Harrogate Police Station

With a raft of renewable technologies utilised, including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, the building achieved a BREEAM ’Excellent’ rating.

The new building has three entrances – custodial, staff and public – each with a very distinct look and feel, forming a significant part of the design approach and arrangement.

The tight and complicated site presented certain logistical challenges, including a class B aquifer, a perimeter of protected mature trees and a fall of 12 metres from front to back. By locating the custody element of the building below ground and within the landscape, the Police Authority has been given a naturally secure environment in which to operate.

The office accommodation by contrast was conceived as a glass box located above the solid base of custody. Natural materials assisted in achieving the contrast and the image of a building set within the landscape, with horizontal solar shading as part of an integrated sustainability strategy.