The Federal Bureau of Prisons is constructing a new Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Leavenworth, Kansas, to replace the nation’s oldest federal penitentiary. Built in 1897, the original facility had exceeded its operational lifespan, with aging infrastructure, increasing maintenance costs, and limited space for the education and rehabilitation programs that are central to today’s correctional philosophy.
The new 630,000-square-foot, 23-building campus is designed to serve medium-security inmates while providing modern educational, vocational, medical, and support facilities that promote safety, security, and successful rehabilitation. Built on a 200-acre site, the project represents one of the largest federal construction investments in Kansas history and is designed to support correctional staff, inmates, and the surrounding community for generations to come.
Control Service Company (CSC) was selected by Cerris to provide the building automation system for the new campus. Competing against national controls providers, CSC earned the project through long-standing relationships, technical expertise, and a reputation for delivering reliable, cost-effective building automation solutions.
The Bureau of Prisons required a modern building automation system capable of supporting a mission-critical government campus where reliability, security, and operational efficiency are essential. With 23 buildings spread across a large campus, facility personnel needed centralized visibility into HVAC operations while maintaining precise environmental control throughout the institution.
One of the project’s unique challenges involved the campus layout itself. Because of the security requirements of a correctional facility, many utility systems are housed in an off-site maintenance building rather than within the secure perimeter. Integrating building automation across these extended distances required careful network planning to ensure dependable communication between facilities.
Additional engineering challenges included programming and commissioning condenser water control valves, coordinating numerous HVAC systems across the campus, and integrating specialized environmental controls for medical observation areas that require negative pressure to protect staff and occupants.
CSC implemented an Automated Logic WebCTRL® building automation system utilizing an IP-based architecture designed to support the scale and security requirements of the new correctional campus.
The WebCTRL platform provides facility personnel with centralized monitoring and control of HVAC equipment across all campus buildings while offering intuitive graphics, alarm management, scheduling, historical trending, and future integration capabilities. The scalable architecture also supports long-term expansion and simplifies ongoing facility operations.
Beyond traditional HVAC controls, CSC integrated a wide range of mechanical and electrical systems throughout the campus, including chillers, boilers, air handling units, exhaust systems, variable air volume (VAV) systems, power meter integration, and fire alarm interfaces. Specialized controls for the medical observation negative pressure rooms ensure these critical healthcare spaces maintain the environmental conditions required for occupant safety.
Throughout the project, CSC worked closely with Clark Construction, Cerris, and the broader construction team to coordinate controls installation, commissioning, and startup across one of the region’s most complex government construction projects.
Campus-Wide Building Automation: Automated Logic WebCTRL provides centralized monitoring and control across a 23-building federal correctional campus.
Large-Scale Integration: More than 3,500 hardwired control points and approximately 7,000 network points support building operations throughout the facility.
Mission-Critical HVAC Controls: Integrated chillers, boilers, air handling units, VAV systems, exhaust systems, power meters, and fire alarm interfaces into a unified building automation platform.
Specialized Medical Controls: Engineered environmental controls for medical observation rooms requiring negative pressure to support occupant safety.
Secure Network Architecture: Designed an IP-based controls network capable of reliably serving buildings across a large, high-security campus, including remote utility infrastructure located outside the secure perimeter.
CSC’s relationship with the Leavenworth federal campus extends well beyond this project. Having previously completed building automation work at the existing prison and other government facilities throughout the installation, CSC brought valuable institutional knowledge and established relationships with both the project team and contractors.
That experience contributed to an exceptionally smooth commissioning process. During startup, Clark Construction’s project manager remarked to Federal Bureau of Prisons executives that this project featured the smoothest controls startup process they had experienced, reflecting the coordination, preparation, and technical execution provided by the CSC team.
The new Federal Correctional Institution at Leavenworth represents a significant investment in the future of the federal correctional system. By replacing an aging 19th-century prison with a modern campus designed for safety, rehabilitation, and operational efficiency, the facility will better support correctional officers, staff, inmates, and the surrounding community.
CSC’s building automation system provides the foundation for efficient facility operation across one of the largest and most complex government projects in the region. Through centralized control, reliable system integration, and scalable infrastructure, the new WebCTRL platform will help facility personnel maintain comfortable, secure, and energy-efficient environments while supporting the Bureau of Prisons’ mission for decades to come.
