Bjarke Ingels' firm has unveiled its design for a police station in New York that will consist of intersecting blocks clad in concrete, metal and glass.
Revealed today, the 45,000 square feet (4,180 square metres) station is designed by BIG for the New York City Police Department's 40th precinct. It will be located in the Melrose neighbourhood of the Bronx, one of the city's five boroughs.

"The new 40th Precinct Station will be an iconic building for the surrounding neighbourhood, serving the various needs of the New York Police Department while strengthening the department's commitment to community policing," said BIG, which has offices in Copenhagen and New York.
The building will be composed of stacked concrete blocks ? a composition that meets various requirements outlined in the project brief. The blocks, which BIG refers to as "bricks," also take their cue from the rusticated bases of early police stations in the city.
The design is meant to convey accessibility and public service. "Rather than evoke the notion of fortification, the bricks of the 40th Street Precinct Station reference the various police and community functions that the building serves," said the firm.

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The blocks are organised around a central atrium, with each rectilinear volume containing a distinct programmatic element.
"Internally, this provides individua...