PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Bradford County (Pa.) Public Safety Building is not only used for 911 and emergency management services and response activation, but it is also flexible and unique to provide community areas for training, meetings, conferences, and events. A serious flood struck the area in 2011. That experience and war stories defined the new Public Safety Center and ultimately gave the architect and design team the vision, program, and requirements to move the County’s center of communication operations into the significant and important state-of-the-art safety center that is constructed today.

Read more about this project in the Winter 2024 issue of Ascent.

PRECAST SOLUTION

Precast concrete met all of the project’s goals, including, resiliency, impact resistance, traditional material for a secure building envelope, and aesthetically pleasing facades with modern panels and control joints.

As the design developed and after a trip to the precast concrete plant, precast

sandwich panels were selected for the main wall system early in the design process to create a strong, stable, and secure building. The selection of precast concrete was unique in this region. These panels would first and foremost meet the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1221 building hardening requirements for communication centers, provide thermal and installation efficiencies, and would also provide the aesthetic character for such an architectural landmark that the architect described.

The precast concrete panels were designed to have traditional cornice and stone details on the west end and transition across the front façade into modern unique aesthetics. Contrasting bands, diagonal score lines, and patterns of sandblasted and heavy aggregate precast concrete finishes create interest, hierarchy, and flow across the façades. Using the precast concrete in coordination with curtain wall, canopies, lighting, and metal panels introduced modern design aspects and layers of architectural patterns and materials throughout the facades that serve as visual and shading components.

“The design team ensured us that our new facility could service the public during the most dire circumstances while also creating flexible spaces for board meetings, community events, training opportunities, and presentations that provide a central location that enhances the community’s connections and opportunities,” said the director of emergency management services.

Architect

Hunt EAS

Owner

Bradford County, Pa.

Contractor

Amcon Construction

Engineer

Hunt EAS

Precast Concrete Producer

High Concrete Group

Precast Concrete Erector

High Structural Erectors

Key Project Attributes

• The new building is a landmark within the region and provides a central location and endless opportunities for the community. It is not only used for daily 911 and Emergency Management services, and response activation, but is also flexible and unique to provide community areas to use for training, meetings, conferences, and events.
• The design team ensured the new facility could service the public during the most dire of circumstances while also creating flexible spaces for board meetings, community events, training opportunities.
• The desire to create a strong, stable, and secure building was known up front, and the architect also wanted to establish a traditional character to the building to match nearby historic stone buildings like the nearby county courthouse.

Project/Precast Scope

• Eighty-seven architectural precast concrete insulated wall panels totaling 19,074 square feet, using C-grid insulation system.
• Panel sizes range from 12- by 3-ft to 12- by 39-ft. All panels are 9 in. thick.
• The architectural precast mix is a gray matrix with black, gray, and yellow aggregates.
• The design used light and medium sandblast finishes separated by reveals throughout the panels.