ENERGY STAR Building Design Profile

The City of St. Cloud collaborated with GLT Architects (GLTA) to design a new headquarters building for its police force. The Police Headquarters, located in downtown St. Cloud, will be a 100,000 square-foot, three-story facility with staff and department parking levels located below the building. It will contain all police department divisions, associated support and lab spaces, and physical training space for staff. Large training rooms located on the first floor can also function as an emergency operations center and as community space for public use.

St. Cloud's government and community have begun to embrace the principles of sustainability and energy conservation. The public clearly supports efforts to reduce the environmental impact and cost of building operations. GLTA and the City of St. Cloud chose ENERGY STAR to address energy efficiency because of its high name recognition within the community.

The design team also worked with the local power utilities company, Xcel Energy, to identify and select cost-effective and efficient mechanical and electrical equipment. The heating and cooling systems were selected based on high efficiency. This selection was critical due to the round-the-clock use of the building.

The roof system will have an R value of between 30–40, and the walls will have an R value of 20. Much of the building is also located below grade, so it will have a reduced heating and cooling load.

Other energy efficiency strategies include daylighting from perimeter windows and light wells in the building interior, which will reduce the need for artificial light. The exterior glass is translucent in many locations to provide the safety and privacy required while still admitting natural light. In addition, many spaces will utilize occupancy sensors for automatically dimming and turning off light when not needed.

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