Salem Police Station
CLIENT
City of Salem
LOCATION
Salem, OR
PROGRAM
104,000 SF Police Station with Public Plaza
CBTWO teamed with DLR Group to complete the new home for the Salem Police Department. The Salem Police Station is located on a former brownfield site just north of downtown Salem. The highly visible parcel is bordered by Mill Creek on the north and three heavily trafficked roads.
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The building diagram consists of two major elements: a police (Protect) side to the north and public (Serve) side facing south. These two elements are lifted off the ground and rest on a “community” base. The base is given a textural vertical oriented skin and is designed to the human scale. These distinct zones are bisected by the main building circulation. This creates a mixing zone for police staff and the general public. It culminates in the main entry lobby which sits on a south-facing public plaza.
At this critical intersection of the public and police, a three-story atrium breaks out of the regular grid creating an angled face to both intersections and signaling its function. The plaza provides the community with a space to gather as well as a welcoming transition zone into a building.
Stemming from the public engagement and police department input, the desire for the building to portray a Beacon of Safety to the community was essential. While providing a safe and secure facility for the members of the department, it still needed to be open and inviting to the public. The transparency of the public areas and the opaqueness of the secure areas aids in defining where the public can go without the need for as much signage. The public parking along the south of the building having a clear line of site to the front doors of the building was also a key element to the overall design.
The design for the police station incorporates visual transparency, a broad public plaza, and a canopy that incorporates local materials and leads into a community room. This community room brings public into this facility and drives understanding and relationship between the police and the community they serve. A public art program recognizes the diversity of the community and its impact on the police department–the resulting design is a celebration of that collaboration.
