July 2010 - According to the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, part of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, "community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies, which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues, such as crime, social disorder and fear of crime."

As a result, it's important for law enforcement buildings to compliment and connect with the communities they serve. For the $437 million Los Angeles Police Administration Building, designed by Los Angeles-based AECOM in a joint venture with Roth + Sheppard, Denver, geometric shapes, highly transparent glass and windows were incorporated throughout the building's exterior. Light colors and finishes are used to further communicate the sense of warmth and openness.

In May 2010, the building received a Gold certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System for new construction. It was also recognized in 2009 with the American Institute of Architects presidential award for Building Team of the Year and in June 2010 with the Q Award from the Alliance for Quality Construction.

Features such as recycled aluminum framing and ornamental details, high-performance glass and environmentally friendly, durable paints allow the 10-story, 500,000-square-foot structure to maximize daylight and energy efficiency.

Performing up to standards
The building is one block south of its previous location and needed to meet stringent performance criteria. Seismic performance was of particular concern because the previous police administration building was not expected to withstand another moderate earthquake.

Wausau Window and Wall Systems supplied the large windows and curtainwall units, "implementing a value-engineered system that saved the city a significant amount of money. Achieving this required thorough submittal coordination as well as installation tolerances with the adjacent pre-cast concrete wall system," said James Nies, project manager with Tutor-Saliba Corp., the project's general contractor.

To help save time and labor in the field, the 100,000 square feet of windows and curtainwall systems were shop glazed and pre-assembled into ready-to-install units, then staged, sequenced, crated and shipped to the job site.

"Performance is critical," said Wausau's senior project manager Kurt Beidle, in a press release. "The project was tested for air, water, structural, floor displacement and seismic movement with repeated air and water tests between each requirement. This included both static and dynamic water tests on the windows and on the unitized curtainwall. A full, two-story mock-up of the curtainwall, including the pre-cast, was assembled to match the descriptions and conditions and successfully tested."

Visual appeal
The curtainwalls' deep sightlines and shadow boxes make the facade interesting. Similarly, the window pattern avoids a grid-like layout in favor of an open, yet secure staggered arrangement. For these 429 punched openings, Wausau supplied factory-glazed custom windows.

"These were specifically designed for this project with a very thin metal profile along the side of the pre-cast opening. Each opening consisted of a pre-glazed two-section window with the upper portion of the window in front of a pre-cast panel to accommodate quick, safe installation from the building's exterior," Beidle pointed out in the press release.

For the street-level installation Wausau fabricated a custom, butt-glazed, knocked-down wall system to enclose the cafe and auditorium. "We also supplied the aluminum canopies for the entrances, as well as the decorative trim at the roof coping and the vertical knife point of the building. We worked closely with the architectural staff to design custom interior trim, as well as custom exterior caps for the aesthetic look they were seeking," Beidle said.

Supporting the project's architectural goals for appearance and performance, the aluminum framing and components were painted by Linetec, Wausau, Wis., in a three-coat Champagne Gold II metallic Duranar coating, which meets or exceeds all criteria of the AAMA 2605 specification. "These are the most weather resistant of all finishes," said Jon Close, Linetec's vice president of sales and marketing, in a press release. "The three-coat process includes primer, topcoat and clear finish. This combination provides outstanding resistance to humidity, color change, chalk, gloss shift and chemical cleaning."

The interior of the Los Angeles Police Administration Building has spaces for administration and investigative operations, a Police Commission hearing room, conference center, state-of-the-art communications and command center, 200-seat cafe and a 450-seat auditorium. Many of the building's large assembly areas and outdoor plazas and gardens are used for civic and community functions. MM