Location: 
Nashville, Tennessee
Total Square Feet: 162,000
Construction Period: May 1998 to July 2000

Construction Team
Project Manager: Hardaway Construction Co., 615 Main St., Nashville, TN 37206
General Contractor: J.H. Shankle Co., Inc., 2518 Plum, Nashville, TN 37207
Structural Engineer: TRC International, Ltd., 217 Ward Circle, Brentwood, TN 37027
Electrical & Mechanical Engineer: Kurzynske & Assoc., 825 Third Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37210
Civil Engineer: Rodhill Engineering, Inc., 1011 Falls Ave., Madison, TN 37115
Landscape Architect: Lose & Assoc., Inc., 40 Rutledge St., Nashville, TN 37210

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is the primary criminal investigation agency for the State of Tennessee. In addition to investigation its own criminal cases, the TBI is a resource for all law enforcement authorities in the many local jurisdictions throughout the state. Historically, the headquarters in Nashville have been spread throughout the city at different sites. Therefore, the primary goal of this project was to consolidate all of the various TBI operations into one building to create better internal access, communication, and efficiency. These operations included the administrative, investigative, and laboratory functions of the TBI.

The selected site is part of an area northeast of Nashville on land owned by the state. The property is gradually becoming a major campus-type development where many state agencies are relocating.

The architectural design team was a joint venture comprised of two firms, Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc. (GHP) and Kline Swinney Associates (KSA). These firms collaborated on the programming, master planning, and early design phases and then split the project into two portions during the construction document and specialized laboratory portions of the work, while KSA concentrated on the building 
shell and administrative/investigative areas of the project.

The design team addressed major issues such a security, specialized laboratory needs, and the required 24-hour operations during emergency situations. The building is designed as two wings separated by an atrium, which is lined with clerestory on either side of the long axis. The first level of the atrium is the main entry to the facility, where the central security checkpoint is located. No authorized 
entry is allowed beyond this security checkpoint. The facility is a total of 162,000 square feet, with 55,000 square feet dedicated to the criminal forensic laboratory units. Lab units are housed in one wing, while the other wing is dedicated to administrative, investigative, central computer, and training functions. Except for the specialized computer and training spaces, this other wing is designed primarily 
as an open office space, with systems furniture that establishes all of the workstations.

The criminal forensic laboratory wing consists of several different units. Each space is carefully and intricately conditioned with varying air pressures to control the potential for contamination of evidence or contamination of workers. The units are as follows:

- Evidence and Vehicle Processing
- Trace Evidence
- Latent Prints
- DNA/Serology
- Forensic Chemistry
- Toxicology
- Firearms
- Breath Alcohol Calibration
- Laboratory Administration

The project team also included a nationally recognized laboratory consultant and incorporated a unique hands-on approach form the users' perspective. Two individuals form the TBI - one form the administrative/investigative side and one during all phases of the project. These individuals attended all the design and construction progress meetings and were excellent resources during the project. 
The design team was able to constantly crosscheck the progress of the work with the users' actual needs. This unique process enabled the team to make specific decisions in a timely fashion, which was a cntributing factor to cost efficiency. The project came in a t approximately $4.5 million under the original $22 million budget.

A complication arose during the project when the state issued programmatic changes, which were a result of legislative changes enacted by State Legislature. These changes added programs under the auspices of the TBI, which meant the new building, had the potential to be too small on opening day. Because the project was under budget, a 16,500 square foot addition was designed and 
constructed to incorporate these functions into the completed building without impacting the overall budget and only extended the completion time by six months.

Manufacturers/Suppliers
Exterior Walls -- Window Walls: Kawneer.
Roof -- EPDM: Versico; Metal: AEP-Span.
Floors -- Vinyl: Armstrong, Mannington; VCT: Tarkett; Ceramic Tile: Mannington, Shaw.
Interior Walls -- Drywall: National Gypsum; Metal Ceiling: USG Interiors; Paint: Duron.
Elevators -- Thyssen Dover; Automobile Lift: Mohawk.