For more than 25 years, Brown Township—a family-oriented community located in Delaware County, Ohio—used the same building as their township hall.

Built in 1874, the 4,860 square-foot facility did not meet the township’s current and future needs. The building was too small to accommodate the community’s 30 percent population growth, the building configuration was awkward, and the township was not able to customize it for events. It also did not meet their vision of a facility that harmonized with the community’s agricultural heritage and the architectural character of the neighborhoods.

Through an endowment from the Delaware County Foundation, the township received funds to build a new hall.

A couple, whose husband was raised in Brown Township, bequest the gift—the second largest in the foundation’s history.

• 5,250 square-foot hall
• Flexible meeting spaces
• Ample parking
• Honors the township’s agricultural legacy
• Flexible for future growth
• Aesthetically fits the township’s landscape
• Potential increase in township revenue through facility rentals

The township trustees selected ms consultants, inc. to provide master planning and full design services for the new 5,250 square-foot hall.

The team prepared several master planning and expansion options with alternatives for the office and building location. ms provided ample parking for the town hall and ballfields, which are adjacent to the site. The master plan included the location of a detention pond and septic system, location of future play areas, a new restroom for the ballfields, and an expanded parking lot entrance and exit. The new design included an administration area with two offices, a conference room, and a secure room for all the township files. Off of the main hall is a banquet catering room that can be used buffet style, as a food station, or as a small, sit-down-style reception area.

Meeting space flexibility is at the core of the design. The township will use the spaces for community gatherings and event venues. ms created separate entrances for the administration office, catering room, and banquet spaces—with the ability to secure the administration office during events.

The team based the mechanical system’s design on how the building spaces would be used, creating maximum efficiency. ms conveyed design ideas via 3D graphic renderings, and provided project management, surveying services, complete architectural, structural, electrical, mechanical, civil engineering and construction administration.