Coming Fall 2023 – A New Era of Transportation Innovation 

U.S. DOT Volpe Center @ Kendall Square

A New Era of Transportation Innovation  

U.S. DOT will open its doors to a new, state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Kendall Square in the fall of 2023.   

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center has been an active part of the Cambridge, MA and the Kendall Square community since 1970. This premier location, known as “the most innovative square mile in the planet,” firmly positions the U.S. DOT in the epicenter of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurial startups. The vibrancy, diversity, and energy of this location infuses our culture, helps inform our work, and optimally supports the current and future needs of the Department.  

After more than 50 years, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center is building on its longstanding history and legacy and moving forward to accommodate growth and change as we look toward our bright future.   

Our New Footprint  

• Four acres in the heart of Kendall Square  
• One building  
• Goal to be LEED Gold certified   
• Approximately 305,000 usable square feet (USF)  
• Approximately 26,000 USF of laboratories  
• Approximately 38,000 USF of conference and meeting space  
• 300 underground parking spaces and surface visitor parking  
• Brand new childcare center   
• Accessible by MBTA  

Designed to Perform  

Our new facility is designed to enhance the innovation, collaboration, flexibility, and partnerships that have long been part of our culture—and embrace the emerging transportation needs of the future.   

Innovation   

• The new U.S. DOT Volpe Center facility will include laboratories, conference space, offices, open workstations, and joint use space that bring multimodal staff from across U.S. DOT together to encourage collaboration, foster connection, and the exchange of ideas.   
• The open atrium, glass walls, and large-scale LED demonstration boards will not only showcase our innovation and spark ideas inside the U.S. DOT Volpe Center, but also bring the conversation outside into Kendall Square.   
• Built with sustainability and resilience in mind, the new U.S. DOT Volpe Center facility will feature the highest levels of certification in energy and environmental design.   

Collaboration  

• Our new U.S. DOT Volpe Center is built for collaboration with open floor plans and collaboration space designed with safety and the emerging needs of our workforce.   
• The new facility features state-of-the-art, accessible lab space that allows our researchers to collaborate and innovate to test theoretical concepts in real-world simulations and put research to work to advance transportation innovation for the public good.   
• With training rooms and conference space to accommodate up to 800 people, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center can open up its world-class expertise and expand its programming to meet the expanding needs of the transportation enterprise.   

Flexibility   

• The new facility is built with accessibility in mind, poised to accommodate the mobile-ready needs of the workforce of tomorrow.   
• Designed for agility, GSA is applying lessons learned from today to ensure that we can expand to accommodate future growth in line with the Department’s goals for the coming century and beyond.    
• Bringing together world-class transportation expertise in one building—including the U.S. DOT Volpe Center, U.S. DOT Office of the Secretary of Research and Technology, and regional U.S. DOT offices—allows for efficiencies, connections, and scalability that benefit the traveling public.   

Join the Conversation

In the fall of 2023, we welcome you to our new home at 220 Binney Street, Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts.