Maple Street Correctional Center
San Mateo County, CA
A model for corrections with compassion, the 260,000-square-foot, $165-million San Mateo County Maple Street Correctional Center in Redwood City, California is an inviting building designed to change the way families and community members interact with those in custody to help them move through the system and return to society. Six decorative mesh fins in Cambridge’s Mid Balance pattern stand off the façade and rest perpendicular to the glass using the Scroll attachment system. Lit by LED lights at night, the fins create an inviting look to the building. By day, the fins celebrate the building’s sustainable design and channel rainwater from the roof into a bioswale garden. Round caps on top of each fin collect an equal amount of rainwater that then spills across the mesh and into the garden below where it is filtrated before flowing into city streets and drains. While seeking a very open, light-filled space, the architects specified a mesh pattern that can also act as a sunshade.The mesh contributed toward the corrections center’s LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The mesh is not susceptible to weather, is virtually maintenance-free and has an indestructible life-cycle. Maple Street is an AIA Justice Facilities Review award winner.
Architect:
HOK
Build Team:
Sundt Layton & Kwan Wo Ironworks