City Center
Location:
West Palm Beach, FL
Size:
270,000 SF
300 car garage
Ever since its grand opening City Center has become the centerpiece of downtown West Palm Beach. The City Center complex includes the City Hall (150,000 GSF, including the City’s Commission Chambers), the Mandel Public Library (85,000 GSF, including a 150-seat auditorium, children’s library and teen library), the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and Museum (35,000 GSF) and a parking garage for 300 cars with charging stations for electric vehicles.
Song + Associates originally conducted a space-needs study in 1997 to program the future functions of City Center as part of Phase I for the project. Once funding was established years later, Song + Associates validated the study by providing necessary program modifications to reflect the city’s growth and reorganization. We also developed new programs for those departments that were not part of the original study. This phase of the project consisted of weekly meetings with the library staff, Photographic Centre staff, and each of the 22 departments within City Hall in order to understand the work flow, work spaces, support spaces, and department adjacencies. After the programming and master planning was completed then came the design to create a civic connection space for the public all in one convenient location.
Awards:
Urban Land Institute Vision Award, 2010
International Downtown Association Award of Distinction, 2009
American City & County Crown Community Award, 2009
Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach Among 11 Most Beautiful U.S. Libraries
