Kingston, Jamaica

With a people- and environment-centric design, the Kingston Leadership Plaza by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture provides specific educational spaces and programs and will bring people together in a safe, neutral place for both children and adults to enjoy live music, sports, and other events.

Located between Little King Street to the West, Park Road to the East, Woodrow Street to the North, and various private properties located to the north of Blount Street, the new Kingston Leadership Plaza will be a beacon of outreach and service to the people of Kingston, serving as a symbol of support and confidence for the community.

Envisioned as a warm, inviting space, the development houses a new police headquarters for approximately 2,000 police officers and administrative personnel in a plaza configuration with several community buildings.

The main focal point building serves as the “beacon,” and symbol of confidence, hope, community integration, safety, and security throughout the city of Kingston and Jamaica.

For its inspired design and emphasis on sustainability and building resilience, the Kingston Leadership Plaza has recently been awarded a 2022 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The project is being developed as a catalyst of community transformation where the inhabitants of the adjacent neighborhoods can find a safe and welcoming place for interaction, support, extracurricular activities, social integration, and growth.

This innovative program seeks to be a model for new urban redevelopment and social integration and can be applied to other localities in Jamaica. 

Education and social outreach are integral aspects of the process of design and serve to be inclusive of all stakeholders from the surrounding developments.

The design vision includes six indicators that allow a clear and measurable road map to attain the advanced goals for the project:
1. Lifestyle: Promote a lifestyle for its users that centers on conservation and that promotes environmental awareness
2. Health and Wellness: Promote health and wellness by providing spaces that allow and encourage physical activity and connection with the outdoors
3. Energy and Carbon: Preserve energy and reduce carbon by being self-sufficient and by producing low carbon emissions
4. Water: Conserve water by implementing rainwater harvesting strategies such as green roofs and gray water treatment and reuse
5. Materials: Built with locally sourced materials
6. Outdoor Environment: Incorporate a site design that protects and enhances the local ecological value and biodiversity.

With this people-centric approach to the design process, the design proposes to eliminate the distinction between roles and establish a platform for interaction and understanding for all parties involved. 

The new development seeks to:
• Improve the relationship between the police and citizens, creating a more inclusive environment and making citizens feel safer.
• Enable police officers to provide a swift response when required for the prevention of fatalities or disruption of public order.
• Create a strong urban presence that will also become a national landmark.
• Become a model to follow by other cities on the island or around the world.
• Set a new higher standard of building and construction that emphasizes sustainability and building resilience.

Located near the city center, the site is situated at the intersection of three neighborhoods South-West of National Heroes Circle and is comprised of three different plots. 

The area is the former site of Friendship Park but has developed problems including lack of infrastructure, poverty, and violence.

The project resulted from a conversation with the client to give back to these neighborhoods and begin to form mutually beneficial relationships. 

The landscape is a connector for the site: areas for playing fields, a track field, and recreation spots are designated, as well as spaces for energy harvesting technologies and strategies that reduce stormwater runoff and flooding problems downstream.

Drought-tolerant native landscaping minimizes the need for irrigation and will better prepare the facility for the droughts common in the region. 

The operating program accommodates spatial planning for 2,000 officers and support staff as related to secured areas, operating areas, administrative areas, and intelligence needs for the HQ.

In addition, these areas need to co-exist with the social and active programs for the community at large and provide operational support for the communal activities. 

The additional program for community outreach will include sports facilities, a community center, and outdoor areas for recreation.

The various spaces can also be used for festivals and other community gatherings such as lectures, athletics, and educational programs, increasing the community’s comfort with the police campus.

Enabling residents to become an acting part of the community is paramount for the project, therefore treatment of the site boundary must achieve a balance between openness and safety. 

By providing a permeable yet secure boundary, the Police Headquarters can create a safe sense of place where a community can be united.

Place-making is an important goal of the project as it aims to attract, support, and maintain a healthy community and social network. 

To create this, the project boundaries are carefully treated with the landscape, program, and social activities that engage community participation and services such as housing and retail.

The approach to the site design plays an essential role, as it serves as the unifying element for the campus. 

The landscape expands beyond aesthetics and contributes to the performative aspects of the project by providing visual continuity and promoting a sense of integration with the context and the community.

Project: Kingston Leadership Plaza
Architects: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Images Courtesy of the Architects