P R O J E C THollenbeck Police Station

L O C AT I O NLos Angeles, CA

The diverse Boyle Heights community served by the Police Department’s Hollenbeck Division is home to a welcoming, artistic, and safe new police station that reinforces the Department’s efforts to create a more open, community-serving police force for the city. AC Martin’s design relates the station to the surrounding community, encourages public interaction, and creates a beneficial work environment for the officers.

The new facility is constructed on the site of the existing 1958 station, located near local government offices, community spaces, and a public park. The surrounding neighborhood has a rich and layered history that has imbued it with a distinct tradition of artistic expression. Local murals and brightly colored houses and gardens speak to the area’s creative spirit and ultimately played a major role in the design of the new facility. It was important to the community that the building maintain its central location and that the new design help transform the station into part of the neighborhood’s creative fabric. The project’s art program includes a large mural that reflects the history of the area and physically bridges the station to a public park area.

The station’s innovative undulating glass wall adds an artistic focal point to the community, while creating a welcoming public entrance. It allows light and diffused views into the lobby during the day, and becomes a glowing beacon at night. This beautiful and complex layering of glass is strategic as well as artistic: through the art/architecture connection, it responds to the police department’s emphasis on creating close ties to the community by engaging public interaction. The design and engineering of the glass panels were developed to provide the necessary visual and physical security while maintaining a sense of transparency, openness, and energy.

Significantly larger than the existing facility, the 54,000 square foot new main building includes a multipurpose room, offices, temporary holding cells, lobby, and support areas. The project also includes a 7,000 square foot vehicle maintenance facility, a fueling station, car wash, and an 115,000 square foot parking structure for approximately 330 vehicles. The modern design erodes the fortress-like nature of traditional police facilities, creates a desirable work environment for the officers, and encourages interaction with the surrounding community.

The replacement station’s internal organization provides a more efficient and enjoyable environment for more than 200 officers and staff working there. Because of the specific security needs, police stations can become complex in their organization. They often force users on circuitous pathways through dark hallways that create a disjointed sense of space. For Hollenbeck, AC Martin designed the station plan and organization to create clear pathways, maximize the daylight in the hallways, and provide a cohesive sense of space. The clarity of the circulation organizes the demanding program and intricate adjacency requirements.

The station is a model of sustainability, having achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Energy-efficient building mechanical and electrical systems, along with water-wise plumbing and irrigation, will reduce the building’s dependence on natural resources. As well, the majority of specified building materials include such components as recycled content from flooring made of old tires and stair treads made of beer bottles. Lastly, landscaping, covered parking, and a high-tech roofing system will help prevent the generation of heat into the neighboring community.

Main Entrance Rendering

Main Entrance

After dark, the façade’s transparency

creates a lantern-like effect, providing a warm

and inviting presence for the community.

Site Plan and Locator Map

HOLLENBECK STATION

MAINTENANCEBUILDING

COMMUNITY PARK

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1 S T S TREET

PARKING FACILITY

Lobby and Plaza Rendering

Lobby and Plaza

Using one adjustable clip—custom designed in-house

by AC Martin—and one type of bent glass panel, an

infinite number of configurations were created on

the front façade.

Glass Layering Concept

PHYSICAL + VISUAL SECURITYA custom-engineered glass panel system was developed to provide necessary visual and physical security while maintaining a sense of transparency, openness and energy.

These translucent glass panels obscure direct site lines into the lobby, increasing the security for all occupants. Additionally, extensive investigations were performed with the LAPD to test the latest innovative products in safety glass design.

Lobby and Plaza

Elevations

south elevation

north elevation

south elevation

east elevation

west elevation

First Street Façade

The building is comprised of three rectangular, two-

story volumes. Exterior walls are highlighted by a

staccato rhythm of windows and insets that allow light

into the building while recognizing the station’s privacy

and safety needs.

A WELCOMING GESTURESet back from the street at the southeast corner of the building

is the entrance façade. The intent was to create an urban

gesture, adding a new plaza to the intersection that connects

to an adjacent public park and the neighborhood library on the

opposite corner.

A welcoming gesture to the community

Context

CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCESThe surrounding neighborhood has a rich and layered history

that has imbued it with a distinct tradition of artistic expression.

Local murals and brightly colored houses and gardens speak to

the area’s creative spirit and ultimately played a major role in

the design of the new facility.

It was important to the community that the new building’s

design help transform the station into part of the neighborhood’s

creative fabric. The project’s art program included relocating

a large mosaic mural that reflects the history of the area and

the original police station.

ORGANIZATION + CIRCULATIONSecurity was the primary concern guiding the station’s layout.

Hollenbeck was designed to create clear pathways, maximize

daylight in the hallways, and provide a cohesive and cognitive

sense of space. The single circulation clearly organizes the

demanding program and intricate adjacency requirements.

Floor Plans

first floor

second floor

SAFETY TESTINGWhile the frosted glass architectural panels on the station’s

façade are not ballistic rated, the glass behind them is. To be

certain, officers took the material to LAPD’s firing range to

verify the manufacturer’s claims.

Bullet Resistance Testing for Glass Panels

Front Façade

Holding Cells

Second Floor Hallway with Skylight

Interior Honeycomb Glass Detail

The lobby’s mezzanine level features a specialty glass component comprised of two pieces of glass sandwiching a layer of clear tubular honeycomb. In addition to providing privacy, the honeycomb glass reduces solar heat gain while maintaining visible light transmission, thereby reducing energy consumption and costs and improving user comfort.

Community Room Mosaic Mural

Los Angeles Police Department

54,000 GSF (main building)

115,000 GSF (parking structure)

7,000 GSF (vehicle maintenance)

2008

Boyle Heights, CA (Los Angeles)

• Integratedintoadiverseandcreativecommunityfilled with color and artistic neighborhoods

• Moderndesignerodesthefortress-likenatureoftraditional police facilities

• Innovativelayered-glasswallistranslucentandopen to the community

• Houses200officersandstaffinanew,efficientand enjoyable environment

• Façadecreatesalantern-likeeffectafterdark,increasing the station’s street presence

• LEEDGoldCertified

Client

Size

Completion

Location

Key Points

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hollenbeck

Awards AIA/Pasadena Foothill Chapter Merit Award, Institutional Category, 2009

Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles Design Green Award, 2009

City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission Design Awards, Institutional/Civic Category, 2009

Glass Magazine Crystal Achievement AwardsMost Innovative Curtainwall System, 2009

Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Awards Best in Category (Civic: Unbuilt), 2008

AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Knowledge Community (AAJ) Justice Facility Review Citation, 2008

AIA/Long Beach/South Bay Chapter Design Excellence Jury Award, 2007

AIA/San Fernando Valley Chapter Design Excellence Merit Award, 2006

444 south flower streetsuite 1200los angeles ca 90071

donna clandeningdirector of marketing

213 614 6039

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