Oak Hill Youth Center

The programming study included investigating successful models in other parts of the country and analyzing possible sites within the 888 acres. The concept design process considered four potential locations for a new facility including the possible adaptive reuse of two existing buildings as a 24-bed facility. It was determined given the many cost, infrastructure and operational constraints and desires of stakeholders that a single, sixty-bed facility should be built rather than a separate 36 bed new facility with the a separate, but adjacent 24-bed facility located in an existing, converted building.

The project design is based on the DYRS belief that effective operations pertaining to youthful offenders in secure institutional settings demands a residential environment that encourages positive resident participation through normative physical arrangements while limiting opportunities for damaging, counterproductive behavior. The DC government established that the facility would meet a LEED silver rating for leadership in environmental and energy design, as part of the goals for the project. This would establish the quality of the indoor environment and the energy efficiency of its operation.