The Hanover Park Police Headquarters in suburban Chicago squares form with function by triangulating three of its most critical functions: evidence collection, processing and storage. Placing the three in close proximity not only enhances operational efficiencies but strengthens chains of custody.
The design reflects the latest thinking in police procedures, allowing officers to securely process and secure evidence while limiting the possibility of contamination. Officers also spend less time processing evidence and more time on patrol.
To further support police work, the $16-million facility is equipped with enhanced communications and dispatching capabilities as well as redundant CCTV and interrogation recording systems.
Intended to promote collaboration, a 100-ft-long corridor known as Main Street also facilitates easy, recognizable navigation. Natural light floods the corridor via a quartet of skylights and a pair of window walls that bookend it.
Elsewhere, glass-enclosed staff and public spaces provide clear sight lines while serving as beacons during nighttime hours.
As a result of changing market conditions, team members redesigned the facility to include a 10,000-sq-ft parking structure, delivering 15% more space for the construction dollar. In addition, the structure protects temperature-sensitive equipment in patrol cars.
When confronted with financial constraints for electrical and security systems, team members reviewed options that met performance specifications less expensively, then rebid the categories to align costs and budget. Having committed to a strategy of fast-track, multiple-bid packages, the team could re-scope and rebid items without compromising the project's schedule.
However, the discovery of bad soils during excavation pushed erection and enclosure activities further into winter and smack into a February blizzard. Thereafter, metropolitan Chicago endured its rainiest spring in 30 years. By re-sequencing activities, the project team maintained the original schedule despite the delays.
Hanover Park Police HeadquartersHanover Park, Ill. Key Players
Owner: Village of Hanover Park, Ill.
General Contractor: Leopardo Cos. Inc., Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Architect: Dewberry, Elgin, Ill.
Submitted by Leopardo Cos. Inc.
