Local Architecture Firm LS3P Wins IIDA Awards For SLED Forensics Lab

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LS3P Columbia office was honored with two design awards from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Carolinas Chapter at the annual DesignWorks Awards event held in Charlotte, NC December 8th. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Forensic Services Laboratory won top prize in the Flooring Design Category and received Honorable Mention in the Government/Institutional category.

The SLED Forensic Lab, designed by LS3P and specialty consultant MWL, is a three-story, 120,000 state-of-the-art facility that impressively personifies progressive civic architecture. The design incorporates interior viewing windows, allowing natural light to permeate throughout the building and tours to operate without risk of contamination. LS3P also provided interior design services and assisted with the furniture specifications to help formulate a cohesive, inspiring aesthetic.

“As far as [flooring] pattern and design, we really took inspiration from DNA, the shape of molecular structures and patterns,” said project interior designer Beth Florance, IIDA, NCIDQ, EDAC. “We used heat-welded sheet vinyl throughout all the lab spaces for the infection control and carpet in all of the offices, incorporating the same shapes and colors for a cohesive design. Both the flooring and lighting have an abstract hexagonal theme.”

The Lab is comprised of multiple forensic disciplines to include Firearms (with indoor firing range/ballistics testing), DNA Casework, Computer Crimes, Toxicology, and additional specialties that support SLED investigations and other law enforcement entities across the state. SLED Chief Mark Keel calls the new lab a “milestone” for the state and says the space will empower the agency to increase employment and process a higher volume of evidence.

About LS3P: Founded in 1963, LS3P is an architecture, interiors, and planning firm with regional roots and national reach. Operating from its nine offices in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington, Atlanta, and Savannah, LS3P is deeply committed to the communities in which it serves, and has been honored with over 600 design awards in diverse practice areas. For more information on LS3P, visit www.ls3p.com.