Linn County

Sheriff’s Office Flood Recovery | Cedar Rapids, IA

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office suffered extensive damage during the flood. While approximately 40 percent of the building’s 54,500 square feet were directly affected by the flood water, another 10 percent was impacted because it was served by utilities located within the flooded areas. The flood recovery renovation project for the building was to not only restore those parts of the building destroyed by the flood waters, but also to incorporate features that would mitigate damage to building mechanical and electrical utility services from a potential future flood event by relocating them to a new mechanical/electrical area created at the Mezzanine Level. This would locate them at least 1’-0” above the level of the 2008 flood.

In theory, moving the mechanical and electrical equipment to a higher location seems like common sense. However, this building’s configuration offered several challenges. First, the amount of space available in the new location was 15 percent less than where the equipment was originally located. Second, the maximum clear space available below the overhead structure on the Mezzanine Level is only 7’-0”. Taking these challenges into consideration, WPE was able to adjust the design requirements, assuring a much safer utility space.