RDLR Story: Southwest Police Station

HPD Southwest Substation

Location: Houston, Tx

Size: 49,577 sq ft.

Who We Are

Founded in 1982, Rey de la Reza Architects, Inc. (RDLR) is recognized throughout Texas as a community-driven architectural firm providing design excellence and outstanding project management services in the Houston area.

With a 40-year history, the firm has been involved in the design of a variety of transit, commercial, educational, urban design, residential, and renovation projects and continues to provide exceptional service to public entities including: City of Houston, Fort Bend County, Houston Airport System, METRO, HCTRA, The Harris Center, numerous ISD’s, GSA, USPS and TxDOT. Our firm is certified MWBE and Texas HUB.

40+ Awards

AIA Houston Firm of the Year

Texas Society of Architects Firm Award

Southwest Police Station: The Path to Justice.

More and more Americans are calling for police reform, and we believe that architecture has a crucial role to play in the future of forward thinking and more positive justice policies.

The ultimate goal of policing is to protect and aid the path to justice, but the means to achieve this goal are varied in practice across the world. Relational Policing offers a method to this service that focuses intensely on the human dimension. It offers the proven philosophy that when an officer feels connected to the community that he or she is meant the serve, mutual loyalty can bridge the gap between police and civilians. When members of a community are involved in justice, it fosters an amount of social responsibility - not only for the community, but for one another.

2020 AIA Houston Design Award

Greater agency can then lead members of a community to more frequently solve their own conflicts, while still trusting the police to keep them safe when they are needed in times of crisis. Careers in justice that grow from humanization will result in fewer deaths of, and at the hands of, police officers.

Our team worked alongside HPD to create a design that would lend itself to the ideals of Relational Policing for an under-served community.

This project is 15% more efficient than ASHREA 90.1 requirements and will cost the city significantly less money to operate than their current facility. We achieved this through proper building orientation, continuous insulation throughout the exterior envelope, high performance HVAC system, and LED lighting. The building is LEED Certified.

The layout of the site orients the building on an east-west axis to take advantage of the solar angles and place the public portions of the building facing the park. This project was an inter-agency collaboration between City of Houston Parks and Houston Police Department. A portion of the Cambridge Villa Park was donated and used as the project site. Programatically, it was important to incorporate a shared space between the park and station. South of Brookston street, the park is blending into the site by way of shared parking, footpaths, and a playground. This was key in providing a solution to the goal that had been set in the community liaison meeting of fostering a greater personal connection between officers and civilians.

Prior to this project, the area was a known hot spot for violent and community crime. Since its completion, the facility has greatly improved the safety of the park and residents in the surrounding area.

Community involvement was a huge part of this project from the beginning. When choosing a site location, multiple sites were considered, but it was decided that placing the new station inside of Cambridge Villa Park would have the greatest impact on the community. The run down park, which should have been a place for residents to gather, was rarely utilized for activities outside of crime. Strategically placing the police station in a location that can breathe new life into the area shows that they are a positive part of the community, and lays the framework for Relational Policing strategies.

Every month, the station hosts a Positive Interaction Program or “PIP” meeting, which has proven to be an overwhelming success across the city. They provide an opportunity for the community to see how their police agencies operate, and get to know the officers on a more personal level. The community room where these meetings are held can also be borrowed by community organizations for gatherings at no cost.

Southwest Patrol provides police services to Districts 15 and 16, a 52 square mile area with an estimated residential population of 217,000. The much improved facility was a great achievement for the city and the residents who have been historically under-served in their community. We hope that this facility can help to achieve the goals laid out by the theories of Relational Policing, and serve as a model for the future of a more compassionate police force in our Nation.

The exterior of the building utilizes four main material systems, with concrete being the majority of exterior construction. The tilt-up concrete wall system is low-maintenance, secure, and economical. Coupled with a low glazing ratio, it provides a thermally efficient enclosure. The paneled sun screen is a durable, fiber-decking material suited to Houston’s climate. This material is used in soffits and wall-panel applications throughout the building.

