Laboratory Engineered to Fight Crime

The Western Regional Laboratory is located in Asheville, North Carolina and was the first satellite laboratory in the state. It was established in the early 1980s, but lacked the ability to provide much-needed services such as DNA analysis.

The North Carolina Department of Justice solved this dilemma with a new $15-million Western Regional Crime Lab facility, currently under construction in Edneyville. Roughly twice as large as the current facility, the Western Crime Laboratory will serve law enforcement in North Carolina counties generally west of Interstate 77 and provide services which were only available in Raleigh.

McKim & Creed’s innovative mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering encompassed a multitude of energy conservation strategies that will help this facility operate as efficiently as possible. Energy recovery was employed on fume and laboratory hood exhausts, and efficient lighting, controls and standby power generation meet the 24/7 operating schedule of the two-story, 36,000-SF facility.

With the new regional laboratory, forensic scientists will be able to provide Western North Carolina criminal justice agencies with forensic analysis in latent evidence (fingerprints, shoes and tire tracks), drug chemistry, firearms, toxicology and DNA. It is truly a facility that is engineered to fight crime.