ENR 2024 Midwest Best Projects
Best Project, Government/Public Building: Franklin County Corrections Center

Photo courtesy of HDR © 2022 Lauren K Davis
Franklin County Corrections Center
Columbus, Ohio
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by: Gilbane Building Co.
Owner: Franklin County Board of Commissioners
Lead Designer: DLZ Architecture Inc.
General Contractor: Gilbane Building Co. and Smoot Construction JV
Civil Engineer: MS Consultants Inc.
Structural Engineer: Prime AE
MEP Engineer: DLZ and AEC
Architect: HDR
The new Franklin County Corrections Center, situated on a 24-acre site, features 529,000 sq ft with the infrastructure and support space needed to house 2,800 beds.
Due to security-grade construction methods used throughout the facility, an extensive coordination of the security electronics systems was required.

Photo courtesy of HDR © 2022 Lauren K Davis / Feinknopf Photography
The project team of Gilbane/Smoot was committed to anticipating challenges, finding solutions and leading with a commitment to hold one another to a high standard of excellence.

Photo courtesy of HDR © 2022 Lauren K Davis / Feinknopf Photography
The project saw over $31 million in change orders due to alterations to the scope from the client. Gilbane/Smoot worked closely with Franklin County and DLZ Architecture to reduce the scope of any costly change orders and, in some cases, to find other value engineering solutions.
Open communication allowed for changes to be handled together as a team rather than in a divided atmosphere, ensuring a better outcome for the project. The facility achieved LEED Silver certification.