Perkins+Will Complete Renovation of Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Division Headquarters

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 16, 2016 - PRLog -- The Metropolitan Division ("Metro") of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), which leads community-based policing efforts citywide to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, has opened its new headquarters in the newly renovated former Rampart Division Station in Angelino Heights. Architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has transformed the 50-year-old, two-story concrete building—once known for its walled-off, bunker-like appearance—into a light-filled and welcoming specialty police facility.

The LAPD had several objectives for the renovation: to make the building and, by extension, the Metro officers feel more approachable and inviting; to house Metro's five field divisions and one administrative division under a single roof; and to build flexible workspaces that enable collaboration, communication, and pride. The new facility has office areas, conference rooms, training facilities, armory, equipment storage, kennels, protected parking, armored vehicle parking, a secure perimeter, and display areas. A new community pocket park, perimeter plantings, and a bio-detention basin to collect storm water add greenness and much-needed open space to the neighborhood.

A fruitful collaboration between designer and client led the team to embrace ambitious targets for environmental performance. The building recently was honored for its sustainability with LEED Platinum certification (http://www.usgbc.org/benefits/platinum), the highest rating offered by the U.S. Green Building Council (http://usgbc.org), and the first for a police facility for the City of Los Angeles. Old mechanical and electrical systems were replaced with high-efficiency ones, while durable, low-maintenance, and sustainable products and materials were used throughout. A solar panel array shades outdoor program areas and is expected to offset approximately 30 percent of the building's energy needs.

Perkins+Will carved through the existing building in several places to let in more natural light, especially in high-occupancy areas like a central linear spine  that acts as a circulation hub. The imposing look of the old façade, marked by dark ceramic tile and glass, with mullions, has been replaced with a continuous curtain wall holding translucent ballistic glass. Perkins+Will salvaged the custom period terra cotta tile and reused it on an entry wall that commemorates the building's history.

"In an era when our police and the image of law enforcement are increasingly under public scrutiny, the design here is particularly timely and relevant. This new Metro facility celebrates a welcome transparency, and shines both a figurative and  literal light into the surrounding community," says Nick Seierup, FAIA, principal at Perkins+Will.

ABOUT PERKINS+WILL (www.perkinswill.com)
Perkins+Will is an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm established in 1935. Founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance communities, we collaborate with clients all over the world to create healthy, sustainable places in which to live, learn, work, play, and heal. More than 2,000 professionals across over 20 Perkins+Will offices include some of the brightest minds in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Clients consistently turn to us for our leadership and expertise in areas like sustainability, resilience, health and wellness, and mobility. Additionally, our 10 Research Labs catalyze innovative design technologies and solutions that result in better, smarter, more competitive built environments. The recipient of hundreds of design awards each year, and a progressive leader in corporate social responsibility, Perkins+Will is consistently ranked among the world's top design firms. Our family of partner companies includes retail strategy and design consultancy Portland; transportation planning consultancy Nelson\Nygaard; healthcare technology planning firm Genesis Planning; and luxury hospitality design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR).

The Los Angeles office of Perkins+Will is a Southern California-based practice that believes in the power of design to transform lives. With 92 professionals on staff, the office is consistently ranked among the top five design firms in the city. Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the team delivers a broad range of architecture, planning, interior design and strategic consulting services with significant expertise in corporate, commercial,  civic, healthcare, higher education, and science and technology projects.