Programming, space planning, and complete architectural and interior design services were provided for the conversion of a of a 63-year-old warehouse building from a 350,000-SF cold storage warehouse into a 620,000-SF jail housing 4,000 inmates with eight stories above grade plus basement. This was the highest number of inmates housed in a single facility in the U.S. at the time.
The design adds horizontally and vertically to the existing five-story building which houses high and low risk adult males. This unique redevelopment project included civic improvements which increased the support of the project. The destruction of a parking garage allowed the development of 500 feet of bayou waterfront into a pedestrian plaza to satisfy the supporters concerned with bayou improvement. The design included $1.5 million in landscape and site amenities. The design-build facility was certified by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
Good Brick Award, Houston Business Journal and The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (1992)
Government Building of the Year, Houston Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) (1992)
Honorable Mention, Building of the Year, International BOMA (1992); National Honor Award, American Consulting Engineers (1992)
Eminent Conceptor Award for Engineering Excellence, Consulting Engineers Council of Texas (1992)