Located on the campus of the Placer County Santucci Justice Center in Roseville, the new 20,000 square foot Placer County Coroners Facility was dedicated last month. It includes an 1,800 square foot autopsy complex with five autopsy stations, an observation platform, a full-body x-ray machine and a large capacity morgue.

Lionakis was brought on as the Criteria Architect for this project, leading a team of consultants and designers in preparing bridging documents for the selection of a design-build entity to deliver the project. Lionakis teamed with McClaren, Wilson, Laurie (MWL) Architects to assist in the programming and design of the facility – MWL is a leader in the design of public safety facilities and forensic science projects around the world.

We often talk about designing a better future for the communities in which we live and work (in fact, it’s our mission statement), and this project is a great example of doing just that. After being selected as Criteria Architect, core members of our team toured the country to visit existing coroner and medical examiner facilities to better understand how they function and operate. From this tour, a Criteria Documents were developed to replace the County’s existing facility, which was housed in a barracks building constructed during World War II, and simply couldn’t keep up with daily demands any longer.

Using the Criteria Documents prepared by Lionakis and MWL, Placer County selected the design-build team of Roebbelen, SmithGroup, and Nacht and Lewis (AOR). At a cost of approximately $24 million dollars, the new facility has a sustainable and efficient focus with plenty of natural daylighting, photovoltaic panels on the roof and carports, and high efficiency mechanical systems. The facility provides much increased forensic services capacity, improved operational efficiency, and the capacity for growth and flexibility, all of which were requirements outlined in the Criteria Documents.

Given that an environment like this revolves around emergency services and sensitive subjects, the facility was designed to reduce the stress that is associated with the nature of a coroners facility. The new building includes family gathering spaces, office space and observation areas to meet regulatory requirements, and the ability to accommodate a mass casualty event, which hopefully, will never be put into use.

Thanks go out to Placer County for entrusting Lionakis with the responsibility to prepare the Criteria Documents, and to the Design-Build Team for delivering an operationally flexible facility that will serve the public efficiently and sustainably for decades to come.

Click here to view the detailed Project Page on Nacht and Lewis’ website and see some additional photos of the facility and dedication day below.