A Distinctive Station

by Jonathan McGaha | June 30, 2014 12:00 am

Staten Island is the fastest growing borough in New York City, and in the last 50 years has not had a new police precinct. But before a new one was built, the New York Police Department and the city of New York’s Department of Design and Construction went through a great deal of planning, thought and collaboration to discuss the new station’s uses, how it would interface with the neighborhood and what technology would be incorporated into its design.

Designed by New York City-based Rafael Viñoly Architects, the new police precinct 121 is situated on a sloped site that spans the block. The contemporary building cantilevers in the front where the second story overhangs, providing shelter at the entrance and serving as a gesture of community involvement defining the main entrance. The building is both two stories and one story with the single story flaring out toward the south. The building gradually increases in height linearly as it approaches the commercial district on Richmond Avenue.

“We kept the building to two stories,” explains Fred Wilmers, AIA, LEED AP, project director at Rafael Viňoly. “There is quite a hill on the site, so as it goes up the hill the roofline of the building slightly rises from one-story at the back to two stories at the front.”

The majority of the building is clad in custom-fabricated metal panels from CENTRIA, Moon Township, Pa., with Allison Park, Pa.-based Contrarian Metal Resources’ InvariMatte stainless steel. The single story is grey brick, creating two façade treatments that differentiate the building features in the same way as the varied heights. Outdoor mechanical services are also concealed within the building form and are integrated into an enclosure clad in InvariMatte.

The cantilevered design required all hand-made custom panels explains Pat Diskin, Moon Township, Pa.-based CENTRIA project manager. “It was the last area to be installed which gave us time to design our panels to fit.”

“Mindful of the local context, the design of this sustainable building is marked by a distinctive cantilevered second floor, which extends out to the avenue as a symbolic gesture of engagement between the New York Police Department and the community it serves,” says Rafael Viñoly. “The building will not only serve as a model for sustainable design, but also expand law enforcement presence on Staten Island by cutting response times and relieve the workload of the existing precincts.”

Precinct 121 is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification and will be the first police facility in New York designed under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030 sustainable design initiative. The project includes the recycled asphalt pavement in driving lanes and permeable surfacing in low traffic parking spots. “We developed a stormwater management plan that maximizes the use of the larger site,” explains Wilmers. “There are five bio-retention cells that capture the rain that falls on the property which reduces the amount of water that enters the sewer system.”

To make it easier to interview prisoners, the building is designed to place detectives closer to the cell areas. The site also includes work areas, administrative offices, interview rooms, processing area, locker rooms, holding cells, lounges, evidence and record storage, a vehicle refueling station and screened parking. A skylight above the ground floor lobby allows natural light to illuminate during daylight hours.

“The 121st Police Precinct Station House is an especially meaningful project for me and my team; we are honored to be part of such a vital undertaking,” Viñoly adds.

Police Precinct 121, Staten Island, New York

Award: Art Commission of the City of New York Award for Excellence in Design, and the 2013 Excellence in Civic Architecture Award, Society of American Registered Architects New York Council (SARA/NY)

Architect: Rafael Viňoly Architects[1], New York City

Metal wall panels: CENTRIA[2], Moon Township, Pa.

Stainless steel: Contrarian Metal Resources[3], Allison Park, Pa.

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/a-distinctive-station/

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