Accessible and Efficient: Norm Dicks Govt Center Design
Project's Summary
LMN Architects’ Design for the Norm Dicks Government Center: Accessible Government for the People
LMN Architects’ objective with the Norm Dicks Government Center was to create a space that would make government accessible to its citizens. The challenge was to consolidate facilities for city, regional, and federal government while enhancing the vitality of Bremerton’s urban core. The solution was to create a sense of openness throughout the space, using extensive glazing that allows daylight to penetrate deep into the offices. This not only makes the workplace more comfortable but also reduces the building’s energy consumption by reducing the need for artificial lighting.
Transparency as a Design Motif in the Norm Dicks Government Center
Transparency becomes a motif throughout the interior of the Norm Dicks Government Center. As soon as you enter the building, a central 2,500 square foot community meeting room dominates the lobby, surrounded by joined strips of glass that provide enclosure while also making the proceedings perfectly visible. The public shares the building’s expansive views of the city and the water from all sides via circulation routes around the perimeter of each floor, as well as a glass-enclosed staircase that is an attractive alternative to the elevator.
The Norm Dicks Government Center: An Accessible and Efficient Space
The Norm Dicks Government Center is an accessible and efficient space that serves the community. With its emphasis on transparency and openness, the center is designed to make government more accessible to the people it serves. The use of extensive glazing to let in natural light, combined with a glass-enclosed staircase and circulation routes around the perimeter of each floor, makes the building feel open and inviting. The result is a space that consolidates facilities for city, regional, and federal government while enhancing the vitality of Bremerton’s urban core.
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