469 Springvale Road Forest Hill

Victoria Police

2,150m sqm

Bamford Architects

Johns Lyng Commercial Builders (Developer/Builder)

Simon Ellis Landscape Architect (Landscape Architect/designer)

ECM (Services Engineer)

Hive Engineering (Structural and Civil engineering)

30/08/2015

The Forest Hill Police Station provides important community infrastructure to the Forest Hill area. It is located in a significant area, being adjacent to the old Strathdon orchard and house, and next to parkland previously set aside for a potential freeway.

Police stations are necessarily secure and inward looking buildings. The design of this project acknowledges its parkland location and seeks to respond to its surroundings, albeit with requisite security, to create a type of gatehouse building marking the entry to the parkland.

The heritage Strathdon orchard on the adjacent site has been extended across the front of the police station and into the internal courtyards through the planting of grafted heritage apple trees.

The project incorporated a number of sustainability elements.

Indoor environment quality

Internal courtyards, combined with the ascending form and internal planning, provides elongated east-west oriented wings which allow cross ventilation, while maintaining the security and privacy required within a police station.

Energy efficiency

Deep reveals and overhanging eaves provide sunshading to the lower levels. At the upper level, high performance thermally-broken glazing reduces heat loads while maintaining uninterrupted views to the Dandenongs, adjacent parkland, and suburbs. The zig-zag facade profile creates a ventilation zone for the dark blue Colorbond cladding.

Water efficiency

The roof slopes dramatically from west to east allowing the collection of large volumes of rain water in oversized gutters, which is gravity fed into two large water tanks for re-use for irrigation and toilet flushing.

Stormwater management

Stormwater swales adjacent to the police car park area collect and filter surface water prior to entering the stormwater system.

Innovation

The ascending figure 8 loop plan creates continuous circulation around the building, provides cross ventilation, equitable access to natural light and strategically curated views to the parkland and the distant Dandenongs, whilst still maintaining the security and privacy required within a police station.