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Grafton DOC main lobby, credit SMRT Architects crop

Grafton County Department of Corrections

N. Haverhill, New Hampshire

Project Type: General
  • OWNER: Grafton County
  • ARCHITECT: SMRT Architects
  • DELIVERY METHOD: CM

We were pleased to be selected for this fascinating project. The new correctional facility  (94,000 SF) replaced an outdated facility constructed in the late 1800s. We were involved with preconstruction services for two and a half years before the start of the construction phase. The detention area serves several hundred inmates.

The building was constructed with masonry CMU instead of pre-cast cells. Extensive analysis was conducted to determine the best building method, and the masonry CMU proved a good choice. The electronic access control system consists of approximately eight miles of conduit. This highly energy efficient building contains mechanical systems powered by geothermal wells comprised of roughly 92 five hundred foot wells. Work included a secure connector with direct vertical access to courtrooms from the Department of Corrections. It is heated and cooled with a ground source heat pump that uses water-to-water heat exchange, and gas-fired boilers provide supplemental heating. The kitchen even includes an energy-efficient exhaust, refrigeration, and water heating system that complies with many LEED criteria for energy-efficient design and function.

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Photo Credit:  SMRT Architects