Tag Archives: Survivable Facilities Architecture (EOC)

New Facilities Planning Seminar Scheduled for March 7-8, 2013 in Orlando, Florida

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New Facilities Planning Seminar Scheduled for March 2013 in Orlando, Florida

For more than a decade The Center for Public Safety, Inc. in association with Architects Design Group has been hosting a bi-annual seminar titled; “Planning, Funding and Obtaining New Public Safety Facilities”.

This seminar is designed to help a governmental entity planning a new or renovated facility within the next few years to become more educated about the steps of the process from the identification of the need until the ribbon cutting to open the new facility.

Topics include involving staff, the RFP/RFQ process, selecting the design team, the stages of the project, project funding options, grants, construction delivery methods, emerging trends and security concerns among others.

This seminar is unique in that it is only available to current public sector employees or elected officials. To date more than 400 cities, towns, parishes, counties and public entities have sent at least one person to participate in this seminar.

The next opportunity to attend is March 7th and 8th in Orlando, Florida. In addition to the day and a half seminar, participants will have an opportunity to take a facility tour of a police department, fire station or emergency operations center. Lunch is provided the first day and that evening participants and their spouses can attend a catered reception where they can meet and interact with their peers and the seminar presenters.

For more information on or about the seminar, please visit http://www.centerforpublicsafety.org/ or contact CPS Executive Director Stockton Reeves via email at stocktonr@centerforpublicsafety.org or at 407-756-1237.

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.

Designing for the 10,000 Year Storm

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Architects Design Group is currently working on the Monroe County, Florida, Emergency Operations Center, designed to withstand the dynamic forces of a 10,000 year storm, a category entitled “Near Absolute.” All elements of the Emergency Operations Center exterior envelope are designed to be capable of withstanding wind forces in excess of 225 miles an hour, as well as being able to survive an ocean surge of eighteen feet. It is, to our knowledge, the first such facility in the world capable of continued operations when subjected to unique storm events of this magnitude.

 

The project is funded by FEMA, the State of Florida, and Monroe County and is scheduled to commence construction in early 2010. It will be located on the island of Marathon, midway between Key West and the mainland of Florida and will provide emergency response services for all of Monroe County.