When the U.S. Department of Transportation sought to consolidate the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, MA, Vanderweil was engaged to engineer the MEP, fire protection, and fire alarm systems for this new 595,000 sf building. The new U.S. DOT Volpe Center will consolidate its operations spread across six buildings to a new LEED Gold facility in the heart of Kendall Square.

The consolidation effort focuses on bringing together multi-modal staff from across the U.S. DOT to foster connection and the exchange of ideas. The center will feature an open office plan, 26,000 sf of accessible lab space, 38,000 sf of training and conference rooms, full-scale kitchen and dining facilities, a childcare center, and both underground and surface parking.

Security is a top priority for the U.S. DOT Volpe Center. It will feature a sensitive compartmentalized information facility (SCIF) as well as a blast-resistant structural design.

This project was executed under a property-exchange agreement. As part of the agreement, one party designs and constructs a new building for the second party, and in turn the second party will receive the balance of the land currently assigned.