Category: Public Safety
SCHRADERGROUP Featured in BD+C 40th Annual Giants 300 Report
We’re excited to announce that Building Design + Construction Magazine’s 40th Annual Giants 300 Report featured SCHRADERGROUP architecture among their top 100 architecture firms. The annual report ranks top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue. Ranked #97 overall, SG jumped to #12 amongst the Top Data Center AEC firms. This ranking is a reflection of the quantity of public mission critical facility designed by the firm. We are honored to be recognized, and will continue to keep pace with the leaders in our industry.
Topping-off Ceremony Conducted for SCHRADERGROUP Project
A topping-off ceremony marking the placement of the final steel beam for the new Dare and Tyrrell County Regional Emergency Communication Center and Dare County Emergency Operation Center was conducted last week at the project site in Manteo, North Carolina. Designed by SCHRADEGROUP (SG) with support from the Norfolk-based firm of Lyall Design Architects, the 18,200 SF facility will provide space for services and departments that include a Regional 9-1-1 Communication Center, an Emergency Operations Center, County Emergency Management Agency, County Fire Marshal, County Emergency Medical Services, and a County Joint Information Center.
SCHRADERGROUP Celebrates 12 Years
This spring marks 12 years since SCHRADERGROUP (SG) opened our doors in a revitalized industrial building in Manayunk, Pennsylvania. In that time, we expanded our original space, then moved into a larger space, and recently expanded and renovated the larger space. We’ve grown to 21 employees and opened branch offices in Lancaster, Baltimore and Wilmington. We continue to increase our presence nationally through our public safety/mission critical work, and have completed K-12 and higher education projects throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. We’ve faced some challenging economic times, internal ‘growing pains’ that come with expansion, and the day-to-day trials inherent to running a service-oriented business. But we’ve also won awards for our work, watched staff grow professionally and personally, and learned quite a bit about how to run a better business. At the end of the day or, in this case, at our twelfth year, we pause to reflect on what makes us keep at it. And we think about the joyous students moving into a brand new or much-improved, renovated school. Or the law enforcement and mission critical employees who move into a safe, ergonomic, state-of-the-art facility and know that they will be able to provide the best service possible to their communities. In these moments, we are thankful and honored to be a part of making good things happen with great clients who place their trust in our team. And in these moments, we look forward to the years ahead and to the exciting projects and fantastic clients to come. Congratulations, SG, thanks to all of the clients we’ve served, and thanks also to the trusted partners who serve alongside us!
SCHRADERGROUP Principal Published in STRUCTURE Magazine
An article about a recently completed SCHRADERGROUP (SG) project, the restoration of the County courthouse dome in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was featured in the May 2016 issue of STRUCTURE Magazine. Authored by firm principal, Tom Forsberg, PE, the article describes the process undertaken to repair water damage affecting the structural framework of the dome and the subsequent restoration of the roof and crowning statue of Justitia, Lady Justice.
“The project certainly came with challenges,” says Tom. “But it was incredibly fulfilling to make a contribution towards preserving a piece of Lancaster City’s iconic skyline.”
To read the article and learn about this interesting project, visit STRUCTURE Magazine or download the article here.
SCHRADERGROUP Principal Co-presents at AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Fall Conference
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) managing principal David Schrader, AIA, LEED AP, co-presented at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Justice (AAJ) 2015 fall conference held in Miami, Florida. The session, entitled “The Next Generation of Emergency Communication and Operation Centers: Consolidating Services,” discussed the critical nature of the consolidated functions of facilities at municipal, parish, county and state levels throughout the country.
Continued weather trends as well as concerns for domestic and national threats have heightened the status of emergency facilities and increased the number of services provided by these organizations. With an increased focus on emergency preparedness, the required technical and communication connectivity of the various supported agencies is challenging prior approaches to facility design. Further, increased need to staff, maintain and support these functions has brought the facilities closer to the urban fabric. The program presented at the AIA AAJ conference demonstrated recent design innovations developed to meet changing concerns through the examination of three recently built consolidated emergency response facilities.
Learning objectives for the session included:
- Understanding the challenges of the multiple client agencies housed within the next generation of facility.
- Discussing the code applications and recommendations utilized to develop contemporary emergency response centers.
- Developing a sense of the hardening requirements and system redundancies required of a facility of this type.
- Understanding the forces driving the consolidation of these services with other municipal functions.
