BIM – Streamlining Design of Public Safety Architecture

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Greene County Public Safety Coordination Center will be asset in diasters

Posted on by
Reply

The Greene County Public Safety Coordination Center includes offices for the Emergency Operation Center, Multi-Agency Coordination Center, Regional Joint Information Center, multi-use areas, Greene County Information Systems server room, and an alternate EOC of the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency. The structure is designed for LEED Silver Certification with the ability to withstand 250 MPH wind speeds in order to protect mission critical systems.

Check out the latest news on ADG’s Springfield/Greene County Public Safety Coordination Center project.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110818/NEWS01/108180343/1007/Center-will-asset-disasters

It took months of digging and pouring concrete below ground level, but now the new Public Safety Center’s skeleton has begun to rise above the horizon.

The center, located near the corner of Campbell Avenue and Nichols Street, is set to open in spring. It will house Springfield-Greene County 911 dispatch and the Office of Emergency Management during normal day-to-day operation.

But during a disaster, the emergency operations center in the basement of the building will be coordinating more than 70 federal, state and local response agencies.

“This is going to be an asset to Southwest Missouri,” Greene County Director of Resource Management Chris Coulter said.

“This is not just for the county.”

The $19.7 million facility is funded through a combination of 911 tax revenue and several grants — including a FEMA grant and several grants for sustainable materials within the building.

The PSC, in addition to being able to withstand EF-5 tornadic winds, was designed to meet LEED silver specifications.

The effort to tornado-proof the structure has meant more than 2,800 cubic yards of concrete poured thus far for the facility, and more is expected, Coulter said.

The building will have windows with specially engineered glass covered by perforated metal sheeting. Although the sheeting will provide wind protection, it still allows light into the building and occupants inside will be able to see out, Coulter said.

Also included in the design is a garage-like area to house the equipment that Emergency Management officials depend on during a disaster. That includes Skylab, a mobile communications vehicle that proved vital in the aftermath of the Joplin tornado in May.

Skylab provided a communications tower for Joplin officials after the tornado destroyed cell phone towers in the area.

The design of the PSC will allow for equipment like Skylab to be stored inside. That way, Coulter said, if a disaster were to happen that required an Emergency Management response, necessary equipment for the teams would be protected.

The project is a few weeks behind because of persistent rain in the spring, but construction crews have made up quite a bit of time with the recent dry spell in the county, Coulter said.

 

Preparing for the 10,000 Year Storm

Posted on by
Reply

As all of us are acutely aware, June 1st was the start of Hurricane Season.  Forecasters are declaring it will be an above average summer with 12 to 18 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes, Category 3 and above, although precise predictions have been made more difficult by the “neutral conditions” of El Niño and La Niña.  All it takes, though, is one storm to make landfall, and the impact can be widespread.

With the devastating tornados that have raked the mid-West and southeast, we know all too well that prior planning and preparations are essential to survivability.  One question you should be asking yourself now… “Is my facility survivable?”  Unfortunately, the Tuscaloosa Emergency Operations Center was not.  The Emergency Management staff was in the direct line of the tornado and found themselves digging out of their crumbled facility.

Attached you will find an article that was recently published in “Florida Caribbean Architect” about an Emergency Operations Center in Marathon, Florida, the county seat of Monroe County in the Keys.  This facility has been designed and engineered to withstand the “10,000 Year Storm,” one with storm surge waves of 18-20 feet and sustained winds of 205 mph and gusts of 225 mph.  Designing a facility to withstand nature’s greatest fury is not only desirable, but also feasible.

Please take a moment to review this article and ask yourself if you are truly prepared.  If the answer is “no,” contact Architects Design Group to see how we can help.
To view the full article published by Florida Architect, please click here or go to: http://www.adgusa.org/10,000%20yr%20storm%20Full%20Article.pdf

Architects Design Group Completes Design for North Port Fleet Maintenance Facility

Posted on by
Reply

Winter Park, FL (April 27, 2011) – Architects Design Group (ADG) completed the design-build criteria documents for the new 37,500 square foot City of North Port Fleet Maintenance facility located on the corner of Price and Chamberlain Boulevards.

