Inside/Out Newsletter
Award-Winning Joint Regional Correctional Facility Southwest Prior to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act, government officials began planning for the expansion of the Joint Regional Correctional Facility Southwest (JRCFS) at MCAS Miramar in northern San Diego. On 4 February 2011, ahead of the U.S. Navy’s extremely aggressive schedule, the expansion of the award-winning, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable LEED Silver facilities were completed and doors reopened. As civil and structural engineers for the design/build contract with Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW), BergerABAM and its team members worked with NAVFAC SW in the design and construction of the expansion. The new, state-of-the-art JRCFS absorbs prisoners from four other correctional facilities scheduled for closure due to the Act. The JRCFS is now one of only five military correctional facilities in the nation, the only personnel military confinement facility for the entire southwest region, and the largest contiguous brig owned by the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition to fulfilling confinement needs of the Navy, the JRCFS provides innovative rehabilitation programs, including a program that allows inmates to learn a new trade while serving their time. The JRCFS helps accomplish the goals of the Navy: return as many personnel to honorable service as possible and teach prisoners the skills necessary to become productive citizens. The JRCFS also provides successful female-specific rehabilitation programs. The consolidation of all women inmates to the JRCFS provides female-oriented corrections programs for the only Department of Defense facility to house and train females. In order to meet the Navy’s extremely aggressive schedule, a creative use of precast concrete cells and two-cell modules was implemented, resulting in improvements in the design process. The unique approach allowed for off-site precast fabrication of cell systems that could be transported to the site and assembled as modular units. The cells and modules included a bunk, toilet, and sink prefabricated in Arizona and transported to the site as assemblies. The roof members, not part of the main seismic load resisting system, also used prefabricated open web bar joist. The precast and
The $32 million expansion on 11.85 acres includes 200 housing units, space for a library, classrooms, multipurpose rooms, counseling rooms, and industries building where inmates can learn skills.
prefabricated elements not only allowed for the accelerated schedule and elevated quality control, it also ensured the highest level of material management, greatly reducing the quantity of material consumed for the project, thus greatly reducing the project’s overall carbon footprint. The entire process expedited the project schedule by more than two months. Contract award to completion of construction took less than 18 months, and the project was completed under budget with a perfect safety record. The many green features greatly reduce the facility’s operation and maintenance costs. Design improvements included environmentally friendly features, such as low-flow toilets in each new cell to reduce the flow of 50 percent of water, solar panels to supplement the hot water supply and to eventually supply 25 to 30 percent of the building’s energy needs, water efficient landscaping, high-efficiency mechanical systems, motion-based light sensors to preserve energy, and 20,000 tons of recycled material. The benefits from the JRCFS are significant and extensive and have been recognized with awards by various national and local organizations throughout the country, including Design/Build Institute of America, American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of Military Engineers, and the Associated General Contractors of America. The new JRCFS is also well received by the government. In addition to incorporating socially responsible and environmentally sustainable features, the new LEED Silver JRCFS will meet the needs of Southwest Department of Defense corrections for the next 50 years.
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