CDER Office Building 1, FDA Consolidation Project, White Oak, MD

The CDER Office Building 1, the second phase of construction in the FDA’s consolidation into the Federal Research Center, is the largest building in the complex.

The LEED Silver design consists of a 6-story, H-shaped structure and a 4-story, I-shaped structure connected by a series of covered bridges on the second level and an underground tunnel system on the basement level. The structure incorporates offices, support workstations, conference rooms, pantries, IT support facilities, a food-service area, a mailroom, and more.

Special Design Features
The building sits on conventional footings with special progressive collapse beams that make the building stronger and more blast resistant. Some beams are more than 4 feet deep around the perimeter. The structure’s five wings enhance the use of daylight throughout the interior space. An aluminum framing system separates the hundreds of offices in the building. Clear glass at the top and frosted glass below expose all offices to natural light.

Design/Construction Challenge
During construction, the caisson system designed as the foundation was deemed undesirable. The owner requested that a basement be added under two wings to accommodate new programming. Caissons were deleted, a new foundation plan was determined in the field, and the architect redesigned.