CONWAY PUBLIC SAFETY

The new Public Safety Facility in Conway was a design-build project completed by Chancel Construction and Stewart Cooper Newell Architects. This building showcases the region’s “low-country” style and character, while giving the city a state-of-the-art fire and police complex. Additionally, site considerations were paramount to the design of this Public Safety Facility, which previously housed a dilapidated hospital. Great care was taken to preserve the heavily wooded lot of old-growth live oak trees, including designing the facility to wrap around and showcase these beautiful trees. The new two-story structure houses the police department headquarters on the second floor, and the fire department headquarters on the first floor. Combining the two departments into a single facility allows for a joint use of common areas such as training rooms, conference rooms, day room, physical fitness area, and communications. Additionally, the shared facility utilizes a joint public entrance and lobby. The design helped the city to save a considerable amount of money and space over having two separate facilities. This fire department houses five truck bays with a workshop and a mezzanine for equipment storage. Due to its coastal location, the structure is designed to withstand 130-plus mph winds and has impact resistant glazing and hardened exterior walls to resist damage by hurricanes. The elevation of the site was raised to prevent the possibility of flooding.