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Award Win: Charlie West Takes Home a 2025 Brownie Award

Waterloo Regional Police Services Division 3
Commercial & Retail

Waterloo Regional Police Services Division 3

Partners

Masri O Architects

Project overview

The Waterloo Regional Police Service set out to build their new Division 3 station in Waterloo, MTE was engaged to provide civil, structural, and environmental engineering services for the facility. From the outset, the project was focused on creating a modern, energy-efficient building that would serve current policing needs while allowing for future growth.

The 45,000 ft² facility includes a variety of specialized spaces such as an underground parking garage for police cruisers, a sealed garage for detainee transport, interview and report rooms, offices for victim services, a large training and meeting room, a fitness gym, and a 150-vehicle surface parking lot.

MTE's Involvement

MTE’s early involvement allowed us to help secure a Record of Site Condition (RSC) and identify cost-saving opportunities—most notably, the reuse of the former building’s foundations. The new station was also designed to include multiple energy-efficient features that contributed to its LEED Silver certification.

MTE was brought early in the design phase to provide complete civil engineering services. Our team developed plans for site grading, servicing, and stormwater management, incorporating catchbasins to manage runoff quantity, a stormceptor unit for water quality control, and sediment control features such as fencing and a mud mat to manage erosion during construction.

On the structural engineering side, MTE performed a review of the existing structure to determine opportunities for reuse. We provided the full design for the building’s structure and foundation, including seismic and wind load analysis, detailed construction drawings, and shop drawing reviews. Our team also conducted regular site reviews throughout construction to ensure compliance with the design specifications.

One significant contribution came during our structural review, where we identified reusable materials from the existing building. This allowed for substantial cost savings for the client without compromising the quality or integrity of the new structure.

During construction, a partial collapse of the second floor occurred. MTE was called in to conduct an immediate inspection and structural assessment. We were able to confirm there was no damage to the core structure, which allowed construction to safely resume with minimal delays.

Through early engagement, practical design solutions, and responsive site support, MTE helped ensure the facility was designed to serve the Waterloo community for decades to come.