Davis County approached our team with a unique opportunity to re-examine failed facade detailing on the Children’s Justice Center, a well-loved community resource center in Davis County. This project allowed us to get into the details of what connects materials to one another, using that detailed view to ensure long-lasting safety and function for years to come.
Initially, this project was motivated by existing facade tiling that was falling off and posing safety concerns. The main building of the justice center features white stone wrapping the entire structure, each individual stone featuring different sizes and tones that accumulate in a richly textured facade. The original design for fastening these tiles to the building proved to be faulty, and they had reached a point where tiles were often falling onto high-traffic areas. Our work focused on examining the failed fasteners and tiles, and designing a new system for the tiles to stay secure.
We led team explorations, including tile and facade experts to assess the damage and explore different options for the best value of the County’s budget. Research is an important phase in our process, and consulting with experts allows us to design from a well-informed place and be completely confident in our work performance. Through combining the expertise of multiple different professionals, we were able to design a tailor made system just for the gorgeous tiles. Guided by the combined goals of longevity, simplicity, and cost-consciousness, we went through a process of experimentation until we felt we’d educated the team thoroughly and explored every option on a solution to both materials and the fastening system.
Along with the design and research processes, we also did all detailing work on the project. Our team worked to compile detailed construction documents, proving the success of our design and ensuring there wouldn’t bet be any miscommunication through each step of the construction process. Construction was completed in 2020, and the Justice Center has continued to serve as a valuable resource to the community ever since, with the facade as secure and lovely as ever. A value-engineered approach allowed the county to allocate funds to other parts of the center’s operations, helping to continue supporting families and providing community members with a welcoming space to connect and be cared for.
