Ada County Coroner’s Office

Ada County invested in a new Coroner’s Office to address the evolving needs of the Treasure Valley community. The old facility had been in service since 1966 and, despite a remodel in 2002, proved inadequate to meet the demands of the growing region – a challenge that became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new 35,000-sf building includes state-of-the-art infrastructure, including a morgue and autopsy complex, administrative offices, forensic investigation areas, public spaces, and multi-use areas. Designed specifically to support the Ada County Coroner’s functions, the facility enhances the quality of medicolegal investigations and pathological analysis.

The building contains high volume spaces, achieved by using tall prefabricated concrete panels which doubled as the primary lateral resisting system. The structural design included thermal enveloping. All steel members were thermally separated from the exterior exposed structural steel, preventing any thermal bridging.

The second level structure that supports the forensic investigation areas was specially designed to a high vibration tolerance due to the microscopic equipment sensitivity. Additional special design measures were implemented in the autopsy lab to provide a clean and sterile environment by supporting all the laboratory equipment and workstations via the structure, avoiding any contact with the lab floor.

Additional Services Provided: Building Design, Vibration Analysis and Measurement