Precast, prestressed concrete was used successfully to provide the new Greene County justice Center (Missouri) with a detention center that doubled the capacity of the existing facility. The new building is sandwiched by a historical limestone courthouse on one side and a modern precast concrete courthouse on the other, so the new addition had to blend architecturally with the contrasting construction forms. Precast concrete provided both the architectural skin and the structural system to handle all design loads, and it had the added benefit of furnishing a durable cell partition that would be easy to clean. Special framing in the form of deep, thick-flanged double tees supported by heavy beams, columns, and loadbearing wall panels were needed to meet the criteria for a wide open layout. This article presents the design considerations and construction highlights of the project.
