Photo by Richard Hurd
OPN-built Polk County Justice Center honored by AIA
Thirteen projects demonstrate the latest trends in the design and construction of justice facilities in the United States. Seven of the recipients were awarded a Citation; the other six were selected for publication in Justice Facilities Review 2019. These projects demonstrate quality of form, functionality, and current architectural responses to complex justice design issues.
The juvenile justice center is the first of three projects that will address Polk County, Iowa’s overcrowded court system, improve safety, and reduce the county’s reliance on leased property. Juvenile court is just one of several user groups housed within the 174,000-square-foot abandoned office building, originally built in 1971 as a JC Penney. Strategically placing high activity spaces on first floor with the quieter functions on adjacent floors allowed a multi-user facility to operate cohesively.
“Brings a customer service model to the courtroom-metaphor works on many levels.”
— Jury Comment