Northern Colorado Regional Forensics Laboratory

Project Description

The preconstruction phase of this project was unique for Roche in that this was our first forensic laboratory. There were many features that had to be considered when designing this project. The biggest challenge was meeting the requirements of an end user that is comprised of five separate law enforcement agencies each with differing goals and objectives. Due to the well-organized structure of the design team and diligent communication, Roche was able to design a project that met all of the end users’ needs while maintaining the strict budget.

The building is constructed on a load-bearing spread footing foundation system with a masonry load-bearing steel joist building frame system. The facility has proxy control access to secure the building from unauthorized personnel.

The interior of the lab features a useable and efficient layout that separates the secured areas of the lab from the unsecured areas. There is an interior gun range for ballistics testing and negatively-pressured rooms to prevent cross contamination between labs. The exterior of the lab features an inverted truss at the high point of the roof to allow the investigators to accommodate and lift large vehicles for evidence processing. There is also extensive mechanical screening due to the large HVAC units required by the facility.

Our scope of work included complete site development and landscaping, which was designed to screen vehicle access and the generator from public view. Roche developed phase II of the Highpointe Business Park to facilitate this project. The first phase of the project was completed by Roche in 2004.