A new station for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police force in North Carolina will be net-zero in its energy consumption.
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.
Courtesy of Swinerton
The new police station will be powered by a solar array.
Courtesy of Swinerton
The new police station's staff amenities will iinclude a fitness center.
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).
Courtesy of Swinerton
Charlotte Fire Station #30 will be one of the first all-electric firehouses iin the U.S.
These projects are testaments to Charlotte’s commitment to its Strategic Energy Action Plan, stated Swinerton on its website. “The plan’s ambitious scope mirrors a growing recognition of the urgent need for climate action at the local government level.”
Since expanding to the Southeast in 2018, Swinerton’s 90-person Carolinas Division has constructed nearly $400 million in commercial projects.
