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Adaptive Reuse Wins Awards

Harris County Jail
Houston, Texas

The unique adaptive reuse of a warehouse’s concrete flat slab structural frame saved approximately $20 million, created the largest jail building in the U.S. and earned us two noted recognitions.

The $79-million, 4,000-bed Harris County Jail was developed on a privatized, design-build basis, as part of an overall expansion and improvement program of the Harris County justice complex.

The original 1926 building was adapted from use as a cold-storage warehouse for the new jail facility. Four new floors were added with reinforced concrete for the expansion for economy, durability and simplicity of fireproofing and detailing. Unique features include a plaza and a pedestrian tunnel and bridge system to link the jail to the inmate processing center.

We coordinated the site development with ongoing City of Houston utility projects to construct a large water distribution main and a large wastewater collection main. We also coordinated efforts with the adjacent Southern Pacific Railroad and assisted with public right-of-way abandonments and dedications. We coordinated all survey and geotechnical investigation activities.

We received two major awards for Structural Engineering Excellence:

• A National Honor Award from the American Consulting Engineers Council
• Eminent Conceptor Award from the Consulting Engineers Council - Texas (Texas' highest award for engineering projects)