San Mateo County Maple Street Correctional Center

Designed to create a better environment for inmates and staff and to reduce recidivism, this 832-bed facility was the first correctional center to open as part of California’s initiative to move nonviolent, nonsexual offenders from overcrowded state prisons to county jails.

Instead of placing cells along the exterior, as in most jails, the design provides a curved-class facade and arranges dayrooms along the windows that open to individual living units. This improves security and floods the facility with natural light, making the white-painted cells feel more spacious.

Each floor has a core station that supports four housing units. These stations feature a classroom, computer lab and multipurpose room. Other rehabilitation elements include natural ventilation, a large rooftop-level recreation yard, artwork displaying scenes from nature and a natural color palette.

An 88-bed transitional housing facility accommodates day reporting, weekend programs and other inmates serving alternative sentences.

The Center accommodates female inmates and lower-risk male inmates. The plan includes two separate but interconnected buildings with a central administration area.

The team’s integrated approach to the architectural, engineering and landscape design created a high-performance, LEED Gold certified facility.