One of the projects used as a case study for the presentation, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) State Emergency Operations Center, is designed by SG and currently nearing completion of construction. The project was featured in Justice Facilities Review 2014, published by the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Justice. For more information about the PEMA State Emergency Operations Center, please visit our website.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) State Emergency Operations Center, nearing completion
SCHRADERGROUP Exhibits at APCO 2014
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to be exhibiting at APCO 2014, the 80th Annual Conference and Expo for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, August 3-6 in New Orleans, Louisiana. APCO is an international organization committed to providing complete public safety communications expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy, and outreach to benefit their members and the public.
SCHRADERGROUP proudly exhibits at APCO 2014
Firm principal Harry Pettoni noted that the conference is well-attended and includes public safety professionals from all around the world. SG, exhibiting for the fifth time at APCO, brings over two decades of public safety programming, planning and design experience, and is excited to have the opportunity to share our expertise with the public safety professional community.
At SG, the familiarity of process and the knowledge base that comes from having designed numerous facilities throughout the United States provides us with an excellent starting point for public safety projects and allows us to devote more time to developing a creative design solution that not only guarantees a secure facility, but also provides an efficient and pleasing environment for employees, visitors, and the community as a whole. Firm principal David Schrader is nationally-recognized for the planning and design of public safety and mission critical facilities, and is a frequent presenter and speaker on topics relevant to this particular project type. For additional information about public safety and mission critical projects completed by SG, please visit our website.
SCHRADERGROUP Project to be Featured in 2014 Justice Facilities Review
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to announce that one of the firm’s recent projects, the new Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) State Emergency Operations Center, will be featured in the 2014 Justice Facilities Review (JFR), published each fall by the AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice. The new facility, designed by SG in a joint venture with AECOM, was chosen as an example of best practices in planning and design in Emergency Management and Operations Facilities.
New State Emergency Operations Center – Public Entry
The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), located in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania, provides dedicated emergency services and disaster assistance for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with the ability to sustain uninterrupted operations during activations. The 145,000 SF facility additionally houses the administrative functions for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) as well as partner organizations and integrated functions such as the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Traffic Management, a Tier 3 data center, media briefing, training facilities, and protected storage for PEMA operations vehicles.
State Emergency Operations Center Interior
Firm managing partner and lead designer for the project, David Schrader, commented, “Designing a building that meets all security and survivability requirements for a facility of this type, while at the same time providing sufficient space and functionality for all users along with an attractive interior and exterior, undeniably was a challenge. We are pleased with the outcome and extremely proud of the recognition by the AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice.”
Recently featured on a local news station, the new facility presently is under construction, with completion slated for spring of 2015.
SCHRADERGROUP Principal Presents at NENA Conference
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) firm principal, David Schrader, presented at NENA (National Emergency Number Association) 2014 Conference and Expo in Nashville, TN, along with Brian Bark from Mission Critical Partners, on “Planning and Designing Your New PSAP or EOC Facility and Technology Integration.” David, nationally-recognized for the planning and design of public safety and mission critical facilities, is a frequent presenter and speaker on topics relevant to this particular project type. For additional information about public safety and mission critical projects completed by SG, please visit our website.
David Schrader of SG co-presents with Brian Bark of Mission Critical Partners at NENA 2014
SCHRADERGROUP Completing Programming and Planning Study for Bradford County Emergency Operations Center
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is pleased to be providing public safety programming and planning services for the design of a new County Emergency Operations and Multi-Agency Training Facility for Bradford County. The new facility is intended to serve the various emergency response organizations, local industry, and municipal government in the County/Region. It will include fire, medical, law enforcement and hazardous materials, and potentially be expanded to provide training services for natural gas drilling operations and related services as well as general industry.
Following completion of a needs assessment, a design for a new facility will be developed to house the County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as well as a training facility. The facility and proposed site would incorporate various training components to include classroom technology, shooting range, fire, EMS, hazardous material, and technical rescue training, as well as specialized natural gas drilling, pipeline, and typical fire training structures.
SCHRADERGROUP Completes Programming and Planning Study for Lubbock Emergency Communication District
With a specific expertise in public safety facility design, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) frequently performs programming and planning studies for project types that include mission critical and law enforcement facilities. Together with communications systems planning firm Mission Critical Partners, SG recently performed a Programming and Planning Study for Lubbock Emergency Communication District (LECD) in Lubbock, Texas. As part of the project, existing space and usage was evaluated and a thorough programming effort was conducted to determine future space needs. Site analysis and cost estimates were developed for options which included remaining in the current existing facility and expanding to meet all needs, fitting out a different existing facility, and constructing a new facility. An assessment of the best strategic location for the facility also was conducted.
Ultimately, LECD decided to pursue a new construction option and retained SG to complete the project. Presently in schematic design, the new approximately 10,750 SF facility will provide dedicated space for the LECD Backup Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), training facilities, data center, and administrative offices.