City of Kent Police Headquarters

KGK was selected to serve as the landscape consultant to help develop the LEED certified site design alongside the civil engineer and architects at DS architecture (DSA). KGK picked up designing with DSA from schematic through construction documentation. The goal of the project was to stitch the growing fabric of the new and old downtown portions with Kent State University to the east. Walking paths were designed throughout the site to accommodate pedestrian foot traffic from the university and the adjacent residential neighborhood to downtown.

The main axis of the building extended into the site design and the planting arrangement was based on the architectural rhythm. The main spine of the site allows for pedestrians to enter into the second story from behind the building and the first story from the front of the building. After major retaining walls were installed, the site now accommodates and highlights the existing urban topography. The planting design dealt with all the storm water on the site, which was captured through a series of rain gardens and one large retention pond. All species were native which pushed the sustainable initiative of LEED certification.