Public Safety Facility Design
Case Studies
Lenexa Justice Center
LENEXA, KS | 118,500 SF | COMPLETED 2024
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | DESIGN
Flanked by the Community Room and Courtroom spaces, the warm glow from the central public entry invites the public in from the civic plaza.
The break room is designed to be a central “hub,” located to allow ease of access and encourage interaction and communication between staff.
The secure front desk of the Police Department greets visitors in the lobby, including entry into the Community Room.
Driven by the City of Lenexa's goals and the unique topography of the chosen site, this facility faced specific challenges to achieve its civic presence.
Roth Sheppard provided programming, pre-design, and design services, treating the uneven terrain and multiple intersecting space needs as opportunities to identify public vs. secure areas clearly. The combined Police and Court facility is tucked into a more level part of the site, while three angled volumes reach skyward to identify the public-facing Community Room, the Municipal Courtroom, and the “bridge” area that includes the shared lobby.
2024 OFFICER STATION DESIGN AWARDS - LAW ENFORCEMENT FACILITIES, GOLD AWARD
Lewisville Public Safety Campus
LEWISVILLE, TX | 121,500 SF | COMPLETED 2025
SPACE NEEDS | SITE ANALYSIS | INTERIOR DESIGN | CONSULTING
The City emphasized their preference for a low-level profile wherever possible, including at the public entrance.
The stairs were placed within one of the main hallways close to the doors to improve site circulation for employees.
A skywalk connects the secure-access parking garage with the rest of the building, reducing public egress and assuring officer safety.
The long-awaited Tittle McFadden Public Safety Center needed programming verification before design could commence. The City of Lewisville welcomed Roth Sheppard Architects and BRW Architects’ partnership to update space needs, test fits, and other components. The new complex enhanced day-to-day operations and replaced the City of Lewisville’s outdated and undersized police and fire buildings, with the police component combining previously disparate functions in one location served by a secure five-level parking garage.
Firestone Police Department & Municipal Court
FIRESTONE, CO | 29,000 SF | COMPLETED 2019
SPACE NEEDS | SITE ANALYSIS | DESIGN | CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
The building’s roof line reaches out towards the entry to the site, a gesture to welcome the Town’s citizens. Beneath this triangular overhang sits a covered outdoor plaza, designed to act as a shared entry to other public buildings planned for the campus.
The public lobby offers a bright, welcoming space for visitors to the building. The reception desk, protected by ballistic glazing, overlooks this public space with a clear line of sight to the front entry and parking area beyond.
The Community Room is a multi-functional space that can be used as a classroom, a mat training room, and a simulator room.
The Police Department in Firestone, Colorado, had for many years operated out of a physically deficient facility. compounding operational efficiencies and compromising both officer and staff safety. Roth Sheppard Architects was retained to provide architectural pre-design planning. site selection, and full design services for a new Public Safety Facility. With flexible spaces as a design driver, the secure front desk is shared by the Police Department and the Municipal Court, the Courtroom doubles as the Town Board Room, and the Community Room can be secured for police meetings and trainings.
AIA COLORADO 2020 AWARD OF DISTINCTION
Fossil Ridge Public Safety Facility
THORNTON, CO | 36,000 SF | COMPLETED 2018
SPACE NEEDS | SITE ANALYSIS | DESIGN | CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
The dark gray exterior was a result of our team’s visualization of a protective shield behind which first responders can store equipment and decompress between missions.
The material palette was selected for simplicity, durability, and affordability in a building meant to represent the humility inherent in the City’s values.
The main police corridor was kept open, including cable tray access, to increase ease of maintenance and technological upgrades.
The City of Thornton required adherence to a tight budget and an accelerated schedule to accommodate its growing community and public safety needs. The Roth Sheppard team was brought on to provide programming and design services to bring Fire Station #6 and a Police Substation to an expanding area of the City. Our site analysis and space needs assessment included multiple rounds of building user interviews, which increasingly focused on the well-being of Thornton first responders. For the fire department, demarcating the separation between the operations area and the sanctuary of the living quarters was crucial. For the police, focusing on the secure line and creating a place of refuge for officers was the highest priority.
2019 ENR MOUNTAIN STATES AWARD OF MERIT GOVERNMENT / PUBLIC BUILDING
Houston Police Department Southwest Station
HOUSTON, TX | 52,000 SF | COMPLETED 2017
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | DESIGN
The public lobby and Community Room sit adjacent to the entry plaza that sits across from a community playground.
