City of Tucson Westside Police Service Center

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Adaptive Re-Use of Existing Facility – Beginning of a campus for the Tucson Police Department

The adaptive re-use of an existing commercial facility was remodeled to become the new police substation, including the field support division. A portion of the existing facility will remain leased to the current tenants. New construction, at the front of the existing building houses the public lobby, a public meeting room that can be divided into two smaller rooms, and a police training room.

An important aspect of this project was to create an appropriate public image for the building that moves it from a big box retail image to one of a public building. The design of the public entrance and the meeting rooms will promote an open dialogue between the citizens and the police officers, while maintaining the security of the internal police functions and staff.

To connect the building to the neighborhood, the entry streetscape/ landscaping leads to the existing palm lined boulevard of Miracle Mile. Landscaped screen walls around the secure parking area also help extend the building and provide shaded walkways to the police station.

As a police station, additional structural upgrades were required to meet the seismic needs of an essential facility. This provided construction challenges to coordinate the work while maintaining operation within the attached, occupied tenant spaces.

By the adaptive re-use of an existing building, with an emphasis on connecting with the neighborhood, the City demonstrated its commitment to its urban areas as an example and catalyst for future development.