PA501 Designing for 21st-Century Justice: Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center, Denver

1.00 LU HSW

A critical element of the new Denver Justice Center is the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center, located adjacent to the U.S. Mint in the Civic Center of Denver. The new building raises expectations for high-performance urban jails in the areas of sustainability, public experience, and security. The planning process for the new building took place over nearly 20 years—to identify and secure the best site, to right-size the building, and to gain public approval for the project funding. The public process resulted in a detailed set of urban design guidelines and goals to structure the design review process and to inform the design approach with the goal of the jail as a "good neighbor."

After selection of the architect, the design commenced, with an intensive investigation of best practices for housing 1,500 detainees in the least restrictive "normative" settings. The implications of the interior planning on exterior massing and fenestration were coordinated to result in an urban building informed by classic strategies of John Russell Pope and by the adjacent U.S. Mint. The building design was constructed on-budget, honored with design awards from the AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice, and certified LEED Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council.

he planning and design of the jail incorporates leading-edge best practices—with a compact, low-rise configuration that is secure without the use of razor ribbon and overt security measures, incorporates daylight in all occupied areas, and minimizes operations cost. The courthouse houses two arraignment courts and features a range of housing types, from open dormitories to maximum-security cells, to accommodate predicted behaviors and security needs in just over 300,000 square feet. The building is deliberately not planned to expand, relying on a coordinated long-term justice system strategy to reduce crime and incarcerated populations through evidence-based alternative practices.

The approach to reducing operations costs begins with the highly efficient energy performance of the building, complemented by an operations strategy that minimizes escorted detainee movement while increasing access to services. For instance, visiting with attorneys and family members is accomplished through video links from the public lobby to the housing units, reducing delays and costly staff time. The urbane and humane design is a new paradigm in making justice accountable and effective in addressing the need for public safety for the people of Denver.

The panelists' insights will present the building design within a context of historic and contemporary projects, with lessons learned to guide future designs.