This facility received the LE Facilities I Silver award in the 2022 Officer Station Design Awards.
Home to the University of Kansas, the city of Lawrence has steadily grown to more than 95,000 residents. During this era of growth, the Lawrence Police Department expanded into six separate facilities throughout the city but lacked a dedicated headquarters. A city park presented the opportunity to consolidate the department for the next 100+ years but created a unique design challenge: how to integrate a police campus into a public park. The final campus design ensured the police could meet their long-term growth while providing a stronger community presence and protecting the park and its natural habitat. In turn, the park and its trail system serve as an added amenity for the police staff.
Since the police had been separated for many years, another primary goal was to allow building design strategies to improve staff efficiency and to create unity throughout the department. Officers enter a two-story space that houses a large break/dining room, intended to unify officers through incidental contact. A grand stair links the patrol division and staff support spaces directly to administration, investigations, and special operations. Glass walls separate departments but allow for visual connection between officers while providing views of the natural beauty of the surrounding site. The result created a low-stress work environment for those whose jobs can be stressful.
The professional appearance of the facility reinforces the importance of the police department to the community but has also increased officer pride in their department. Expanses of glass in key areas provide transparency to the public while integrating the facility with the latest security and safety features. From the moment staff arrives at work, the design makes their jobs easier. Feedback from the departmental leadership consistently states that officers love their new facility, and interaction has dramatically increased.
Architect/Firm Name: Hoefer Welker