Story

The new 14-story, 431,376 SF WMATA Virginia Headquarters Building is one of three new headquarters buildings located in Alexandria, Virginia that WMATA constructed to replace their previous space in Washington, D.C. The $252 million, Class-A office building includes three levels of parking, a 15,000 SF data center, 40,000 SF operation command center, a prominent main lobby entrance and building amenities. Amenities include a fitness center and a multi-purpose innovation lab. This multi-purpose lab space is available for public use, such as school groups, to learn about current transit and the history of transit. The project was led by developer Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners with Gensler as the Architect. The project achieved LEED Gold certification. The structure is constructed of cast-in-place concrete and includes precast cladding. The building features a window wall façade with intermittent precast spandrels on Levels 5-14. The 15,000 SF, 1.5 MW data center required electrical redundancy from two separate utility lines and backup generators that provide redundant power and cooling. Enhanced security features include enhanced access control, new crash barriers, newly implemented blast mitigation measures through laminated glazing and column reinforcement. Critical operational components include a 40,000 SF operation command center for rail, bus and security operations which features 18-inch raised access flooring. The data center features three-foot raised access flooring and was turned over six months prior to the completion of the building for loading equipment and data transfer. The project team navigated numerous safety risks, including performing work near an active rail. The north elevation of the WMATA Virginia New Headquarters building is located 15 feet away from active WMATA rails and a tunnel which serve the Yellow and Blue Lines. Hensel Phelps was tasked with developing a plan to manage the risks associated with performing work near the active rail while maintaining critical rail service and ensuring the safety of the traveling public. The erection of the skin directly above the active rail also presented additional challenges, including meeting project schedule demands while also meeting stringent WMATA safety requirements. The team developed several layers of protection to manage the heightened risks. For example, it was written into the concrete trade partner’s scope to include cantilever debris netting below the live deck as work progressed vertically. The team also coordinated closely with WMATA to schedule precast and curtainwall installation during off-hours when the track adjacent to the building was shut down. The protections that were put in place effectively prevented any safety incidents during the construction of this complex project. Hensel Phelps successfully navigated the numerous complex safety risks on the WMATA VA Headquarters project and accomplished a milestone of exceeding one million work hours without a lost time incident.