Gloucester Constabulary Headquarters PFI
Gloucester

Client: Gloucester Constabulary

Project value: £18 million

Hurd Rolland Partnership was employed as architectural Technical Advisor to Gloucestershire Police for the PFI procurement. This role required direct liaison with the Chief Officers’ Group and the Chief Constable for the preparation of the technical brief and during the bid evaluations. Hurd Rolland reported on the tenders and the bidders’ designs both to Gloucestershire Constabulary and to the Police Authority.
The scheme which was finally selected is a dramatic design with a large internal public space which can be used for functions and gatherings. Built-in resilience, including rainwater retention and on-site backup power, stood up well in the floods crisis of July 2007 in Gloucestershire when the police headquarters went into an ‘overlay’ function as a Strategic Coordination Centre. The sports hall had been fitted with full communications connectivity and backup emergency power; this enabled an army unit brought in under a MACA (Military Aid to Civil Authorities) request to function in the building under Gold Command.

The scheme also pioneers an energy efficient ground heat recovery unit using geothermal piles to minimize energy usage and carbon emissions and to achieve a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating.