Drug Enforcement Administration Campus Masterplan

The master planning effort for the DEA Training Academy at The Marine Corps Base at Quantico Virginia incorporated an analysis of the existing Training Academy campus and site, including natural, regulatory, and utility demand constraints. An in-depth programming was completed with the DEA to determine future needs, opportunities for efficiency improvements, and user responses. The master plan was developed to balance the site constraints and the future needs in a way that created a cohesive campus identity.

Internally, we worked closely with representatives from DEA and Training Academy leaders, operations, tactical training instructors, and other user groups. The effort included coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as partners within the Department of Justice campus at Quantico, as well as the Marine Corps Base Quantico command as both owner and regulatory conduit.

Creating a master plan solution that more than doubled the building and site programming, while respecting the varied environmental constraints, was a significant challenge to the project. The outcome creates a clear circulation and arrival sequence for trainees, staff and visitors. Exterior spaces function both as flexible event locations as well as daily assets to the Academy. The natural setting surrounding the developed areas, including a number of sensitive wetlands, were preserved. Sustainability measures were incorporated into the master planning effort to ensure that the future design and construction that results from the plan will meet government mandates as effectively and efficiently as possible.