SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The corrections market continues to face everything from overcrowding to health care and compliancy issues to budgetary restraints. With this combination of challenges, architects in the corrections market have had to come up with creative ways to evolve with the changing tides.
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Correctional News’ “On Location” section features on-site reporting at annual conferences, facility tours and press trips.
GRAHAM COUNTY, Ariz. — Officials celebrated the groundbreaking of a new adult detention facility for Graham County on June 22, although construction didn’t officially start until July 6.
The Phoenix office of DLR Group is serving as the architect on the project, while Tempe, Ariz.-based Okland Construction is serving as the general contractor. DLR Group has worked with Arizona on other justice facilities such as Maricopa County Lower Buckeye Jail.
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MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Work on the Skagit County Jail in Mount Vernon began in November 2015, much to the relief of jail staff.
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — In need of new facilities for more than a decade, Skagit County finally broke ground on a new jail in mid-November.
TORRINGTON, Conn. — Construction on the new 183,600-square-foot Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Torrington is currently underway. Farmington, Conn.-based KBE Building Corporation, the company overseeing the $67.8 million project, began erecting structural steel for the new building in May.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Lucas County commissioners approved a contract with a consultant to resume preliminary work on the project almost four months after putting construction of the Toledo jail on hold.
FERNDALE, Wash. — The existing Whatcom County jail in Washington requires additional capacity and improved infrastructure in order to safely incarcerate inmates. As such, the county is actively planning the construction of a new 520-bed jail along with an adjacent sheriff’s headquarters in Ferndale.
HANFORD, Calif. — Construction on the new 144,000-square-foot Kings County Courthouse in Hanford is well underway, with a current expected completion date of late 2015.
As January begins another year, Correctional News spoke with four architects who weighed in on the latest trends and challenges in correctional design. Jeff Goodale, director of global justice practice, HOK; Joe Mrak, AIA, NCARB, CSI, senior vice president of RQAW; Vernon Almon, principal, LEED AP BD+C, KMD Architects; and Carla Weinheimer, AIA, DBIA, Justice+Civic project leader at DLR Group, each speak about the biggest changes they’ve seen in the industry since they started designing correctional facilities decades ago.
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