"Maybe we can show government how to operate better as a result of better architecture"
Frank Lloyd Wright
"We shape our buildings; thereafter, our buildings shape us"
Winston Churchill
Designing projects for the public sector requires an understanding that the end users may not be an integral part of the planning or decision-making process and that every project design must account for functions and activities that will be altered or vary as the public needs change. Because funding is often allocated to a variety of needs, public projects must incorporate the possibility that few opportunities to revisit a project may present themselves and that the buildings must withstand both use and abuse far longer than might occur or be tolerated in the private sector. Finally, a public building must also provide, retain or adopt a symbolic character that expresses the ideals of the community as well as the specific nature of the activities that occur within.
Our long history with public projects ranges from museums and libraries to police and fire headquarters and recreation buildings or village halls. Other public projects have included water treatment and pumping stations, art and cultural centers, libraries, service centers, and animal shelters.
We have designed additions, renovations and historic restorations, as well as new buildings. We have developed long-term master plans for future renovations or for staged project development, as well as unique technical solutions. We have modified buildings to provided accessibility for persons with special needs as well as adaptive reuses of existing structures.
In many of instances, our histories with specific public agencies have lasted nearly thirty years and encompassed dozens of projects for those clients many of which have received architectural awards. In great part our successes are the result of, not only the quality of services and attention that we provide throughout every phase of the project, but also our ability to adhere to the client program and needs and to provide solutions that have proven distinctive, durable and long-lasting. Most importantly, we have achieved a consistent record of staying within a given budget constraint and with few, if any, changes during the construction process.