Eight years ago, the City of La Habra Heights hired an architect to design a new 10,000 sq. ft. city hall with a $5.0M budget and the bid was $8.8M.  The project was abandoned and the City was soured on architects. 

In 2011, while submitting plans to their building department for a residence, we suggested that their “temporary offices” located in an old dilapidated 1956 post and beam elementary school building could be restored, renovated and enlarged for a budget of around $2.0M and be useful again. This would be a more sustainable process, as opposed to the complete demolition and building an all new structure.  The city manager agreed and hired this office to develop preliminary design schemes and a concept construction budget for city council approval.

The project received major opposition from citizens wanting a new building and citizens wanting to do nothing.  It was finally approved by city council with a budget of $1.98M and the approved bid was less at $1.94M.  The project was completed with less than 2% change orders and the community has fully endorsed their new city hall.

The existing structures were full of asbestos, leaked significantly, had insufficient space and no way to secure the scattered offices. We completely renovated 8,600 sq. ft. of existing school structures into city offices, fire dept. offices, building and planning offices and council chambers.  The design includes 1,500 sq. ft. of new infill space designated for the lobby, foyer, and conference room and data center.  The design also includes new assembly areas and entry roofs, secured open-air passageways with roofs that will be glassed-in in Phase II, lunch and meeting walled garden patios and a new parking lot and xeriscaping.

The existing buildings were stripped to raw framing and reengineered to all current codes.  We extended the post and beam concept to honor the structure’s 1956 bones and opened up the old classroom “reverse trusses” to reveal clearstory windows and create high ceiling spaces.  Sections of existing roofs were removed and new pitched roofs and canopies were added creating more articulated facades and user-friendly spaces. The building evolved.

Conclusion
The pictures tell the story.  A structure deemed not worthy of saving has a new life.  The renovation design updates the building to current code standards, at a fraction of the cost of a new building, was constructed on budget, provides all of the city’s use requirements and was endorsed by the entire community at its completion.  This revived building has become the city center.