Institute for Defense Analyses at Potomac Yard

The Project

A 650,000+ SF building in the heart of Potomac Yard with two, eight-story office towers rising above a conference center and parking. The building’s layout affords several elevated exterior courtyards with a 70+ ft span bridge overhead connecting the towers. The office towers are designed with flexibility with large structural bays. The façade features a combination of architectural precast panels and curtainwall. The project included both the design of the base building and interiors.

Structural Features

The building’s structural system is a cast-in-place concrete frame with a combination of post-tensioned and conventionally reinforced floor plates. The typical floor framing features a creative structural solution of partial post-tensioning to achieve the client’s goal of large, open structural bays while still allowing flexibility for future modifications. The frames were also designed to support the architectural precast and curtainwall facades.

At the 6th floor, a steel Vierendeel truss frame creates a 70+ ft span bridge to connect the two office towers. At the 2nd floor, several post-tensioned girders support the public, exterior courtyard structure over a conference area below with 60-foot clear spans. At the roof, a concrete frame cantilevers 18 feet above the roof to support the precast and curtainwall screen. Additionally, several monumental stairs are provided in the building, including a 45-foot-long spanning stair connecting the main level with the second floor