The City of Douglasville recently celebrated an exciting milestone as they broke ground on their new city hall building, representing continued investment in the community.
Boasting more than 46,000 square feet, Douglasville City Hall is a new design aiming to be an inviting and identifiable symbol of the City’s growth, innovation and cultural arts while referencing its history.
A distinguishing characteristic of the building is a two-story feature wall that serves as a visual centerpiece, celebrating Douglasville’s identity and heritage. Positioned within a primary public space, the installation creates a memorable arrival experience while reinforcing the city’s commitment to community pride and placemaking.
An important theme for the city was to remain community oriented. With this in mind, Goodwyn Mills Cawood’s (GMC) design team allowed the main lobby to be a strong connection between O’Neal Plaza and the city council chambers. The large lobby paired with an overhead door draws the public in and functions as an open space for future events for the community. Other unique features of the project include a 3rd floor terrace for staff to enjoy the stage at O’Neal Plaza and other events.
Other design moves focus on addressing the wellness of the users and promoting a healthier indoor environment. To achieve this, the new city hall building is strategically laid out to maximize natural light. The program is organized to take advantage of borrowed light from both the north and south sides of the building, allowing sunlight to filter through exterior office spaces and extend into interior hallways. This approach is further enhanced by large clerestory windows on the second level, which bring additional daylight into public areas and create a bright, welcoming atmosphere.
Material selections also play a key role in supporting occupant health and sustainability. The Council Chambers overall finishes create a dynamic and energetic atmosphere while the tones of selected materials in other parts of the city hall are warmer to evoke a calm and welcoming environment. In combination with natural lighting, these finishes create an atmosphere that better supports the welfare and productivity of the building occupants.
GMC provides architecture, interior design, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, landscape architecture, and electrical engineering.
The key to project success is the work of the Program Manager Comprehensive Program Services (CPS), along with services from Winter Construction as the Construction Manager. Additional partners include PES Structural Engineers as the structural engineer; Matheson-Ball & Associates as the mechanical and plumbing engineer; and TSAV as the AV & acoustical engineer.
