New Chandler City Hall ends 12 years of leasing office space
The City of Chandler moved into its new home in mid-November of last year. The 120,000 sq.ft, 5 story building and related expenses total $73 million dollars which the city has been saving towards for many years. The stone facades are made of 50,000 sq.ft. of quartz. Chandler also took advantage of the opportunity to incorporate many sustainability and energy efficient features into the design. The building also differs from the typical city hall with the “Urban Edge” strategy by pushing the building to the sidewalk encouraging pedestrian activity while creating an inviting plaza in the center of the complex.
Chandler’s City Hall reaches for LEED rating
To prove that the building deserves to receive the gold-level certification within the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, implementing “green” and sustainable features was a must. Some of these of these include:
- Re-use of water front the cooling system (grey water), stored in a 8,000 gallon tank that is used for irrigation of the grounds and bathroom toilets.
- Light Harvesting. Overhead light fixtures that adjust depending on the amount of natural light coming into the building.
- Under floor air circulation. Allows for greater efficiency making the air closest to the ground the most comfortable.
- Shading the western and eastern exposure through “turbulent shade”. The shade is created by 1,000 perforated hanging stainless steel panels (6 x 21 inches), that move with the wind. At night it is illuminated from above with blue light and red light from below. (It would require a lot of wind to achieve anything very turbulant, but it is innovative and an eye catcher at night)
The most frequented departments by the public occupy the street level offices including the city clerk, utility services, tax & licensing, and the housing and redevelopment and neighborhood resources. The Vision, Gallery, an art-exhibition and retail venue occupying nearly 4,000 sq.ft. is located on the first floor and is very accessible to Arizona Ave. pedestrians. The Vision also offers free classes for children from 6 – 14.
Aerial Map View of Chandler City Hall
The new City Hall will serve Chandler for many years to come and sets an example for forward thinking sustainability construction. Chandler is home to the most waterfront communities in the Phoenix area, as well as biking and jogging trails, parks such as Veterans Oasis Park and Tumbleweed Park, highly rated schools and home to many semi-conductor companies.