One inch insulated, reflective, low-e glass was used to capture the greatest energy savings possible. The detention areas are constructed using CMU, a trusted material in withstand daily beatings.

In a gesture towards the wooded park setting, irregularly spaced columns support the entry canopy, emulating the abundant trees in the park. The fiber decking sun screen on the south wall is used to bring warmth to the public park side of the building and provide shade to the interior of the building.

Firm Leadership

RDLR Architects firm Principals: Jennifer DaRos, LEED AP, Howard Merrill, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Lorie Westrick, AIA, LEED AP and Daniel Ortiz, AIA, LEED AP

Firm Awards

Throughout its existence, Architects has received numerous awards from our peers as well as our user groups and clients. The list that follows reflects a portion of the many accomplishments of this firm.

2022 Award of Merit from ENR Texas & Louisiana

UH Graduate College of Social Work

2021 ICE Award, Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston (ABC) Excellence in Construction Awards (EIC)

UH Graduate College of Social Work

2021 ULI Development of Distinction Award

SERJobs for Progress

2020 AIA Houston Design Award

HPD Southwest Substation

2020 TPWA Project of the Year Award

Fort Bend County Public Transportation Facility

2017 ULI Development of Distiction Award Finalist

Carnegie Vanguard High School

2014 The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

Silver Award TransportationWellborn Road Grade Separations project.

2014 New Construction Community Improvement Award

Houston Museum District Business Alliance

Carnegie Vanguard High School

2013 AIA Colorado Award of Citation

HPD South Gessner Police Station

2013 AIA Denver Award of Merit

HPD South Gessner Police Station

2013 K-12 Best Project Award ENR TX

Carnegie Vanguard High School

2013 Urban Land Institute Development of Distinction Award

Houston Food Bank

2013 AIA Public Architecture Social Impact Merit Award

Houston Food Bank

2012 Urban Land Institute Distinguished Development

Houston Food Bank

2012 Texas Society of Architects Design Award

Houston Food Bank

2012 Contract Inspiration Award

Houston Food Bank

2012 AIA Houston Design Award

Houston Food Bank

2011 Texas Society of Architects Design Award

Sam Houston Tollway NE Main Plaza

2009 Texas Construction/McGraw Hill Best of 2009 Awards

Excellence Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

2009 Greater Houston Preservation Alliance Good Award-Reagan High School

2008 U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator’s Award for Excellence

2005 Texas Society of Architects FIRM AWARD

2005 AIA Houston FIRM OF THE YEAR

2004 AIA Houston Design Award - Architectural Merit METRO Texas Medical Center Transit Facility

2003 Texas Downtown Association - 2003 Awards WINNERS Public Improvement Big City - Cotswold Project Phase I, Houston

2003 Texas Construction/ Mc Graw Hill Best of 2003 Infrastructure George Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminal A/B Parking Garage

2003 Texas Construction/ McGraw Hill Best of 2003Awards of Excellence US 59 Houston Gateway

2003 National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) Prize Bridge Award - US 59 Houston Gateway

2002 Golden Trowel Awards - Honor In Stone Sheltering Arms Senior Services Center

2001 American Consulting Engineers Council Engineering Excellence Award - Cotswold

2000 Community Award - Museum District Business Alliance - Bridges on US59

2000 AIA Houston Design Award - Architecture Honor Design Award - Cotswold

1999 American Planning Association

Highest Honor Award - Cotswold

1999 American Planning Association - Highest Honor AwardUniversity of Houston Campus Development Plan

1999 American Planning Association - Highest Honor AwardGreen Ribbon Project

1997 NAHRO Award of Excellence - Cuney Homes

1997 NAHRO Award of Excellence - TSU/HISD Lab School

1995 Hall of Fame - University of Houston Architecture Alumni

Outstanding Contributions to Architecture