Countryside City Hall and Police Headquarters

A Net Zero Energy First for Civic Architecture in the State of Illinois
Countryside, Illinois

A new local government building in Countryside, Illinois, is leading the way as an example of sustainable design and civic architecture. Instead of merely expanding on its previously undersized facility, our team designed a new city hall and police station with net zero ambitions which had never been achieved by a municipal building in the state of Illinois. Upon completion, the project was awarded LEED® Gold certification.

Net Zero

ENERGY DESIGN

Net zero energy design was achieved via integrated design and close collaboration amongst our architects, engineers, and consultants. A precise building envelope design along with exceptionally efficient mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems form the basis for the low energy strategy in Climate Zone 5. Photovoltaic arrays at the building’s roof and over the police vehicle car port areas will provide onsite renewable energy to balance power usage.

In addition to supporting the sustainable features of the project, we helped realize one of the project’s goals to increase staff efficiency while maintaining a secure perimeter between public and private city functions. The new L-shaped building is divided into police department functions on the north and city hall functions on the south with a shared public amenities core. A centrally located two-story lobby welcomes the public and serves as an access point for both the police and city hall functions.

We provided an array of services, including architecture, MEP and fire protection engineering, structural engineering, interior design, sustainability, IT/AV security, energy modeling, photovoltaic array design, grant research, and educational exhibit design for LEED® and net zero energy certification.

Owner

City of Countryside, IL

Certification

LEED® Gold

Square Footage

34,900 SF

Cost

$21.8 million

Services

  • Architecture
  • Engineering
  • Planning, Consulting and Advisory

Markets

  • Community Facilities

Regions

  • Midwest