Monthly Archives: May 2010

Architects Design Group – Fort Myers Open-House

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ADG celebrated four years of successfully serving clients in the Southwest Florida Region with an open-house at the firm’s office on 1518 Hendry Street in historic downtown Fort Myers.  Friends, colleagues and several past and present clients joined ADG staff for refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.   Since opening this ADG regional office, downtown Fort Myers has experienced a  refurbished central business district through historic building renovations and a streetscape program that has polished Fort Myers’ unique “Old – Florida” character.

ADG’s Fort Myers office has completed several projects for the nearby City of Cape Coral, including the recently dedicated 100,000 square foot Police Headquarters Facility.  Currently, ADG’s Fort Myers staff is working with the City of Fort Myers on the design of a new 30,000 square foot Fire Station / Fire Administration Headquarters.  This new facility known as Fire Station No. 1 is expected to break-ground in 2011.

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.

Public Safety Facilities – Designing Survivable Infrastructure to Ensure Critical Community Service

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Now, more than ever, cities, counties and states throughout the country are recognizing the need for secure, survivable, and technologically advanced law enforcement, emergency management, fire and emergency medical services facilities. Many of these public facilities were built more than 50 years ago and are inadequate to remain fully functional after a natural or man-made disaster, or support modern day practices such as safekeeping of public records, security and training.

Critical to the mission of city, county, state and federal government is the protection of its citizens and the ability to continue public services 24 hours a day in both typical times and times of emergency. In order to do that, these governmental bodies require facilities that have the ability to protect the people, records and equipment contained within the building site and structures. This level or protection requires secure site perimeters of varying security levels, from public interface areas to highly secure, access controlled areas for staff operations. Also required is what is known as a “survivable” building envelope, which is a building that can withstand both natural and man-made catastrophic events and includes redundant water, sanitary and power systems.

Architects Design Group (ADG) understands how to plan, design, and construct “survivable” public safety facilities. Over the past 39 years, ADG has provided architectural design and systems coordination for facilities of this type, including the Sunrise Public Safety Facility currently under construction and the Monroe County Emergency Operations Center which is designed to survive the 10,000 Year Storm.