A project guided largely by federal safety codes, the Youth Study Center expansion consisted of the addition of 28 beds to the existing facility, with the ability to expand up to 60 beds via a pre-engineered second floor vertical addition. Enhanced foundations and services were provided such that the facility could accommodate these additional housing modules. A reception area, secure visitation rooms, expanded dining services, medical services and associated administrative support offices were also added to the facility.
Project Team
- Ian Dreyer
- Kristine Kobila
- Samantha Johnson
Through interviews with facility advisors, staff, and on-site doctors, NANO was able to achieve a successful outcome that met the health and safety needs the occupants while also meeting the Federal Government’s requirements of safety and privacy.
New classrooms were designed to be flexible enough to support a myriad of educational functions and group sizes, including an individual learning area within each classroom for students that require more intimate one-on-one instruction.
Our design approach consisted of a flexible and multi-purpose programmatic layout, placing close attention on privacy needs, safety requirements, and the types of inhabitant’s interactions.
Outside, a 14,000 SF secure courtyard offers multiple functions: a recreation yard with a half-court basketball court, open green space, a walking track, and a covered gathering space. Successful stormwater management design was incorporated by connecting the interior roof drains and the subsurface drains to one another and leading them to new retention ponds. A new pervious pavement access road further enables the project to meet and exceed the City’s storm water management expectations. New plantings were installed in bioswales and retention ponds to enhance the landscape visually while also acting as natural filters and mitigate water flow across the site.
Usage of Red Brick
Each mandated segregated area is represented on the exterior with a different articulated brick pattern, breaking up the long expanse of brick wall and providing visual difference. Additionally, the brick articulation provides a less foreboding look allowing the building to be analogous to the existing facility immediately adjacent. With the expansion, the smooth texture red brick delineates interior secure areas: sleeping pods, classrooms, main entry, etc. The split face CMU was used in outdoor secure areas such as the courtyard.
