Welcome to Governmental/Municipal Architecture that excels.

Our proven design leadership makes the process easier to manage.

Governmental and municipal construction projects are rife with functional requisites, mandates or specified codes/restrictions, as well as the expectations of multiple authorities and constituencies. This places more than usual pressure on the initial planning and organizational process. If there isn’t design leadership demonstrated from the start, too many potentially serious problems can occur, from a lack of timely approvals that can cause construction delays to unforeseen changes in scope that can trigger serious cost overruns.

Hollis + Miller’s special design process is completely transparent and highly interactive between our design team and the municipal or government agency initiating the project and their appointed supervisors. We take the lead to make sure all requisites are fully understood, and we make design stages easier to visualize and approve by employing advanced 3-D modeling. In short, we provide the leadership, responsiveness and responsibility necessary to ensure success.

South Metro Fire Station No. 3 Case Study
Our Services
Sustainability
Leading with Technology

Situation:
The South Metropolitan Fire Protection District of Raymore, Missouri, hired Hollis + Miller initially to renovate and improve a 1970’s-era, 2-story fire station with 7 bays. The project also included the construction of a new general service facility and a service training facility with an exterior training tower. Because of the design leadership, positive relationships, cost-effectiveness and success of these initial projects, Hollis + Miller was called upon, once again, to build a new prototype fire station when the district expanded.

Solution:
South Metro Fire Station No. 3 was built in a suburban residential setting as a 2-bay station with living quarters. The building was aptly designed to easily blend within the neighborhood. Its pitched roofline and traditional brick siding gives it the look of a home, which is also appropriate given that it is the temporary home for several firemen. The facility also included a Captain’s office and five bunk rooms with lockers for three shifts, a kitchen and dining area, dayroom/lounge, fully equipped fitness room, a secure lobby and public reception area, radio room, and two fire truck bays with drive-through access for improved public safety.

Results:
The community of Raymore is very proud of its new, state-of-the-art fire station, which is on a par with brand new fire stations being built in much larger urban communities that have more advantageous tax bases.

Hollis + Miller’s service offering goes beyond architecture to provide a more integrated, effective client solution. In the case of South Metro Fire Station No. 3, two component services were employed.

Interior design services:
Our interior design experts enhanced the aesthetics and functionality of the fire station by selecting and specifying furnishings that were attractive but also very durable and could withstand the day-to-day, 24-hour wear of three shifts of rugged firemen. Soft flooring was used to be easy on the feet, legs and joints, since firemen are on their feet a lot, and a special seal-coating was used on the bay floors to resist oil, gas and chemical stains or deterioration.

Graphic design services:
The Hollis + Miller graphic design department was also called upon to design exterior and interior locational signage, which incorporated a fire shield as a design icon.

We firmly believe is developing responsible, sustainable design solutions whenever possible or warranted. Our goal for South Metro was to incorporate as much natural day-lighting as possible to cut down on electrical lighting. Service bay doors were designed completely of glass panels, as well. Also, the HVAC system provided for zoned, total-climate temperature control, so that only those areas being utilized could be heated or cooled as needed.

Hollis + Miller employed Revit® full-dimensional modeling software during the conceptualization and design process to give the client a clearer vision of what the project would look like. The client was periodically presented with very detailed, 3D project “snapshots” that provided a true perspective and depth perception that standard architectural drawings or elevations cannot. It made staged approvals at various points of progress much easier and gave the client much more confidence in the final outcome.