Ship Design & Fleet Support Center Concept Study

The Wiley|Wilson/Burns & McDonnell Joint Venture has created a building concept study for a new Ship Design & Fleet Support Center at Naval Support Facility Carderock. The goal of the new center is to unify the technical staff of the Ship and Submarine Acquisition Engineering Division (Code 81) in a single facility. This concept study was developed over several phases to determine space utilization and to create a site plan indicating which mission and user requirements can be met within an established budget not to exceed a $6 million construction cost.

The new Ship Design & Fleet Support Center will bring the diverse technical staff of the Ship and Submarine Acquisition Engineering Division (Code 81) under one roof. The goal is to unify their mission of acquisition programs for hull, mechanical, and electrical systems (HM&E) with cost engineering. The building will serve as a catalyst to engage team members associated with various projects while also supporting the research, development, testing, and evaluation operations at Naval Support Facility Carderock (NSF Carderock) in West Bethesda, MD. This facility will foster a collaborative work environment that appeals to the next generation of researchers and analysts, while providing the necessary resources for all team members.

The Division’s current collaborative, team-focused approach could be significantly enhanced by having adequate space for more in-house design, build, test and evaluations — functions that are currently handled by subcontractors. Such a space would strengthen in-house team dynamics and cohesion, which are currently hampered due to the lack of adequate facilities. The new facility must embrace and support this collaborative environment by providing both open, team-oriented spaces and private, quick work areas for individual-focused activities.