Herts Constabulary HQ

Case Study

Herts Constabulary HQ

WELWYN GARDEN CITY

The 9,500 sqm Herts Constabulary HQ, for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, is a new home for the Major Crime Unit, Victim Services, Dog Unit, Senior Leadership Team and open plan offices for 600+ operational support staff with hot desking and modern IT requirements, restaurant, gym and conference facilities.

The 5-storey, £55m Hertfordshire Constabulary HQ has two office wings with in-situ concrete frame with a porcelain stone ‘ceramic granite’ ventilated facade, connected by a dramatic full-height glazed atrium with a spectacular glulam timber roof. The facade package by A²O primarily comprised the SFS and ‘ceramic granite’ cast stone panels.

The 12-monthly early engagement period allowed for visiting precedents to identify the most suitable cladding system, including various facades in London and one at the University of Bath. The SureClad ceramic granite won over the team.

The newbuild reuses the Stanborough Road site of the former operational building, no longer fit for purpose. The new HQ is designed, by architects Vincent & Gorbing and structural engineers Conisbee, to meet BREEAM Excellent and WELL Platinum, putting it in the top 10% of sustainable buildings nationally and reducing the estate’s long-term revenue costs, meeting commitments on sustainability and decarbonisation strategy.

For BREEAM Excellent, the building includes heat recovery units, solar panels and sustainable drainage systems. For WELL Platinum, the building prioritizes the health and well-being of building users, with open plan, flexible work space and a biophilic central atrium with glulam timber feature roof, which promotes wellness and natural light. The Police staff even have a Bee Shed, supporting pollination and biodiversity.

Photos: Air Solutions Group

Willmott Dixon

As a landmark building, the look and feel of the granite had to be perfect. A²O helped us find a value-engineered product that looks impressive and will stand the test of time. Nice straight lines, really crisp finishes, sharp edges.

The design team were excellent. We had some really tricky fire details and they resolved all of these really well.

A²O's record keeping is excellent, ahead of the curve. They have really robust procedures, good controls, excellent supervisors. A 100% NQA score was achieved. The inspector said their installation was impeccable.

A²O always came well-prepared, always had a plan. They knew where their milestone was. It was no mean feat to finish on time but they finished 4 weeks early, a testament to their planning.

A²O are just really easy to get on with. They always come with an open mind, are positive, find solutions, get on with everyone. Really good collaborators.

Ross Taylor (summarised from interview)

Senior Operations Manager

Challenges

The client wanted a statement building, a stunning modern new HQ for this important function.

Willmott Dixon applied their new ‘design-complete & procurement-ready‘ strategy before start on site, avoiding or minimising risks and delays. This approach improves project predictability, controls costs and facilitates meeting project margins, aiming for a smooth seamless install.

The budget was tight, with many iterations to find efficient solutions. There were many tricky details to be resolved in full collaboration with suppliers.

This was a paper-less project, run on Nialli Visual Planner, digital pull planning and a virtual calendar with weekly and daily early morning briefings.

The HQ targets BREEAM Excellent, with greater energy efficiency and lower running costs, following a fabric-first approach.

The building is 5 storeys high, requiring strategies and monitoring safety for working at height.

The new blue light offices had to be completed on track, in readiness for opening in Summer 2026.

Solutions

With 12 months of early engagement A²O was able to advise on the most appropriate facade system.

‘Design Complete’ eliminated design changes during construction. With early engagement and ‘Procurement Complete’, materials were ordered in very good time. The ceramic granite panels were delivered install-ready, avoiding cutting, under-cut drilling or anchoring clips or straps on site.

A²O built a benchmarking sample bay on site. The details were refined by all. A rebuilt sample ‘set the scene’ for the install to then proceed seamlessly.

A²O engaged with Nialli, using electronic post-it notes and the virtual calendar for programming tasks, and achieved good scores with the system.

Operational carbon has been optimised through energy efficiency measures including wall and roof insulation and new glazing.

Havio assisted to strategize and monitor working at height, with A²O achieving high H&S scores.

The two wings were completed 4 weeks early, on budget with up to 9 scissor lifts working in parallel.