City of Detroit Public Safety Headquarters
The City of Detroit had two important goals for its new Public Safety Headquarters. First and foremost, it sought to create a national model for public safety integration: The facility would consolidate several facilities under one roof— housing police, fire, homeland security, a state-of-the-art forensics lab, information technology services and more—providing efficient, effective delivery of public safety services. Second, it would repurpose a former building that first served as an IRS Data Center and later, a casino, thus saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
Client
Detroit Building Authority
Location
Detroit, Michigan
Markets/Services
Architecture, Forensic, Government, Government Office, Government Research, Interiors, Lab Planning, Programming, Science & Technology, Workplace
Size
420,000 SF
Featured Awards
LEED-NC-Silver
AIA Detroit Honor Award, 2014
Construction & Design Award, Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), 2014
With safety and security paramount, the new facility is adaptive to changing operational needs. It houses 700 city employees and provides the infrastructure advancements needed for the sophisticated IT systems and forensics tools that are vital for modern crime fighting.
Not only did SmithGroup’s new design reuse the existing shell, it also found ways to repurpose millions of dollars worth of other structural components. The high ceilings that once housed the IRS mainframe computers now provide complex HVAC, data and power systems for the forensics lab.
A secure freight elevator used to transfer casino money now works to transport evidence. The design also reuses a large generator, ventilation and ductwork. The upgrades and newly insulated building envelope vastly improved energy efficiency, allowing it to become the first city of Detroit facility to earn LEED Gold certification.