How to Future-Proof Your Town Hall

This article was originally published in Talk of the Towns by the New York Association of Towns.

How much has the world changed since your town hall first opened its doors? Significantly, right? Whether your building is five years old or fifty, the workplace looks different now than it did at the time of construction. 

Though municipal buildings need to last for decades, the way we work has transformed every few years since the 1980s. In fact, if your town hall predates 2019, it probably wasn’t built to accommodate the fluidity of modern work with more telecommuting than ever. As artificial intelligence gains traction, who knows what the workplace will look like five years from now?

We’ve also seen a cultural shift in the perception of municipal work. Classical or brutalist buildings create a cold, unwelcoming image. Instead, town halls designed today often demonstrate literal and figurative transparency with abundant glass, biophilic (or natural) interiors, and clear wayfinding. You might even find a basketball court or playground on site, all because public workers are expected to build meaningful community connections. Two or three decades ago, it was more important for these spaces to appear formal and impartial.

Municipal work and public perception are changing rapidly, but the challenge is that the workplace doesn’t change as easily. Construction is costly and time-consuming. When it comes to publicly funded buildings, towns can’t justify a renovation every few years. Instead, a better approach is to design municipal facilities with change in mind. Not only will this technique allow your building to age gracefully, but it will also make your building more cost-effective in the long term.

As an architect with 20 years of experience serving New York communities, I know how hard public servants work to preserve tax dollars. That’s why I’ve compiled just a few ways a skilled design partner can make your town hall highly effective, even as your work processes change.

1. Flexibility

Flexibility is key to the modern work environment. Keeping your space flexible and versatile will allow it to adapt to or even transcend the latest design trends. How do we accomplish that?

Furniture is your friend! Part-time staff need somewhere to sit for the day with a laptop, but they don't need an entire office. Instead, integrate a comfortable, collaborative lounge. Alternatively, make traditional conference rooms multifunctional with collapsible partitions and furniture on wheels.

This is where I recommend taking true accessibility into account. Rather than meeting the minimum accessibility requirements, I exceed them. Really think about how to make your town hall easy to move through. The results will be safe, healthful, functional, and comfortable—characteristics that won’t age out.

2. Modularity

Related to flexibility, modular design will allow parts and pieces of your town hall to change without requiring a major remodel. Architects and engineers accomplish modularity in a multitude of ways—anything that makes small, incremental upgrades simpler. For example, minimizing load-bearing interior walls will allow for a more adaptable floor plan. In addition, installing flooring across the entire space will allow you to move elements like counters without leaving a hole in the floor.

You can also keep HVAC equipment exposed to make your space more modular and visually interesting. Trust me; I am currently redesigning a 1970s-era building in which the original designers buried the ductwork underground. This choice ultimately made it more difficult to service the equipment, and it left the ductwork smelling like mold. This is a great example of how modular design would have made life easier for the owners.

3. Durability

Maintenance costs are a huge part of any municipal budget. A sustainable practice for a public space is to use materials that can withstand heavy use and daily cleaning. Designing with durability in mind will lower your space’s operational costs and extend its useful life.

I often use naturally durable materials like stone, wood, and metal for a more biophilic atmosphere. These materials will last for years and won’t look outdated. As an added benefit, biophilic design is proven to make users feel more connected to nature, which in turn reduces stress.

4. Focus

Town halls in small, rural communities wear many hats. We already know that these buildings have to be highly flexible. Over my career, I’ve also seen that different user groups rarely work together in exactly the same way. That’s why I believe the best approach to creating a long-lasting town hall is to focus on the unique users instead of the latest trends.

I begin the design process by listening closely. I ask the users about their needs, habits, workflow, and spatial challenges. How large is the staff? Is it expected to grow? What does the community require out of this building?

For example, there is an increased need for both security and public interaction in town halls. Today, these buildings offer commercial kitchens and large meeting rooms that serve a variety of community functions. Throughout the year, your town hall might host an art gallery, voting stations, weddings, or public presentations. To create an atmosphere that’s both open to the public and safe for workers, you might need to zone the security in your building.

For example, two areas can be separated by a bulletproof pass-through space. One area can be open to community events while the other is safe for staff to move freely from office to office and interact as a group. Smart designers will balance a secure core with big, flexible spaces.

5. Aesthetics

If your town hall is particularly dated or stylized, it is making a statement whether you want it to or not. At best, residents might ignore an ugly building. At worst, they’ll want to tear it down before it has run its course. So how do we design for longevity? We pay attention to details.

It’s tempting to think that you can lower costs and achieve timeless design through simplicity—but if you eliminate all the details that make your building unique, the results will feel uninteresting. Perhaps even subconsciously, the community will take less care of that space.

An effective way to make public buildings visually interesting is to use small touches, like trim around the windows or attractive native plants in the landscaping. No matter what it is, a little bit of visual appeal will keep the building registered on your community’s attractiveness scale. The nicer your town hall is, the nicer people will treat it.

6. Sustainability

A long-lasting building is a sustainable building, at least in comparison to a new construction. That’s because constructions and relocations have high carbon costs. For that reason, all the categories above are related to sustainability. For example, a flexible building can have a smaller footprint. A modular building requires less upkeep. Wood captures carbon, which means durable buildings that utilize wood have a lower environmental impact. A focused design and a timeless aesthetic will result in fewer building upgrades over the years.

Additionally, sustainable design selections will ultimately reduce the operating costs of your town hall. Ethical design partners consider energy-efficient construction from every angle, focusing not just on minimum code requirements but environmental impact, user well-being, and short- and long-term costs. Examples of efficient systems include good windows and insulation, daylight sensors, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and rain gardens.

Sustainable town halls can be an inspiration for other buildings in your community as well. These buildings demonstrate achievable sustainability to residents and businesses in your neighborhood. I’ve seen town halls create a real ripple effect in this way.

Closing Thoughts

This list is by no means exhaustive, so remember to talk to a professional if you’re thinking of making changes to your town hall. As an architect, I aim to create beautiful, functional spaces that last. If you’re ready to build or renovate your town hall to serve your community for the next generation, reach out!