This project was several years in the making; multiple sites and design delivery options were considered. Ultimately in 2019, the city decided to utilize an abandoned hospital complex, just north of downtown, to consolidated city resources. The new campus provides space for all police operations, fire-rescue administration, training space for both PD and FD, municipal courts, backup 911 center, Knox County’s emergency operations center, and pension offices into one consolidated public safety campus with two secured parking garages.
The project encompasses 222,000-SF of renovated space and 8,000-SF of additions. The scope of services for this project included developing a spatial needs assessment, master planning of the entire campus, renovation plan, full design documents, interior design, and construction oversight.
A large portion of the existing hospital was demolished, leaving three buildings and two structured parking garages that were renovated. The two existing multi-story garages provide secured parking for police and fire staff, as well as city-owned vehicles. A portion of the two existing garages were converted to provide storage, vehicle processing, and radio maintenance. The other structures were demolished and a green space was created for community use and future private development on the north end of the site.
To tie the buildings together, a new addition for the building entrance, courtroom, and court administration was designed to anchor the campus. Our team also designed a plaza leading up to the entrance of the new campus, creating a civic space befitting of the new campus. Access control, public access, and program adjacencies were important design considerations when creating the public safety campus.
