Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) have shared photos of their new U.S. DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center project in Cambridge, Massachusetts following the building’s formal public inauguration in September.

The 13-story, 410,000-square-foot building reclaims an existing 14-acre lot in Kendall Square that has been used by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) since 1970. Added outdoor public spaces replete with an undulating Maya Lin land art piece and further landscaping designed by Reed Hilderbrand surround the new design, which houses formerly separate laboratory facilities, data centers, and administrative offices into a singular “vertical campus” concept for the first time.

The building is oriented to maximize the sun’s position throughout the year while also working to minimize glare and solar radiation at the east and west elevations. The Center's footprint has been reduced to 4 acres as part of a land-use agreement signed with MIT’s investment company. Its internal program is the result of the configuration of two horizontal rectangular blocks, the larger three-story base of which is separated by a setback on top. 

A 90,000-square-foot vehicle testing space with a supporting anechoic chamber, employees’ child care center, gym, and central conference space are all included, along with office spaces designed by Gensler. 

“The work of this new headquarters fits perfectly with the entrepreneurial identity of Kendall Square, and the building’s configuration and interior palette are key to making it a welcoming place,” SOM Principal Joseph Ruocco said, speaking to the Center's context in the innovation-rich east side of Cambridge. Partner Chris Cooper says in the end his team’s design “empowered the Volpe Center to reveal itself, and its work, to the public.” 

The project achieved LEED Platinum certification through its construction and was given a citation by the General Service Administration (GSA) as part of the agency’s 2022 Design Awards program. SOM also worked through its branding studio to develop signage and a graphical identity that communicates a sense of motion central to the DOT's organizational mission. 

A rooftop solar array, stormwater retention capabilities, and air force heat pumps also contribute to the building’s overall sustainable performance. Atelier Ten was another collaborator on the project, which is designed along Federal safety standards to be blast-proof in order to create a space for researchers that is "as safe as it is welcoming."