South Dallas Government Center Makes Official Launch

From CN employees

DALLAS – For the Dallas, Fort-Worth-based design and construction company KAI, the new South Dallas Government Center (SDGC) project provided an opportunity to highlight the rich history and culture of South Dallas and, through its design theme, highlight restorative justice and art integration . Residents and officials of the predominantly African-American community celebrated the opening of the 73,000 square meter facility on July 29.

The new $ 22 million government center, located on 12 acre campus on the corner of West Wheatland Road and Polk Street, replaces and consolidates three obsolete facilities under one roof to house the Dallas County Tax Office; Veterans affairs; County Constable; Sheriff’s Transportation Department, Shipping, and K-9 Unit; and two justice of the peace. A new 11,000 square foot Dallas County Sheriff’s Training Academy was also designed and built at the south end of campus.

The minority stake in the LEED Silver project exceeded all targets through the use of a 100 percent minority finance company (SIR Capital), an African American construction company (KAI) and a 50 percent minority general contractor joint venture (Source Building Group / Satterfield & Pontikes Construction ). ). In addition, the construction of the building included a collaboration with the Regional Black Contractors Association and their “Second Chance” labor program, which trained men and women who were part of the criminal justice system to learn new transferable professional skills that were provided by contractors be used in the project work side? ˅.

“We began with a vision of creating an excellent facility that celebrated the legacy of the early legal pioneers who served this community,” said KAI President Darren L. James, FAIA. “At KAI we embody the transformation of communities through integrated design and excellent building, and what we wanted to do in this center and on this campus was create a sense of place that was previously an open field.”

Art in public space plays an outstanding role in the socially conscious design of the government building. A gallery on the second floor displays portraits by local artists of eleven prominent Dallas County judges and police officers, as well as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. On the first floor, a 7 x 20 foot mosaic mural entitled “Justice For All” by artist Reginald C. Adams was integrated into the architecture right next to the public rotunda. Inspired by the principle of restorative justice, the wall design is anchored by a blindfolded man and woman holding the scales of justice to represent the principle of impartiality in the justice system. The Dallas Public Library has also partnered with SDGC to display photographs throughout the property depicting the lives and challenges of local African American residents.

Features of the facility also include a public footpath around the property for agility training, food truck parking spaces next to the catchment pond, a weight room for employees, and a wellness room for nursing mothers. A 160-foot radio tower, a kennel for the K-9 unit, and a property and evidence store for the sheriff’s traffic department were also built. The facility’s dispatch center was designed as an ICC-500 2015 storm shelter that can withstand winds of up to 200 MPH and remain operational even in storms. The facility will also serve as a backup dispatch center for the adjacent cities of Dallas and Lancaster.

KAI Enterprises is a national planning and construction company that offers delivery-oriented construction solutions with a diverse portfolio of experience, in-house multidisciplinary and specialist expertise in both planning and construction.

[ad_1]