Architects Design Group, in association with a local architect AEI, was selected to provide a detailed spatial needs assessment, site selection, master planning, and full design services for the new Cookeville Police Department Headquarters. The city’s former police facility was designed in 1979, with the intent to house multiple users, including civil defense, municipal jail, performing arts, leisure services, and the police department. Based on the department’s current staff level of 72 sworn officers and 20 non-sworn employees, population growth, site constraints eliminating possible expansion, and the water and roof leaks, it was determined that the police headquarters had reached its effective lifecycle for the department.
The new 39,618-SF Cookeville Police Department Headquarters is a three-story, reinforced concrete masonry building with associated secure and public parking on a city-owned, 3.55-acre site. The site was designed to provide public access from two streets fronting the building, while allowing for secured parking access at the back of the site. Additionally, multiple access and egress points from the secured parking area allow for unencumbered police circulation in case one of the two access points are blocked.
The building program consists of a new police department headquarters with 911 dispatch. In addition to police and dispatch functions, the facility also provides a new community room and training room, with a proposed operable partition to divide the rooms, allowing the space to be used for multiple purposes. Other amenities and elements located on-site include rolling assets storage, K-9 area, generator, fuel tank, and a sally port. A showpiece to the front entrance includes a bronze eagle memorial exhibit. Due to the nature of this building type and the need to maintain operation during natural and manmade events, our team designed the building envelope to accommodate the additional wind load pressures required by code for essential facilities, provide enhanced protection for missile impact, and provide a robust construction to increase the usable lifespan of the facility.
This project won Silver in the 2023 Officer.com Station Design Awards for Law Enforcement Facilities less than 50,000-SF.
