Police station of the future

Energy-neutral building blends into natural surroundings

The Drechtsteden police force is getting a new police station. The project is a pilot for the police from the vision to redesign its new building to fit the new way of working. The new building will be equipped with all kinds of smart solutions and will be put into use in September.

Feddo Braun is in charge of the new building project in Papendrecht from the Police Netherlands. "We wanted an energy-neutral building that blends into the natural environment. That was also a wish of the municipality of Papendrecht, because the location is in a green area and next to a nature reserve. In addition, we wanted to realize the project quickly and a high-pressure gas pipeline runs nearby. That did present some challenges for the architect, contractor, installers and supervisors. The Gas Union and the Water Board were also involved."      

New applications

Michiel Kint of Smaak Vastgoed Ontwikkeling, through integral project management company Praeceptum, has been appointed as project manager. "At 1,450 m2, this building is not very large, but it does offer the opportunity to implement many new applications. This will show what works and doesn't work in practice and we can apply this to larger projects as well."

The new building will house the Drechtsteden Police Department, but many of the choices around construction are national police choices. Consider, for example, the energy monitoring. Kint: "This is a sustainable and energy-neutral building. For example, it is equipped with ground-source heat pumps and cooling ceilings, and the roof is full of solar panels. There will also be charging stations for electric service cars. We are still investigating whether we can install batteries in the building. With the stored power we can then handle peak loads or avoid having to purchase power. The entire building is equipped with LED lighting. We are also applying other smart building solutions in the building. For example, you can see per room who uses it and when. Based on that data, it can then be determined whether cleaning of a room is necessary, for example, which can reduce operating costs in the future."

Functional revolving desk

Due to problems with material supplies and corona failure of personnel, construction sometimes had to be handled creatively. At the start of construction, the desired piles were not available, so a different piling technique was chosen. The schedule was also adjusted and the structural work was cut loose from the finishing work at an early stage. By covering the outside, finishing could already be started inside. Braun: "We opted for quality rather than speed. We fortunately still had that space. It is important for us as an organization that we will soon have a functional office. Agents are now just working a little longer at the old location."

There is a holding room in the police station, but there are no cells. Part of the room is for the local criminal investigation department and another part for the police officers. There is also an area where everyone is welcome, for example to talk to the neighborhood police officer or to file a report, but also just to have coffee or a chat. This public part should have a social function, as you see in town halls.