Think Big. Start Small. Make It Happen.
Update on City Hall Design Goes Before City Council
At Monday’s City Council work session at 5:30 p.m., the City Hall design team of Rowell Brokaw Architects and The Miller Hull Partnership will present an update on the project for Council’s review and feedback.
Coming in later February, the public will also have the opportunity to learn more about the design process and provide feedback at two upcoming open house events in north and south Eugene. Dates and locations of the open houses will be announced next week.
In late 2012, Eugene City Hall was vacated in preparation for a long-awaited transformation. The effort is now underway to remake City Hall into a welcoming place that reaches out to the community and honors both Eugene’s history and future. The design and construction of the City Hall Rebuild project is being led by two Eugene-based firms. Rowell Brokaw Architects was hired to lead the design work in June 2013, and McKenzie Commercial Contractors was subsequently hired as the Construction Manager/General Contractor. The team also includes Seattle-based The Miller Hull Partnership which brings nationally recognized design expertise in public architecture and high-performance buildings to Eugene.
Over the last several months, the design team has met with numerous stakeholder groups, analyzed the existing structure, and tested a broad range of design scenarios that aim to translate the City Council-approved values—Identity, Stewardship, Participation, Simplicity, and Eugene @ 200 years old—into a proposal for the City Hall site that meets the project’s needs and the $15 million Phase 1 budget.
The first phase of the project will feature a smaller, community-focused building that includes the Council Chamber, community meeting rooms, support spaces, and office space for the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager’s Offices. In addition, an on-site plaza, open space, and parking areas are proposed. The project is required to meet a minimum green building standard of LEED Silver certification, as administered by the US Green Building Council. Because the first phase of construction—approximately 25,000 square feet—will not fill the entire City Hall site, a framework for the block’s incremental redevelopment is important. The design concepts include a proposed block framework that could allow for future phases of City Hall construction on the site and respond to new opportunities that contribute to the continued revitalization of downtown.
For more information about the City Hall project or to join the project’s email list, visit the project website: www.eugenecityhall.com.