Practice area / Civic
Public buildings, under public scrutiny.
Four civic buildings since 2019. A branch library. Two community centers. A municipal office that fit inside an existing 1923 grist mill. The work is slower than residential, the procurement is harder, and the briefs are tighter. We keep the practice area open because the buildings get used by ten thousand people a year, not three.
What we’ll bid on
The shape of project that fits this studio.
Public libraries up to 12,000 square feet. Community centers, especially adaptive-reuse opportunities. Small municipal offices and visitor centers. We’ve shortlisted on six bids in five years and won four of them. We’ve also turned down two RFPs we should have, because the schedule wouldn’t have worked for the partners’ availability.
- Public librariesUp to 12,000 sf. Branch + neighborhood scale.
- Community centersEspecially adaptive-reuse of existing civic stock.
- Municipal officesSmall footprint, mixed-use friendly, transit-adjacent preferred.
- Visitor centersPark, trailhead, or historic-district sites.
- Won’t bidSchools · courthouses · emergency services · large recreation
Process
From RFP to ribbon cutting.
The civic timeline runs longer than residential and the public engagement happens earlier. We coordinate with the construction manager from the schematic phase, not after permit.
RFP + shortlist interview.
Response inside two weeks. Shortlist interview prepared at the studio with the partner on the file presenting, not a business development hire.
No outside BD consultant
Public engagement + SD.
Three public sessions across schematic design. Concept review with the design review board between SD and DD. Construction manager onboarded at the SD/DD pivot.
3 public sessions, on-site
CDs through ribbon.
Construction documents, bid + award, construction administration with weekly site walks. Partner on the file signs every drawing issued.
Weekly walks · 3-day submittals
Project: Quarry Library
8,400 square feet, 4 percent under GMP.
An 8,400 square foot branch library completed in 2023. Cast-in-place concrete shell, mass-timber roof, daylit reading hall over the children’s stacks. Construction came in 4 percent under the GMP. The library hosts 230 people a day six months after opening, double the original projection.
- Program8,400 sf branch library · reading hall + children’s stacks
- StructureCast-in-place concrete shell, mass-timber roof
- Schedule22 months RFP to ribbon
- BudgetClosed 4% under the GMP
- Six-month traffic230 visits / day · 2x the program statement
For municipalities
Send the RFP. We’ll come back inside two weeks.
“We try to be honest about what we can win and what we can’t. If the schedule’s too tight or the program is past the studio’s depth, you’ll hear it in the first email, not in the shortlist letter.” Eli Hanford, partner on civic