements the nearby FIB Headquarters. Both structures represent large federal agencies and use similar monumental proportions, reflective windows and restricted-access architecture.

From street level, the most useful identification features are:

The building is not designed as a normal commercial skyscraper. There is no ordinary public reception function available to the player, no working lift entrance in free roam and no standard shop or service marker.

Neighbouring places

NameDetails
FIB Headquartersthe neighbouring federal tower.
Pillbox Hill Medical Centeran emergency and hospital landmark in the same general central area.
Arcadius Business Centera nearby skyscraper used as Franklin’s sniper position during Three’s Company.
Maze Bank Towera major skyline landmark visible from the Downtown government district.
Downtown streets and junctionssurrounding roads used for approach, escape and emergency traffic.

Real-world inspiration

The IAA Building’s design is commonly compared with One California Plaza in Los Angeles, while its scale is closer to the taller Two California Plaza. This is an architectural comparison rather than an in-universe statement that the tower is a direct copy of either building.

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Normal Story Mode access

In an ordinary Story Mode save, the player cannot simply walk through the front doors and explore the tower. Most of the interior is loaded for mission use rather than free-roam access.

The principal accessible interior is the mission space used in Three’s Company. It represents a secure IAA office floor and includes:

The 36th floor is especially notable. It contains a Legal Affairs section and several offices, while the room in which Mr K is being held is the most important individual interior seen during the mission. The tower is described as having 53 floors, but the mission does not provide a conventional, player-operated tour of all 53 levels.

Verified named areas

The following named or functionally identified areas are associated with the building interior:

These are not separate enterable locations in the way that shops, safehouses or purchasable interiors are. They are components of a mission-loaded building interior.

Mission-only and glitch access

Some versions of the game allow players to reach parts of the IAA interior through unintended methods, including parachute or collision glitches. These methods are not normal access routes, are not reliable across platforms or updates and do not turn the building into a fully functional free-roam interior.

Reports of the interior being incompletely modelled outside the mission are consistent with the building being designed primarily as a mission space. Some walls and floors may be absent or non-solid, and falling through the structure can return the player to the street or an out-of-bounds area. Such methods should be treated as glitches rather than supported gameplay features.

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Reaching the building in free roam

The easiest approach is from the central Downtown road network:

There is no normal public lift, reception desk or mission marker permanently attached to the IAA Building.

Reaching the building in free roam: steps

  1. 01
    Travel towards Pillbox Hill.
  2. 02
    Use the skyline to identify the paired IAA and FIB towers.
  3. 03
    Follow Power Street towards the junction with Swiss Street.
  4. 04
    Stop near the tower’s exterior or the adjoining government-building plaza.
  5. 05
    Use the nearby FIB tower and the taller Downtown skyscrapers as orientation points.

Approaching during Three’s Company

The mission uses a staged approach rather than a normal street entrance.

The mission’s staging makes the building seem more freely explorable than it is in normal play. The roof, glass entry point and interior corridors are all part of the mission’s controlled sequence.

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Approaching during Three’s Company: steps

  1. 01
    Trevor flies Michael towards the IAA Building.
  2. 02
    Michael is taken to the roof.
  3. 03
    Franklin provides overwatch from the nearby Arcadius Business Center.
  4. 04
    Michael cuts through the glass and enters the upper office area.
  5. 05
    The player advances through the offices to locate Mr K.
  6. 06
    Trevor and Franklin join the operation during the extraction.
  7. 07
    The group fights its way out and escapes the building.

Mission role

Three’s Company is the defining IAA Building mission in GTA V. FIB agent Steve Haines directs Michael, Franklin and Trevor to abduct Ferdinand Kerimov, whom the authorities describe as an Azerbaijani spy. The mission is intended to embarrass or undermine the IAA while helping the FIB protect its own interests.

The operation also establishes the unstable working relationship between the three protagonists. Michael is the primary infiltrator, Franklin serves as overwatch and Trevor handles the helicopter approach and extraction.

Main participants

Factions

The building is not populated by named permanent residents. IAA agents and office workers appear as mission personnel or background figures rather than as free-roam residents with individual schedules.

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Protagonists

NameDetails
Michael De Santaenters the IAA Building and reaches the target.
Franklin Clintontakes a sniper position and provides cover.
Trevor Philipspilots the helicopter and participates in the extraction.