A main corridor opens up to create gathering space around the Wall of Honor and patrol equipment room.
A dedicated police vehicle maintenance bay sits on the secure side of the site.
The goal for Southwest Station was to provide a state-of-the-art facility that exceeded the required minimum operational standards and exemplified how civic design and community well-being can coalesce through one unified approach. The result is a thoughtful combination of the police department’s operational and community engagement needs. Public-access areas, including the lobby, front desk, and meeting room, are located along the south side of the building, nearest the park and public entrance to the site. The secure-access operations area includes administrative spaces, patrol operations, investigations, a detention area, a fitness room, locker rooms, quiet rooms, and break areas.
2020 AIA HOUSTON DESIGN AWARD
Houston Police Department South Gessner Station
HOUSTON, TX | 29,000 SF | COMPLETED 2011
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | SPACE NEEDS | DESIGN
The juxtaposition of the structural grid and the warm wood-like interventions supports the department’s mantra of “order through law, justice with mercy.”
The report writing area along the corridor encourages communication between officers and staff.
The lobby area both welcomes visitors and provides the department staff with a secure area to serve the public.
The City of Houston and the Houston Police Department sought an adaptable prototype that can be replicated for future stations. The new Fondren Police Station was the first adaptation of the prototype, as the old station did not allow for the delivery of modern police services and its interior posed safety hazards to officers, arrestees, and the public. The new, single-story facility includes a public lobby, a large public meeting room, patrol, investigations, and locker functions. The station is designed to comply with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) standards for Certified Level LEED™ Certification.
2013 AIA DENVER MERIT AWARD
2013 AIA COLORADO CITATION AWARD
Fort Worth Police Department 6th Patrol Division
FORT WORTH, TX | 23,760 SF | COMPLETED 2018]
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | SPACE NEEDS | DESIGN
The public entry and lobby are transparent and welcoming, while incorporating horizontal louvers to help with direct sunlight and heat gain.
Patrol workstations sit in an area of the building where circulation corridors converge, encouraging communication among staff.
The covered passageway creates a comfortable micro-climate, protecting personnel from direct sunlight and heat during their entry and exit from the secured building section.
Rapid growth and outdated storefront stations prompted Fort Worth to plan and build a new police substation for its Sixth Patrol Division. They accepted Roth Sheppard’s proposal to perform careful programming to specify how to reflect the City’s shifting needs. This process led to a lean, linear building that bends into two bars, one wholly dedicated to police functions and one for administrative and public use. The ‘bend’, inspired by Fort Worth rail lines, creates the center point needed by the City to allow flexibility for future additions as the department continues to grow.
Cherry Hills Village Police Department
CHERRY HILLS, CO | 21,000 SF | COMPLETED 2013
FULL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SERVICES
The gabled forms of the building are a subtle nod to the local context and agrarian history.
Both police and fire vehicles are stored on the secure side of the facility.
The Community Room can be used by the public, and is also shared by both departments as a training space.
Prompted by community growth and staff increases, Cherry Hills Village’s objective was to restore adequate space to both the Cherry Hills Village Police Department and the South Metro Fire Department. Programming was completed by Roth Sheppard as part of the initial design phase with a needs assessment to incorporate apparatus bays, kitchen/dining and sleeping quarters, meeting and interview rooms, locker rooms, evidence storage, processing/booking/holding, and other necessities. This led to the consolidation of functions within a Joint Public Safety Facility.
2013 AIA COLORADO HONOR AWARD
Dickinson Public Safety Center
DICKINSON, ND | 42,000 SF | COMPLETED 2015
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | SPACE NEEDS | DESIGN
Intensive research of local history led to the usage of a curved wall to envelope the building. This allowed entrances to contrast with angled roofs, making them easy to find from a distance.
When planning vehicle bays for public safety, it is important to pay attention to both height and circulation.
A shared desk, utilized by both departments for various functions, serves as a convergence point for the facility.
The driver for the Dickinson Public Safety Center was the City’s need for combined fire and police functions in a location with unfettered access to expanding service areas around Dickinson. Roth Sheppard conducted the initial study, delivering space needs, programming, and site/facility assessment for each individual department, yielding a wealth of data that helped the City make the decision to construct a brand-new facility with easy expansion opportunities. The building will house not only the Dickinson Police and Fire Departments but also administrative functions and a mission-critical 911 emergency communications center.
