Civic Design

The work of the PRA Civic Design Studio can take many forms – among these are fire and police stations, municipal facilities, county courthouses, public libraries, and even public parks, pools, frisbee golf, waterfront development, and park pavilions.  What these facilities share is a basis in public trust; taxpayers expect that elected officials will ensure their money is well spent to contribute to the health, safety, and enrichment of the community.  But from there, they can differ drastically.

Police and fire services ensure the health, safety, and welfare of us all.  Today, those dedicated souls that enter these services are faced with a variety of challenges beyond the daily tests of physical endurance and frequent danger.  The buildings that support them must provide for their physical, cognitive, and emotional needs while also satisfying the requirements of ever more complex and sophisticated equipment and vehicles.  Our communities expect it, our first responders deserve it, and the lives and safety of all of us depend on it.

Libraries and community centers are much different.  They provide places for the community to meet, learn, debate, and grow together, intellectually, socially, and culturally.  They should be a reflection of the community they serve, carefully addressing the traditions, culture, and needs of the users and community.

In all of these buildings, PRA works closely with civic leaders, community leaders, organization leadership and key members their staff to understand all aspects of the project.  We facilitate a process composed of innovative techniques to gather information, including one-on-one and group interviews, day-in-the-life shadowing, road tours, bench-marking, lessons learned, visioning sessions, puzzle play, and collaborative workshops.  Only then can we combine our architectural and interior design experience with that of the other consultants on the project to begin creating the three-dimensional form.  In each meeting, another layer of detail is added, revealing new aspects of the concept with state-of-the-art visualization tools and material samples helping to convey exactly what we are creating together.

Whether you’re building a new fire station, a new library, or renovating an existing facility, we can help.  But we can also apply our experience to numerous other needs you may have, such as facility assessments, wayfinding and accessibility upgrades, future planning, furniture and accessories, sustainability consulting, and community outreach.

STUDIO LEADERS

All of these services are led by the three primary Partner leaders in our Civic Studio – Jason Puestow (Milwaukee), Devin Kack (Milwaukee), and John Holz (Sarasota).  Each of these leaders is personally involved from the very first meeting to the completion of the project, supported by a staff of highly experienced architects and interior designers who understand the complexities of these projects and who thrive on the expectations inherent in working for an entire community.  We invite you to follow the links on this page to learn more about our experience helping communities like yours, or better yet, contact Jason, Devin, or John to learn more about what PRA can do for you!