Case Study | Corrections: Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home

A multi-service, fully functional juvenile home was needed to meet the current and anticipated needs of Kalamazoo County. The new facility had to be designed and built around the existing juvenile home, which was to remain operational at all times during the planning and construction process. Design services were expected to accommodate a fall construction start.

Securitecture began the project with a 4-day intensive Charette, which expedited the design process, allowing groundbreaking to begin in just a few months. The new facility integrated into the extreme topography of the site by stair-stepped up the property, which also allowed existing facilities to be fully operational throughout construction. Each level of the new facility was also designed to house a difference occupancy for all intended programs and was conveyed a school aesthetic, rather than that of a correctional facility.

Upon completion, the new facility met the project’s exacting standards and compressed timetable while successfully providing an environmental character and layout that facilitated the operational and programming philosophies for helping Kalamazoo County’s troubled youth.