2016 AIA DENVER HONORABLE MENTION
City of Lacey Police Department & Training Facility
LACEY, WA | 82,000 SF | 2019 – ONGOING
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | TEST FIT OPTIONS | DESIGN
Interviews with command staff uncovered the need for the training components to be immediately adjacent to Patrol operations, which led to the construction of a dedicated Training Center building.
The lobby utilizes local materials, floor-to-ceiling windows, and comfortable amenities to emphasize a welcoming civic entryway with a sense of place.
The subtle curve of the building and the vertical exterior components complement the natural beauty of the wooded site.
The City of Lacey and Lacey Police Department retained Roth Sheppard Architects for services from project conception through construction for their future police headquarters and training facility. Our expertise allowed us to guide the City and Police Department throughout programming and pre-design, conceptual design, and design development, with continued support and review through site selection and contract administration. Functionality, efficiency, and training opportunities guided the decision-making at each stage.
Los Angeles World Airport Police Department
LOS ANGELES, CA | 223,750 SF | COMPLETED 2018
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | SPACE NEEDS | CONSULTING
The concept design incorporated the LAWA PD’s needs for a public entrance at a safe distance from operational and secure-access parts of the facility.
Over 333,000 square feet of secure parking extends underground to best utilize the chosen site. A shooting range was also allocated to the underground space with rubber bullet traps to reduce noise and impact.
The resulting Master Plan included comprehensive documentation with floor plans, diagrams, and more.
To pinpoint the future needs of the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, our team initiated a six-month programming and facility needs process including questionnaires, interviews, space assessment needs, adjacency diagrams, space standards, stacking studies, site plan option test fits, public outreach exhibits, capital oversight committee graphics, research into applicable requirements, and proof of concept designs on the selected site. This exhaustive approach yielded a comprehensive Master Plan which will provide Design-Builders with the minimum requirements, standards, and guidelines to meet the department’s needs through 2040.
Denver Police Department District 6 (PADF)
DENVER, CO | 54,966 SF | COMPLETED 2020
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | SPACE NEEDS | SCHEMATIC DESIGN
The project’s original objective was to reuse and re-skin an existing City asset that was previously used as a detention facility.
The volume of foot traffic in the area prompted the need for man-made and natural barriers for the plaza area requested by city staff.
A second-floor vantage point provides a framed view of the urban context surrounding the building’s main entry.
Anticipating the need to replace an outdated building, the City of Denver retained Roth Sheppard Architects to conduct architectural programming for a new location for DPD District 6. Key staff and stakeholders hosted our team’s field reviews of current Denver Police Department buildings before confirming facility space needs through questionnaires, interviews, and work sessions to project space needs at 10-year milestones through the year 2044. All programming was completed in advance, allowing for a context-driven design process.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office
HOUSTON, TX | 92,322 SF | 2021 – ONGOING
PRE-DESIGN | SITE ANALYSIS | SPACE NEEDS | CONSULTING
The shared plaza unites the campus and allows for community engagement on a level which was not previously possible.
The lobby, front desk, and connecting hallway are identified using distinct elements to guide visitors from their first steps inside.
The County requested not only natural lighting, but visible barriers and protection for their staff meeting room.
Currently, Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HSCO) investigators are scattered throughout the county at different sites with many units and property and evidence rooms housed in dilapidated facilities. Harris County enlisted Roth Sheppard and RLDR Architects to centralize HCSO’s operations onto an eight-acre campus with a dedicated Investigations building, Property/Evidence/CSI building, and Community Center, connected by a shared outdoor plaza and parking garage.
Garden Grove Police Department
GARDEN GROVE, CA | 117,612 SF | 2023 – ONGOING
SPACE NEEDS | PRE-DESIGN | CONSULTING
Transparency made literal: different grades of glass form the exterior of the building, reflecting the City’s priorities from work sessions and the original RFP.
Inspired by research on how the human brain responds to lines and shapes, the complex incorporates curved elements throughout for 21st-century accessibility.
Working with three stories allowed for creative approaches to showcase different building components.
Having outgrown current facilities, the City of Garden Grove enlisted Roth Sheppard Architects (in collaboration with AC Martin) to design a new home for the Garden Grove Police Department and incorporate the City’s vision for a revitalized Civic Center. The three-story project, paired with the relocation and expansion of a beloved community park, will anchor this civic center “node” in a building that offers transparency and civic identity without compromising security and safe refuge for officers and first responders.