Sustainability is a key objective for two public safety projects in Charlotte

The general contractor Swinerton is working on two public safety projects in North Carolina that showcase sustainability.

The firm recently started construction on a $19.7 million police station for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Northwest Division. This 16,000-sf steel framed structure will be the city’s first net-zero-energy station, in that it will create energy on site via geothermal heating and cooling and solar power, according to the Mecklenburg Times. Charlotte’s goal is to power its municipal operations and fleet with zero-carbon sources by 2030.

The AEC firms on this project include the police department's architect C Design, Stewart Engineering (SE), AME Consulting Engineering (MEP), and Timmons Group (CE). The police station is scheduled for completion in September 2026, when it will have 50 employees and include standard administrative rooms such as 11 private offices, two meeting rooms, a detective bullpen, a suspect interview room, secure evidence and weapons storage, and rooms for mechanical and electrical equipment. Staff amenities feature a fitness room, breakroom with kitchen, and two locker rooms with bathrooms.

Another Swinerton project is Charlotte Fire Station #30, a first-of-its-kind in the U.S. all-electric firehouse that is on track to be completed later this summer. The team on this $16.4 million 14,500-sf replacement building with two stories and three bays includes the fire station’s architect ADW Architects, AME Consulting Engineering (MEP), Stewart Engineering (SE), and Benesch (CE).

Since expanding to the Southeast in 2018, Swinerton’s 90-person Carolinas Division has constructed nearly $400 million in commercial projects.