Valencia College Criminal Justice Institute

Valencia College’s Criminal Justice Institute is the first building completed for the college’s 58 acre Public Safety campus. Each year over 4,000 local and regional police officers, corrections officers and recruits train within the facility to make our communities.

The state-of-the-art building was designed in collaboration with Valencia College staff to reflect the spirit and dignity of those preparing for a career in criminal justice. The team decided early on to depart from the concept of large box buildings that are so prevalent on college campuses today. Instead, the program’s four major components – administration, classrooms, labs, and a physical fitness facility – are sited in wings that surround a landscaped courtyard and linked by a glazed double-height lobby and covered walks. Other amenities offered by the facility include an outdoor running track, a practice field, a K-9 training facility, and a vehicle driving range.

This project earned the firm an honorable mention for design excellence from the American Institute of Architects, Orlando Chapter, and a First Place Award from the Florida Educational Facilities Planners’ Association.