This public safety center is located on the Ft. McCoy Army Reserve base. VAA provided structural engineering services for the Corps of Engineers in conjunction with RSP Architects.
The structure consists of a single story building with the southern half of the building comprising a civilian entrance, offices and storage. The northern half of the building is a secure area, where detainees enter the building, are checked-in and held. The two halves of the building are separated by solid masonry walls for security purposes.
The facility has a minimally sloping roof with a center area that is higher than the rest of the structure, covering the assembly hall and entry area. A large structural, exposed steel, curved canopy marks the entry of the building along with significant glass fronting.
Beyond that, the structural systems are steel joists, steel beams, masonry bearing walls and steel deck for the roof.
The facility is functioning as a police facility and had security considerations in its design. The cell walls were block for security, however could not continue to the roof due to heating, ventilation piping and other fire reasons. The floors were also designed with a slope to accommodate drainage and clean-up.
The project is for the Army Reserve, which requires a process including preparation of numerous review packages. Reviewer comments are posted online and must be resolved before the project can continue to the next stage. This process provides the owner and users with an opportunity to provide direct input to the project.
