PUBLIC SAFETY ARCHITECTURE

"A comprehensive analysis of the planning,funding,design and construction of public safety facilities." -William "Bill" Berger, MSJD, Past President FPCA 1996-1997 / IACP 2001-2002

"Public Safety Architecture," 2010 

The process, or methodology, for planning, funding and obtaining a Public Safety Facility is both complex and challenging. This is a highly specialized building type that must be responsive to important criteria, such as security, survivability, community acceptance, technology, and the ever evolving "mission statement". 

Public buildings also have a responsibility to be exemplary examples of timeless architecture, and fully capable of responding to change over a sustained period of time. In that context, it is important that the client or "stakeholder", that will utilize the building, be deeply involved in the process. Good buildings, those that function best, are those that are the product of a defined "participatory design process" in which the architect/planner and the stakeholder are co-authors. That is when and how a project succeeds. This publication, in that regard is intended to serve as a guide to that process or methodology. It will inform you about the detail of the process and how, importantly, you can be a viable part of ensuring that your facility is both successful for the user as well as the community in which it is located.