Bozeman Public Safety Center

The Bozeman Public Safety Center relocates the City’s Police and Municipal courts from a mid-century remodeled high school to a state-of-the-art, multi-use civic building that exemplifies the City of Bozeman’s stewardship and commitment to community. Home to three civic institutions, Law Enforcement, Municipal Courts, and Fire Safety, the building integrates program, site, and civic language to communicate the dual nature of public buildings as safe and welcoming, efficient and highly functional, formal and inviting, secure and transparent.

The project balances these aspirations by incorporating sustainable design strategies and direct connections to the outdoors, reflecting Bozeman’s community and cultural values. Transforming a brownfield site into a municipal campus that serves the growing needs of the community, the building includes a photovoltaic roof array and native, riparian landscaping interwoven with pathways to outdoor parks and trails. At each entry, sweeping canopies act as a marker for public engagement; wood-clad ceilings continue indoors and, as they rise, dip, compress and recede they mark the public pathway to the municipal courts and punctuate moments of rest along that path. This strategy continues into the courtrooms, where V-shape ceiling protect inhabitants from the early morning glare while providing diffuse daylighting.

The fire station and administration wing assume a more private, functional character; the Fire Department includes five apparatus bays, decontamination and support areas, living quarters for six, administration, fire marshal and inspections, an interpretive lobby, and firefighter support spaces. Shared amenities within the building include a large community room, fitness room and showers, training facility, as well as covered secured parking. The fire and administration wing is integrated with the municipal wing through the use of shared exterior materials, proportional relationships, and a glazed public lobby that is similar to the police and courts lobby. Both entry points establish a welcoming street presence while remaining a beacon for all.

In collaboration with ThinkOne

Bozeman's Municipal Court Judges Looking Forward to Move to Public Safety Center, Bozeman Daily Chronicle