10 Lessons Learned Designing a Modern Public Works Facility

Last Fall, Scott Edwards Architecture Associate Principal Brandon Dole and City of Wilsonville Public Works Director Delora Kerber co-presented at the American Public Works Association (APWA) Oregon Chapter Fall Conference. The presentation focused on our shared Wilsonville Public Works campus project and the discussion offered lessons learned and replicable design and process solutions for modern public works facility needs.

The Wilsonville Public Works campus applies forward-looking public works design in service of the City’s vision for a vital center of operations and maintenance. The campus includes multiple buildings, one for administration and several others supporting field crews, and balances functionality and aesthetics. The conversation addressed how site context, budget and timeline constraints, and programming and resiliency goals informed the approach to this state-of-the-art facility. Below, we outline the 10 lessons learned from the project's development and design side covered during the presentation.

Lesson Learned #1 - How to Get Started

Identify Community Benefits—determine what role(s) your facility needs to serve in your community. At Wilsonville Public Works, we needed to consolidate seven satellite facilities into one central facility to streamline efficiency and have a seismically resilient facility that could continue operations in the case of a seismic event (the administrative building was designed to Level 4 Seismic Risk Category and the warehouse to a Level 3).
Create Project Team—identify your core internal team members, including maintenance and IT staff. This is the group who will be leading the development of the design and including a range of perspectives could be beneficial.
Engage Stakeholders—gather additional input from those outside the core team to ensure a responsive design and streamlined process. At Wilsonville Public Works, we engaged with field staff to confirm workflow assumptions and planning and building staff to ensure we met permitting and building codes.

Lesson Learned #2 - Expectations with Sustainability

Develop Goals—develop goals early in design. It is much easier to integrate sustainability early, rather than work backward to incorporate elements. At Wilsonville Public Works, we applied Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, also known as LEEDs, and Green Globes criteria.
Integrate Green Technology—Per an Oregon State statute, a minimum of 1.5% of project costs should be used for Green Energy Technology
Material Selection—sustainability means longevity and durability, so select materials that hold up to the hard work performed at Public Works facilities.

Lesson Learned #3 - Leverage Your Site

One vs Two Stories—consider how to work with, rather than against, your site conditions. At Wilsonville Public Works, the site’s slope presented an opportunity to design the administrative building to be two stories. This allowed for functional separation of spaces and room for future growth while also remaining responsive to the neighborhood’s 1-story context at the main street elevation.
Function and Efficiency Drive Form—workflow influences the design, always. At Wilsonville Public Works, with a two-story administration building, we were able to make a flat transition from the locker rooms on the first level to the warehouse and yard, keeping the grit and grime on the lower floor.
Solar Access—optimize solar panel exposure to sunlight through thoughtful building orientation.

Lesson Learned #4 - Integrating Technology

Determine what is Required vs Desired—with technology, the possibilities can be endless. Develop a list of elements that serve your project’s larger goals.
Include Building Automation—integrating automation in places where it makes sense can streamline efficiencies.
Anticipate Future Changes in Technology—consider opportunities to design in adaptability now while the walls are already open.
Realize there will be More Chips than Concrete—it has been said that public works facilities have more chips than concrete because of all the technology for HVAC, lighting, and cell boosters. Seamless integration with the design is important to consider early.

Lesson Learned #5 - Approach to Resiliency

Choosing Level of Seismic Design—determine the level of operation the facility needs to maintain following a seismic event. Wilsonville Public Works administrative building is designed for immediate re-occupancy following an earthquake.
Sizing of Emergency Generator Power—similarly, determine the facility’s need for power following an outage and right-size the generator accordingly.
Incorporate Livability During Disaster—if operations continue following an emergency event, staff will likely be spending extensive periods of time at the facility. Consider how the design can create an environment that is comfortable, functional, and offers moments of reprieve.
Test Drive During Construction—prior to an emergency occurring, run test scenarios during construction to determine if resiliency measures are adequate.

Lesson Learned #6 - Project Delivery

Determine Funding Options—explore opportunities for funding through avenues like sustainability grants.
Traditional vs. Alternate Delivery—at Wilsonville Public Works, to obtain funding we needed to complete a design to develop a cost estimate for consideration by elected officials. Because of this, we decided to go with a traditional Design-Bid-Duild delivery method. In review, if we had been able to pursue a Construction Manager/General Contractor project delivery, that might have helped mitigate the rework required during construction.
Path to Shovel Ready—depending on your phasing and delivery method, consider designing your project to be “shovel ready”, with all the necessary plans, designs, and permits in place, so that when the funding is approved, you can move forward immediately.

Lesson Learned #7 - Best Practices & Industry Standards

Ask if there is an Industry Standard—tour similar facilities and get a sense of the elements they incorporate and what could be valuable to include in the design of your facility.
Incorporate Storage, Storage, and More Storage—there is always a need. At Wilsonville Public Works, we incorporated a mezzanine in the warehouse building, maximizing what could have been empty space for storage.
Pros and Cons of Going Vertical—determine if having additional site space for a yard (etc.) merits making your building(s) multiple stories. For Wilsonville Public Works, it did, because the expanded yard space is extremely valuable to our operations.

Lesson Learned #8 - Function Drives Form

Site and Building Layout—consider materials, geography, and flow of work when developing your facility’s site and building layout.
Organization of the Yard & Sequencing Operations—the efficiency of core services should determine yard organization and flow of traffic.

Lesson Learned #9 - Planning for the Future

Population and Program Growth—consider that as the population grows in your region, staffing and programming will likely need to grow in response. Look for opportunities to accommodate future growth in the design. At Wilsonville Public Works, several collaboration spaces have the necessary electrical infrastructure to be used for additional desk space if needed, and what is currently an open parking garage on the 1st floor is designed to be closed in and converted into more office area.
Staff Recruitment & Understanding Future Work Force—determine how the architecture can create a welcoming, inclusive work environment for current and potential employees. At Wilsonville Public Works, the gender-neutral restrooms and locker rooms support the needs of a growingly diverse workforce. The architectural response incorporated amenity spaces supporting daily staff use and operations staff use during emergency events that require extended hours.

Lesson Learned #10 - Stay Flexible

Contingency Planning—in any project, unexpected circumstances arise and supply chains can be disrupted. Early in design, talk through potential challenges and determine opportunities to mitigate them early with pre-planning activities. Be prepared to perform value engineering if needed.
Tough Conversations—clients can consider bringing an Owner’s Representative onto the team. Differences of opinion occur and having an experienced representative with the project’s best interests in mind can be beneficial.
Thinking Outside the Box—balancing priorities and budget is rarely easy. Nimble architecture can be a difference-maker in projects with a constrained budget. Think about ways to make one space serve multiple purposes, turn economical choices into unexpected features, and maximize where you put your dollar to have the highest impact.

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