A full-service ms consultants architecture and engineering team designed a new two-story office facility of approximately 76,000 square feet for Columbiana County, in northeast Ohio. The steel frame and masonry veneer structure houses government offices, streamlining many county operations and optimizing the local citizens’ ability to interact with county agencies.

County departments housed in the Columbiana County Government Services Building include the Columbiana County Department of Job and Family Services, the County Veterans Service Office, the Mahoning-Columbiana Training Association and the Columbiana County Board of Elections.

“The traditional design is meant to relate to the historic architectural character of the city of Lisbon and the larger Columbiana County community”, said K. Anthony Hayek, AIA, NCARB, project principal and vice president of architecture for ms.

Prior to being selected for design services, ms architects and engineers worked with Columbiana County Commissioners in conducting detailed site analyses of six identified sites and produced a report wherein the sites’ features, strengths and weaknesses were compared, and a site selection recommendation was made. Commissioners endorsed the recommended site near the intersection of State Route 45, Saltwell Road/Township Highway 867 and Dickey Drive.

“We did a very thorough programming analysis with all the departments, and especially with the Board of Elections,” according to Hayek. “Our programming research included a visit to the Delaware County Board of Elections office, where Columbiana County officials saw some features they hoped to integrate into their new facility.”

Those included mobile furnishings for varying work tasks, specialized file and storage units and some of the room/space sizes and adjacencies. Another feature included in the new building that was observed at Delaware County’s facility was the integration of a community room, where the public and media can observe officials involved in tallying votes at the conclusion of elections, she said.

The structure was designed to integrate the latest innovations in energy efficient mechanical and electrical design and a geothermal heating and cooling system. The majority of interior offices employ open-office planning to provide flexibility for future agency needs. Every effort is being made to include sustainable design in the selection of materials and construction methods, including specifying interior finishes with low VOC content and low-flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water consumption.