Baytown Public Safety Building

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

The Baytown Public Safety Building is a three-story, 57,013 SF facility that consolidates essential public safety services for the City of Baytown. Designed to accommodate the Baytown Police Department and the Baytown Fire Department’s administrative offices, the building also serves as the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in times of crisis.

The facility is strategically located within Baytown’s government complex and was designed with future growth and resiliency in mind. Featuring 98 tilt-up panels with a combined surface area of 54,195 SF, the building includes large spandrel panels, oversized window openings, and exterior treatments such as thin brick, polished concrete, and stain. It was engineered to meet enhanced structural requirements due to its coastal location and the critical nature of its operations.

Despite significant challenges including phased construction, a constrained work area, extreme weather threats, and supply chain disruptions, the project was completed on time and within budget. The result is a durable, high-performance facility that enhances emergency response capabilities and reflects the City of Baytown’s long-term commitment to public safety and community investment.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The Baytown Public Safety Building posed several complex challenges that required adaptability, coordination, and creative problem-solving to keep the project on track. The building’s T-shaped layout necessitated a phased construction approach, unlike the more straightforward sequencing typically seen with square or rectangular structures. This required careful planning to manage the three distinct construction phases efficiently.

The project site itself presented spatial constraints, with limited access and a tight footprint that left little room for traditional casting operations. To overcome this, the team constructed temporary casting beds, false framework, and utilized panel stacking techniques to maintain progress without sacrificing quality or safety.

Adding to the complexity, construction took place adjacent to an active police station, requiring the team to sequence work in a way that minimized disruption to critical daily operations. Meanwhile, the project – awarded in 2021 – faced significant headwinds from escalating material costs and supply chain shortages, placing strain on the budget and schedule. Gulf Coast weather also brought challenges, including frequent rain delays and threats from hurricanes and tropical storms.

Despite these hurdles, Orion and the project team met the demands of stringent specifications and oversight while maintaining strong communication with stakeholders. Through proactive planning, creative solutions, and a commitment to excellence, the project was delivered on time and on budget – reaffirming our relationship with this valued repeat client.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

The Baytown Public Safety Building required highly specialized engineering to meet both functional and environmental demands. As a critical facility housing police and fire administration and serving as the city’s Emergency Operations Center, the building was designed to remain operational during extreme weather events, including hurricane-force winds. This coastal location drove the need for robust structural engineering, including panels reinforced with large, strategically placed structural embeds to ensure building integrity and security.

The panel design was uniquely complex, incorporating three-story heights and large openings to accommodate windows. Several oversized spandrel panels were also used, enhancing both the structural system and the architectural rhythm of the façade.

A distinctive feature of the project was the integration of cast-in-place thin brick across multiple panels. When material shortages disrupted initial installation plans, the team pivoted to a creative solution – designing recess areas during panel casting and post-installing the thin bricks with a randomized pattern to maintain the intended architectural character. This process required the procurement of a custom formliner and precise coordination between field and design teams.

Additionally, many panels received a stained finish, contributing to the civic aesthetic while adding another layer of complexity to quality control and application. These elements – combined with the structural demands, coastal code compliance, and the operational needs of a secure public safety facility – made this one of the most technically demanding tilt-up projects the team has delivered.