The City of Cincinnati commissioned emersion DESIGN as part of a design-build team to design and construct the District 3 Police Station Headquarters. This new 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility is located on the City’s west side and allows 200 of Cincinnati's finest to better respond to citizens' needs in the 14 western neighborhoods encompassed by District 3.
The building program includes a public lobby, administrative spaces, investigations offices and work areas, patrol functions, file and records storage, property and evidence handling areas, support areas for the police staff, and mechanic’s bays.
Additionally, this headquarters has been performing at Net Zero Energy to be the first free standing NZE police station in the USA. Working with the police staff, neighborhood committees, and city planners, aggressive goals were set to reduce life-cycle cost of the building while maintaining function for police activities, security for occupants, and an aesthetically appealing design within the community. The project is a catalyst for appropriate means to integrate both environmental and community sustainability.
Paying particular attention to notable existing buildings in the 14 District 3 neighborhoods, features from each were transformed to create a city building that meshes into the fabric of the existing community. Community engagement, through the neighborhood committees, factored into the design process as well as public art within the building and on the surrounding site.