Category Archives: Public Safety Facility

BIM – Streamlining Design of Public Safety Architecture

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One of the biggest advantages a firm specializing in Public Safety architecture can have is the ability to adapt.  Building Information Modeling (BIM) will no doubt test this.  BIM is a process which includes the design, presentation, documentation and life cycle analysis of a project from the initial concept all the way through building maintenance after construction is completed.  While BIM is not the standard for every project, we have found numerous benefits simply by using the BIM software and trying to adapt to its core principles.

While it is true that we design numerous police stations, emergency operations centers and fire stations, each project is unique in how they begin.  Some start with a space needs assessment and bubble diagram, while others start with a master plan.  Still others can start from a sketch done at a meeting!  The problem for the design staff is the ability to consistently portray the design intent no matter what the initial source material entails.  We use a host of software for this task including AutoCAD (line drawings), Sketchup (3D model views and renderings) and Photoshop (graphics and rendering enhancements).

Our transition to BIM has helped this process.  The BIM software we use is Revit Architecture.  This software allows us to accurately model a design while at the same time producing accurate and coordinated drawings.  Instead of putting aside the files that we produced to represent the design intent, we can transfer these files into Revit.  This means that the initial planning and presentation of projects can more accurately represent what the final construction documents describe.  We can use our tools in tandem to render the pretty pictures while concurrently producing drawings that will be further refined all the way through construction documents.

So, it is true that the intensive process of BIM maybe unnecessary for some projects.  Nevertheless, at the core of BIM is the notion of streamlining the sources of information for better coordination and integration.

Public Safety Facilities – Providing for New and Updated Facilities

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The operational needs of public safety entities, including law enforcement, fire & emergency medical services, emergency management and emergency communications, require secure, survivable, technologically advanced facilities from which staff can operate.  Operations must be continuous, both in typical times and in times of emergency situations.  The structures that these operations are housed in require what is known as a “survivable” building envelope, which can withstand both natural and man-made catastrophic events.

The exterior roof and wall components of the building, including windows, doors, canopies, roof membrane, lighting, air intake and exhaust vents, etc. must all be able to withstand external forces, such as high winds and impacts associated with storms and explosive blasts.  These structures also need to be located on sites which allow for both secure and non-secure points of access, as well as provide for limited secure buffer zones (known as “stand-off distance” zones).

In addition, there are specialized spaces associated with these operations that require specialized systems, such as security, communications, audio/visual, specialized fire protection, HVAC, and electrical systems, as well as redundant back-up capacity for all of these components to function when primary sources of power, data, heating and cooling are not functioning.  These systems must conform to current code requirements.

When cities, counties, state and federal entities consider their on-going need to update their public safety facilities, they must consider the cost impact of the above requirements. While it is possible to update existing facilities to incorporate these systems and strengthen the exterior building envelope, it is, in most cases, more cost effective to provide for a new facility which incorporates current and, if possible, future systems and space capacity for on-going operations.

New building material technologies, especially for glazing, roofing and coatings are being developed for stronger and more durable building performance.  Technologies continue to evolve for communications & data systems.  Audio/visual systems used for training of personnel have also changed in recent years.  These same systems now allow for a much broader means of connectivity among the public safety / emergency management community and the community at large. All of these improved materials and systems are more easily incorporated into new facilities which allow adequate space and adjacencies for maximizing performance.

Developing Successful Teaming Opportunities for Complex Public Safety Projects

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As a firm that specializes in planning and designing Public Safety facilities, Architects Design Group has found that establishing teams with local architects and engineers has many advantages for all parties involved. As our work is national in scope, we have learned that local involvement has a distinct benefit not only in the selection process, but as the project progresses into design and construction.

In many cases, governmental entities want to see local firms involved in their projects, especially in this time of economic instability and stress. Many times local architecture firms may not have the necessary specialized experience needed for a complex Public Safety project, but they can offer the client immediate local availability. In this case, it is beneficial for local firms to team with a national Public Safety Architect, such as Architects Design Group, that provides specific and in-depth experience with complex projects such as Law Enforcement, Fire, Communications Centers, and Emergency Operations Center facilities. Projects of this type mandate prior comprehensive experience and a clear understanding of such issues as facility survivability and security.

Creating the appropriate team for a Public Safety project is a product of mutual respect for the local community and the complex needs of these specialized and complex facilities. In many respects, it is like a marriage in which each firm commits to the creation of a successful project…..a process that can span two or even three years, depending upon the complexity and magnitude of the project. So, think carefully about the benefits of teaming opportunities, and if the right project presents itself, team with a firm that you would enjoy working with and which will expand your horizons.

Sanford Public Safety Complex Topping Out Party

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On Friday, April 23, the City of Sanford, Florida celebrated the topping out of the new Public Safety Complex, located just east of the historic Goldsboro neighborhood.  Attendees included elected officials, the city’s police and fire chiefs, Architects Design Group (ADG) design team, and Wharton Smith construction management team and sub contractors.  The topping out marked the milestone where the highest structural element was installed at the atrium roof.  The atrium connects the police and fire department’s 76,000 square foot, two story facility made from concrete tilt panel walls and steel structure.

 

ADG designed the complex to include all necessary elements for a fully functioning police department; vehicle evidence processing, emergency services unit vehicle storage and a drive through sallyport, while the two-story fire department is comprised of a five-bay fire station and crew quarters on the first floor and fire administration and emergency operations center on the second floor.

 

The structure has been designed to withstand wind speeds in excess of 150 mph, with 100% mechanical and electrical redundancy to all critical infrastructure, to ensure the complex remains operational before, during and after a natural or man-made disaster.

 

ADG also assisted the city in acquiring more than $700,000 in FEMA grant funding for the project.

 

Construction is scheduled to be completed in October, 2010.

ADG Presents New Frankfort Public Safety Facility

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The Kentucky City/County Management Association held a joint conference with the Tennessee City Management Association in March in Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky. Park of the two state meeting included a segment on the new ADG designed Frankfort Public Safety Facility.

Mr. Keith Reeves, V, President of ADG, gave a detailed presentation to the City Managers that outlined the “process,” including the site selection procedure. Following the presentation, the City Managers toured the 35,650 square foot facility and met with the various entities that are accommodated in the new facility, including the Police Department, Fire Administration, 9-1-1 Communications and the Department of Emergency Management.

Reeves noted that the presentation and tour was an excellent way for the various City Managers to learn firsthand about the issues and realities of how to make a complex project become a reality, and how to respond to citizen’s questions regarding funding such a new facility during a “challenging” economic time.

The facility was competitively bid thru the Construction Manager (CM) at Risk process during a period when construction was at an all time high and values were changing on a weekly basis. The facility construction was completed in 2009 at a cost of approximately $9.8 million or at a value of $276 per square foot, including the demolition of the existing Police Department building that the new facility replaced.