The new Ingonish RCMP Detachment was designed as a prototype facility to serve the many small communities throughout Atlantic Canada. The new building replaces the oldest Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment in Canada. The Detachment is located on the eastern edge of Cape Breton Highlands National Park - steps from the Atlantic Ocean – and serves the surrounding community of approximately 5,000 residents and the many tourist attracted to this scenic area.
The 6,100 sq.ft. building program comprises a main Administrative Building for police operations and a secure Detention Pavilion, designed for expansion. The administrative building includes office space, training room, and locker facilities, in addition to an Interview Room, Exhibit Room, and Secure Records storage; The Detention Pavilion houses Detention Cells, a Guard Area, Fingerprinting,  Breath-testing, and a secure Interview Room. An Outbuilding provides cold storage for snow equipment a service vehicles. The Detention Pavilion abuts the Administration Building at a double support wall, for ease of prototype adaptation if the program function is not be required.
The client wished to move away from the more intuitional look and feel of its urban headquarters, to a more sensitive regional architecture, responding to the rural communities it serves.  The design solution references a simple vernacular form and material common to the Atlantic Region: a steep gabled roof, clap board siding, a ‘taut skin, and modest expression
The design pulls together a robust pallet of modern materials, selected for their endurance to the harsh rural elements and retention of a clean a crisp expression. Grey cementitious panelling is mounted like wood clap board, with a reserved use of bold colour (RCMP red) at entryways. The skylight straddles the top ridge of the gable roof, introduced nature light to the interior service corridor along the building’s spine.  Wraparound corner glazing at the administrative area provides scenic views to the natural forest surround.
The successful rural prototype is the product of a collaborative design effort with KMBR Architects and Planners, based in Vancouver.  The protoype has since been site adapted to the communities of Whitbourne and Twillingate, located in Newfoundland & Labrador, with plans for additional adaptations in 2017.