Award of Merit: Government/Public Buildings

This 50,000-sq-ft Staten Island facility is the first new station house to be built in the borough in the last 50 years. The project also marks the first police facility in New York City to comply with PlaNYC requirements for sustainable design. The structure was designed for LEED-Silver certification.

The $58.7-million project is located on a narrow site. Built into a hill, the roofline rises from one story at the back to two stories at the front. The two-story wing, clad in stainless steel, houses public functions and includes a 95-ft cantilever that required the installation of massive transfer trusses. Secure functions are performed in the one-story brick clad wing located to the rear of the site. Extensive screening separates the site from an adjoining residential neighborhood.

During excavation, contractors discovered the full extent of granite that was running throughout the project site. Removing the granite rock by blasting was not an option due to the project's proximity to a residential area and a nearby school.

To create the required rock sockets, contractors instead drilled 18- and 32-in.-dia caissons into the granite. In all, project crews drilled and removed more than 6,000 cu yd of granite from the site.

121st Police Precinct, Staten Island, N.Y.

Key Players

Owner/Developer NYC Dept. of Design and Construction

Construction Manager A Joint Venture of The LiRo Group and HAKS

General Contractor Brickens Construction Inc.

Lead Designer Rafael Viñoly Architects PC

Structural Engineer Ysrael A. Seinuk

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