News
Design Issues for Police Buildings
Picture from Project - Police - Troy MI_Lwr Lobby Communities face the need for a law enforcement or public safety facility for many reasons. It can be as simple as the building’s age or condition, a recent incident with a prisoner that made the headlines, a lack of security within or around the existing building, [...] Read More
Building Security – Site Issues
Picture from Project - Police - Troy MI Exterior 2 Each jurisdiction will determine its own level of security requirements, which in turn will influence building security decisions. When looking at a prospective site for a law enforcement or public safety building, there are a number of security related issues that must be addressed. Here [...] Read More
The Public Lobby
Picture from Project - Police - Troy MI_Lwr Lobby Public Lobbies of Police Buildings must accommodate a number of interactions between the police department and the public. Some departments utilize sworn officers to staff the Front Desk; others use civilians, either stand-alone, or as a part of the Records Counter Function. The following is a [...] Read More
Prisoner Processing and Holding
Picture from Project - Court Bridgeton, MO City Hall and Police Prisoner processing A prisoner processing and holding space must provide a secure area for the intake, processing and housing of prisoners. The space must be designed to process prisoners efficiently, while maintaining a safe work environment for the staff. It should allow for the [...] Read More
Evidence Processing & Storage
The main design objective in designing the Evidence Processing and Evidence Storage area is to develop a logical work flow that properly secures, processes, and stores evidence in a way that maintains the “Chain of Custody,” a prerequisite for a successful use of the evidence used in the judicial process. Work spaces that help facilitate [...] Read More
Qualifications Based Selection
John Ruskin (1819-1900) had a deep interest in and wrote about architecture. One of his quotations stated: ” No architecture is so haughty as that which is simple.”
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Public Buildings; are they all Taj Mahal’s?
People critical of a proposed, new public building often use a common cliché: “It looks like the Taj Mahal.” Supporters of the new building should consider taking this as a compliment to the community’s Building Committee and architect who designed the facility. Why? Because in today’s economic climate, every new project in every community is [...] Read More
