Davidson County Sheriff’s Office
ESa
Davidson County Sheriff’s Office
ESa
Awards Category : : Large Project (over 25,000 sf)
The new, four-story headquarters for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office includes training areas for cadets, administrative office space and a parking structure. The exterior features a combination of dark grey tones of materials, including brick and metal, to project a sense of order and strength. This is contrasted at the entrance canopies where vertical wood elements offer welcome to employees and visitors. This juxtaposition visually represents the dual mission of law enforcement to both enforce order and serve as a resource for the community.
The new, four-story headquarters for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office includes training areas for cadets, administrative office space and a parking structure. The exterior will feature a combination of dark grey tones of materials, including brick and metal, to project a sense of order and strength. This is contrasted at the entrance canopies where vertical wood elements offer welcome to employees and visitors. The interior design echoes the exterior, combining similar metal and wood elements. This juxtaposition visually represents the dual mission of law enforcement to both enforce order and serve as a resource for the community. Location of the headquarters is on the same site as the original facility, and this posed unique design challenges. The first challenge involved the design of a civic structure that would fit well within the scale and in context of the surrounding Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) residential housing. A second challenge was related to the visibility of the facility’s parking structure to the interstate. An economical solution was needed for both visual screening and security. The resulting design answers this challenge with a custom garage screen with varying sized panels comprised of vegetation, corrugated metal matching that of the office building and an open-woven coated metal. Varying panels in a randomized pattern along the perimeter will be able to conceal the majority of the cars from the interstate. Providing a central axis through the building, the lobby will connect both the public entrance and the more private garage entry. The lobby will be defined on all floors and articulated on the exterior with wood planar accent walls with views to downtown Nashville and the MDHA community.
Date of Completion: April 2021
Client: Davidson County Sheriff's Office
General Contractor: Bell & Associates Construction
Consultants:
ICT - MEP Engineer, llong@icthomasson.com
RBA Structural Engineering - Structural Engineer, dunning@rossbryan.com
Kiser + Vogrin Design - Landscape Architect, debra@kiservogrin.com
RaganSmith - Civil Engineer, bslayden@ragansmith.com
Photography Credits:
Site + Floor Plans - client wanted them non-labeled for security purposes
All images: © Gabe Ford, Ford Photographs
1 - Street level exterior view, nearby trees provide shade for visitors and pedestrians walking past this law enforcement facility that resides in a residential community.
2 - Aerial exterior view, displaying the parking garage that faces the interstate. This parking structure allows for both secure and public entrance into the facility.
3 - The blend of warm wood textures with stone evoke a sense of warmth and stability – highlighting the two sides of the department, to serve as both a community resource and law enforcement.
4 - Custom exterior cladding of the parking garage provides privacy and security for the interstate facing structure.
5 - Bright and welcoming interior lobby spaces greet visitors and community members. The facility allows for both public entry and private, secure entrances.
6 - Multiple spaces provide seating for visitors and employees alike.
7 - Echoing the designs on the screening of the parking garage, metal interior touches bring pops of color and texture, while offering a sense of strength and stability.
8 - The open office concept allows for a blend of private, semi-private and collaborative spaces.
9 - The facility features mixed use meeting rooms, that can flex to be used for internal meetings or public facing classes/programs.
10 - A combination of large windows throughout offer natural light and great views of the nearby downtown skyline.
11 - Bright spaces are located throughout, with multiple seating options. Artwork depicting the community and city the department serves and protects is featured.
12 - Meeting rooms feature skyline views and integrated technology systems. Meeting rooms of various sizes can accommodate small, medium and department wide functions.
13 - The largest meeting space is capable of hosting department wide meetings/programs.