Jacobs was commissioned by Humberside Police Authority (HPA) to provide a full multi-disciplinary design service on a new centralised Custody Suite and Divisional Headquarters (DHQ) in Hull as part of a larger programme of work to decommission outdated and inefficient police facilities across the city. The project was completed in 2012 an received the Civic Building of the Year Award 2013. Project Objective HPA required a facility that would have a strong public presence, would be accessible to the local community, provide good quality flexible office space and achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating. Project Requirements HPA had developed a schedule or ‘essential’ and ‘desired’ accommodation to form part of the new facility – depending on the overall budget available with New Office and Custody facilities forming an essential component of the brief. By working closely with Stakeholder groups to refine operational requirements, and identify potential efficiency in planning our Architects were able to incorporate all elements of the ‘desired’ brief including a long term storage facility that has enabled HPA to dispose of leased accommodation elsewhere in the city, resulting in an overall reduction in the police estate of over 5%. Siting The building has been sited to provide blast zone stand-off distances from an adjacent gas facility and to avoid ground obstructions from a previous development that would have been costly to remove. The accommodation is sited on the main public frontage of the site, forming a secure enclosure to the rear of the facility, providing a strong public presence while providing ease of access by the local community. Office Accommodation The office accommodation is arranged in two parallel wings around a central atrium space which acts as the main circulation space accommodating lifts, stairs, reception, café area and informal meeting spaces. The office accommodation is designed to commercial standards providing largely open plan accommodation that can be easily adapted to the future needs of the police service. Custody Suite / Security The custody facility design integrates the experience of Humberside Police Stakeholders. The experience over many years of the Custody Officer was drawn on to develop a preferred layout, which was reviewed against Home office guidelines to ensure a fully compliant facility. The resulting design provides a 40 cell Central Custody Suite which is designed to be durable, sustainable, and easily maintained and operated. Co-ordinated design Our design was developed in Autodesk Revit Building Information Modelling software to achieve short deadlines and achieve a high quality co-ordinated product. The integrated BIM has been used to generate thermal and structural models in addition to 3D architectural models used in support of planning and community consultations. BREEAM Excellent The new facility has achieved a BREEAM score and EPC rating equal to or higher than any other similar sized facility of its kind in the UK. From the earliest stage Humberside Police and the Home Office provided clear targets for sustainability, not only in their promotion of green technologies, but also in their drive to reduce running and operational costs. The Design team has provided a sharp focus on creating innovation, achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating and delivering in excess of 20% of the building’s energy requirements through renewable technologies. Primary initiatives have included managing the natural ventilation through the building, using the structure to stabilise internal temperatures and sourcing energy from the wind, biomass fuels and photovoltaic’s, each designed to accord with, if not surpass, the requirements of the Building Regulations 2010.