Story-associated characters

NameDetails
Steve HainesFIB agent who orders the operation.
Dave Nortonassociated with the wider FIB and IAA conflict.
Ferdinand Kerimov, also known as Mr Kthe target being held by the IAA.

Factions

NameDetails
International Affairs Agencycontrols the building and supplies the hostile agents inside.
Federal Investigation Bureauuses the protagonists to interfere with IAA activity.
LSPD and other emergency respondersmay appear as part of the mission’s outside response, but they are not residents or permanent occupants of the tower.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Travel to the mission start. Follow the waypoint to the government district and begin the operation.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Move to the helicopter. The protagonists gather for the aerial approach. Trevor pilots the aircraft towards the IAA Building.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Land on or approach the roof. Michael is positioned for the rooftop entry while Franklin takes up a sniper position at the nearby Arcadius Business Center.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Enter through the glass. Michael cuts into the upper floor and enters the IAA office area.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Advance through the offices. Move through the corridors and rooms, eliminating IAA personnel as they appear. The interior uses office partitions, doorways and hallways to create short firing lanes, so rushing into the next room can expose Michael to several agents at once.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Reach Mr K. Continue towards the interview area and locate Ferdinand Kerimov. The room is one of the clearest pieces of the IAA interior shown in the game.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Protect the extraction. Once the target is secured, resistance increases. Use cover, keep moving between rooms and avoid standing in a doorway while agents fire from the corridor.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Follow the escape route. The mission directs the protagonists through the building and back towards the extraction point. The route is scripted, so do not waste time looking for an ordinary lift or a hidden public exit.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Leave by helicopter. Complete the extraction and follow the mission prompts until the team escapes the immediate area.

Practical combat advice

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The IAA Building is one part of a broader conflict between the IAA and FIB. Several missions involve the IAA as an organisation without taking place inside this particular tower.

Do not confuse these missions with the building

Dead Man Walking

This mission concerns Michael, Dave Norton and the federal agencies, but its principal locations are not a free-roam visit to the IAA Building. The IAA’s role is part of the story’s institutional conflict.

Monkey Business

Monkey Business concerns an operation at Humane Labs and Research, a separate IAA-associated research facility in Blaine County. The protagonists steal an experimental chemical weapon or related research from the facility. It is not a second interior sequence in the IAA skyscraper.

The Bureau Raid

The Bureau Raid targets the FIB Headquarters, the building beside the IAA tower. Its two approaches involve either a covert fire-crew infiltration or a rooftop assault. The FIB tower has its own floor layouts, server areas, elevator routes, damage states and escape sequences.

The Wrap Up

The IAA is involved in the wider federal-agency storyline, but the mission’s active location should not automatically be labelled the IAA Building. The IAA’s presence in a mission and the physical location of its headquarters are separate facts.

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Named characters associated with the building

The following characters are associated with the IAA Building’s Story Mode sequence:

These characters are mission participants, not permanent residents of the tower.

Named characters associated with the building

NameDetails
Michael De Santaprimary infiltrator in Three’s Company.
Franklin Clintonsniper support and extraction participant.
Trevor Philipshelicopter pilot and assault participant.
Steve HainesFIB handler who orders the operation.
Ferdinand Kerimov / Mr KIAA-held target.

Ordinary NPCs

Mission-loaded IAA personnel appear inside the building. They function as:

The game does not provide a normal public NPC population for the building in free roam. It is therefore safer to describe IAA agents as mission occupants, not as an ordinary resident directory.

Factions

The IAA’s fictional identity is a recurring feature of the HD Universe. Earlier games use related agency concepts and fronts, while GTA V gives the organisation the explicit name International Affairs Agency.

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Factions

NameDetails
International Affairs Agencyowner and operator of the tower.
Federal Investigation Bureauneighbouring agency and rival power centre.
Los Santos emergency servicesmission-response forces in the surrounding area where applicable.
LSPDmay respond to major federal incidents, but does not operate the tower.

Roads directly relevant to the building

NameDetails
Power Streetthe building’s principal named street frontage.
Swiss Streetthe other road at the tower’s corner.
Elgin Avenuean important nearby eastern reference road.
Downtown street gridprovides approaches from Pillbox Hill, Legion Square and the wider central city.

Nearby navigation landmarks

The IAA Building’s relationship with the FIB tower is more important for navigation than its relationship with any shop or business. The surrounding area contains ordinary Downtown traffic and pedestrians, but the tower itself does not offer a normal commercial service.

