Inviting municipal facilities create stronger communities for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. By building efficient and safe spaces to govern, meet, and take care of business, city officials and constituents can more easily communicate with one another to maintain and build their community. Whether renovating an existing city hall or building a new municipal center, working with the right architect to properly program the facility is a crucial step to ensuring the space is functional, welcoming and safe. Through our work both locally and federally, Bailey Edward takes the following into consideration when planning a new municipal facility:

Understanding Unique Department Needs

From the mayor to the clerks, every department of the city’s government is crucial to its success. Understanding the needs of each department allows architects and interior designers to create efficient spaces catering to the unique services provided by each. Through stakeholder meetings with key staff from each department, we will listen and learn about the city building’s day-to-day functions including interactions with the public, workspace needs such as desks, collaboration spaces, and rest areas, as well as unique functions including interview rooms, and holding cells for the police department, teller windows for clerks, and general public meeting areas. Some concerns will cross multiple departments while some may be specific to one group’s needs.

Whether new build or renovation, our team will take the time to walk through the existing building with current users, asking the following questions:

• What does day-to-day life look like in the existing facility?
• What works well in the existing space? What doesn’t?
• Is anything missing that would make day-to-day more efficient?

Workspaces

Each department may have a unique workstyle, whether full-time in the office, hybrid, or remote. We’ll consider each department’s proximity to one another as we understand inter-department tasks.

Wayfinding and Public Spaces

For many, visiting a city building is often seen as a chore made daunting by preconceptions of labyrinthine facilities and unfriendly bureaucrats. By considering the visitor’s journey and designing, clear, universally accessible pathways to each public-facing department, we create a more pleasant experience. Easy-to-read signage should greet visitors as soon as the parking lot, pointing people towards the departments they need to visit. As navigating the building becomes clearer, building security is improved: it is easy to sort out bad actors from lost constituents.

Access and Security

While municipal facilities should be inviting for constituents to take care of day-to-day business such as paying bills…special care should be made to ensure confidential information can be maintained, especially if city hall is also home to a police department. For this reason, it is important to incorporate keyed entry between departments and public-facing spaces. Furthermore, municipalities should consider giving each department its own secure emergency exit for safety.

Understanding Facility Needs

Once the needs of the municipality are fully understood, our architects, engineers, and interior designers can compare their needs with its existing facilities, providing a feasibility study to help decide the best course of action: renovate current buildings or construct new.

Facility Condition Assessment

During the Facility Condition Assessment, our team will take a close look at the municipality’s existing buildings. Through visual observation, documentation, and material testing, we will determine any necessary repairs or interventions to ensure the building’s longevity.

For historic properties, we will consider the building’s character-defining features. Documentation of these features and their condition will factor into our comprehensive plan for building maintenance and repairs. It is possible that preserving the historic building can create opportunities for the municipality to pursue additional funding and grants from government and nonprofit organizations seeking to help protect and preserve our historic places.

Developing a Comprehensive Plan

Once the needs of both the municipality and facilities have been documented, our team will develop a list of priorities and comprehensive plan for the work needed, whether renovating the existing building envelope, building systems, existing spaces or new construction. Depending on available funds, improvements, renovations, and construction can be planned in phases with associated costs defined so the municipality can focus on their most immediate concerns and life-safety improvements while preparing referendums or fundraising for future changes.

Get Started Today!

If you want to learn more about planning for new or renovated municipal facilities, be sure to reach out to our knowledgeable staff.