Police Station Includes Functional Curb Appeal

The Village of Glen Ellyn, Ill., placed its police station inside the Civic Center four decades ago. At the time, planners believed the construction of a better station was imminent. More than 30 years later, it was still there—in an 11,000-sq.-ft. space that prohibited efficient workflow. There were obvious safety and privacy concerns about this arrangement and a new station was long overdue.

In 2011, the village chose experienced companies, Dewberry, an engineering consultant firm based in the Chicago area, and Leopardo Construction of North Aurora, Illinois. A design team from Dewberry determined it was difficult to have all needs addressed in one space, and ruled out renovating the existing site. The study then identified a alternate, centralized location having the most opportunities for police and community members alike.

The more centralized location, strategic layout and design that complements the many elements of its surroundings better meet the police and community’s needs for the station.

When designing the exterior, new advancements in masonry wall systems seemed the most logical choice, according to Jonathan Tallman, regional public safety director for Dewberry, and project manager and project guide for the Glen Ellyn police station project. They also found that masonry gave them the flexibility to create a design that complemented the natural setting.

Designers initially considered natural stone but then learned that choosing the right stone veneers could provide savings without sacrificing beauty. The stone look, along with wood beams placed in long, linear lines on the exterior, worked well to complement and blend nicely with the park’s woodland scenery. Leopardo recommended using Oldcastle Echelon’s Cordova Stone to achieve natural looks at a more budget-friendly price.

Leopardo also identified certain walls on which they could save money by substituting Echelon InsulTech from Oldcastle Architectural, an Insulated concrete masonry system (ICMS) for steel column framing and infill block. Echelon’s Cordova and Mesastone were installed using the InsulTech wall system for the detention, sally port and garage areas on the North side of the building.

“The InsulTech walls were the first areas completed on the building,” points out Tallman. “Once the masons got going on the structural wall, they were able to finish it all with the three-in-one system.”

InsulTech is a thermally broken insulated masonry system, which includes a full complement of insulation, blocks and concrete masonry units (CMUs). Internal stainless-steel metal anchors molded into EPS inserts also provide wind-load resistance and fire safety. The system provided Dewberry design flexibility, while saving the village time and money both on installation costs and energy costs.