City officials, public works staff, and community representatives gathered to celebrate ground breaking for the new facility on Monday, April 25; and the project is now under construction.

The project has been something the City has been planning for a number of years. Since the early 1980’s, the fleet inventory has increased from 150 vehicles to more than 500 today.

The new facility will provide the City a state-of-the-art Vehicle Service Facility including, 15,000 square feet of office space for the Fleet Division and Public Works Administration, 12 work bays, a vehicle fuel/wash station; and the development of ± 17 acres, with various retention ponds, support infrastructure, utilities, and pavement that provides for future site build-out of the Public Works Department.

The facility is programmed to provide for the current space needs of the Fleet Maintenance Department, with provisions for future expansion to meet the 2025 needs. In the interim, the future expansion space will be utilized by Public Works Administration, to re-locate personnel and equipment from trailers on site into the new storm-hardened facility, where the Department can remain in operation during and after an emergency event.

Consistent with the City’s goals for sustainable design and operational efficiency, ADG’s design criteria includes automated building systems controls for lighting and HVAC, water conserving and low-flow metered fixtures, and solar hot water heating. Proposed energy efficient construction is to include thermally efficient glazing assemblies and envelope design, and solar shading. In addition, stormwater management systems utilize bioswales, and native species are used in all landscape buffers.

The facility is scheduled to be completed in early 2012.

Established in 1971, Architects Design Group, Inc. is a full-service architectural and planning firm based in Winter Park, Florida with a branch office in Fort Myers, Florida that specializes in the innovative design of public sector architecture, including public works, municipal, transportation, public safety, emergency operations centers, and cultural facilities throughout the United States. The firm has received many awards including the AIA Florida Firm of the Year Award in 2002 and the AIA Orlando Firm of the Year Award in 2009. As well as being ranked as the 2nd Largest Central Florida Architecture Firm by the Orlando Business Journal in 2010. To learn more about Architects Design Group, visit www.adgusa.org.

Using Key Elements to Design Sustainable Structures

Posted on by
Reply

Architects Design Group has made significant contributions to the application of sustainable architecture. There are several key elements of design that create exemplary projects:

Natural Lighting – The strategic use of natural lighting maximizes the energy efficiency of a facility and will reduce energy consumption costs. Natural lighting has a practical and psychological benefit by creating comfortable space for people to live and work.

Solar Orientation – The direction in which a building sits on a site directly affects its energy efficiency, environmental impact, and visual appeal. For the Florida Municipal Power Agency Headquarters, Architects Design Group oriented the building on an east/west axis to respond to the diurnal path of the sun to make optimal use of day lighting thus reducing artificial light costs. The east/west orientation assists in managing the impact of solar radiation heating the building volume.

Building Materials – Building materials such as recyclable steel, carpeting and low VOC adhesives; as well as a reflective roof finish, directly impact a building’s sustainability.

Use of Color – The visual power of color emphasizes the “tectonics” of the architecture and evokes emotional and physical response of the occupant.

Energy Efficient Equipment/Features -Two design issues, energy load reduction and equipment specifications, play key roles in the creation of an energy efficient building. Through design and prudent selection of active energy consuming systems such as HVAC and lighting, the design team can affect total building performance by reducing energy consumption, up to half of a typical facility. Interior lighting in office buildings tends to be the single largest element of energy consumption, accounting for about 30 percent of total energy costs, followed by cooling costs.

With the application of these principles, several of Architects Design Group’s projects have been recognized as exemplary examples of sustainable design: the Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida Municipal Power Agency, Orange County Landfill and Operations Facility, School District of Osceola County Transportation Center, and the new Sarasota Police Headquarters, which is the first Police facility in the state of Florida to be LEED® certified. Currently, Architects Design Group has five projects which are in the LEED® Certification process including the Gainesville Police Department Training Center, the Orange County Sheriff Sector II Building, the Greene County Public Safety Coordination Center, Charleston County EOC and 911 Call Center, and Deltona Fire Station No. 65.