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Nearby navigation landmarks

NameDetails
FIB Headquartersimmediately beside the IAA Building and the most important visual comparison.
Arcadius Business CenterFranklin’s mission overwatch position in Three’s Company.
Maze Bank Toweruseful skyline reference when approaching Downtown.
Pillbox Hill Medical Centera nearby emergency-services landmark.
Downtown Los Santos high-riseshelp distinguish the government towers from ordinary office blocks.

Services available at the building

No normal player-facing services have been verified inside the IAA Building. In particular, it is not confirmed as:

The tower’s offices and interview rooms are scenery or mission interiors rather than functional public facilities.

Items and collectibles

No fixed Story Mode collectible placement inside the IAA Building has been verified. The building is not a standard collectible location.

It is possible to encounter weapons or ammunition during the mission, but these are mission combat supplies or pickups rather than permanent building inventory. Their availability may depend on the mission state, difficulty, platform and whether the sequence has been replayed.

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There is no ordinary free-roam security system that allows the player to enter the tower and trigger a standard wanted response. The hostile response is tied to mission scripting.

If using an unintended interior-entry glitch, the player may fall through incomplete collision, become trapped in an unfinished room or be returned to a nearby street. These outcomes are not evidence of additional intended subareas.

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The building’s role in GTA Online

The IAA Building appears in GTA Online’s broader IAA and federal-agency content, but it remains distinct from the purchasable Facility properties introduced for the Doomsday Heist.

A Facility is a player-owned underground property with a war room, planning equipment, storage and optional upgrades. It is not the IAA Headquarters skyscraper, even though IAA personnel and IAA-related missions can connect the two concepts.

IAA agents can also appear in GTA Online mission contexts and, according to compiled location records, may rarely be seen in the plaza between the IAA and FIB buildings. This does not mean that the tower becomes a fully open public interior.

Online access warnings

These should not be merged into the Story Mode building directory. The available interior can vary according to the mission, game version, platform and update history.

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For a story-focused visit, replay Three’s Company rather than using a glitch. The mission provides the most reliable and intended view of the building’s interior.

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For a clean exterior tour

  1. 01
    Begin at Pillbox Hill Medical Center or another central Downtown landmark.
  2. 02
    Travel towards the paired FIB and IAA towers.
  3. 03
    Identify the IAA Building at Power Street and Swiss Street.
  4. 04
    Walk around the exterior without treating the neighbouring FIB tower as part of the same location.
  5. 05
    View the building from the eastern side near Elgin Avenue.
  6. 06
    Continue to the nearby FIB Headquarters and compare the two towers.
  7. 07
    Visit Arcadius Business Center if you want to recreate Franklin’s Three’s Company overwatch position.
  8. 08
    Return to the IAA Building only for exterior screenshots or mission replay.

Is the IAA Building enterable?

Not normally in free roam. Its principal Story Mode interior is accessed during Three’s Company. Unintended glitches may expose incomplete interior sections, but these are not supported access methods.

Is the IAA Building the same as the FIB Building?

No. They are neighbouring towers belonging to rival agencies. The IAA Building is used in Three’s Company, while the FIB Headquarters is the target of The Bureau Raid.

Is Humane Labs inside the IAA Building?

No. Humane Labs and Research is a separate research facility in Blaine County. It is associated with the IAA but is not a subarea of the Downtown headquarters.

Can the building be bought?

No. It is not a purchasable property in Story Mode or ordinary GTA Online gameplay.

Are there shops or services inside?

No verified public-facing shops or services are available. The offices, corridors and interview rooms are mission scenery or restricted mission interiors.

Where is the building?

It is in Pillbox Hill, Downtown Los Santos, at Power Street and Swiss Street, directly beside the FIB Headquarters.

What is the most important mission there?

Three’s Company is the principal Story Mode mission set inside the tower.

Does the building change after the story?

No major permanent damage state for the IAA Building comparable to the FIB Headquarters’ The Bureau Raid damage has been verified in the supplied evidence. Mission interiors and glitch-access states should not be treated as permanent world changes.

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This guide is based on the supplied research evidence and separates the IAA Headquarters from the FIB Headquarters and Humane Labs. The following points remain less certain than the core location information:

Status: researched guide, with the interior-prop and glitch-access portions intentionally limited to verified evidence.

Sources