Mesa City Hall & Council Chambers

Date

2021 – Current

Client

City of Mesa

Status

Pre-Construction

Location

Mesa, Arizona

Size

16,226 SF

Project description

We’re proud to present the Mesa City Hall and Council Chambers expansion! Over the past year, we’ve been working hard to design a city hall that our neighbors in Mesa can be proud of.

The design is based on the idea that government should be transparent and visible to all citizens. With tall windows and a centralized location, the city council will sit at a level in which anyone walking down Main Street will be able to look inside and see the city council in action.

Desert tones and materials are featured throughout the project in a way that makes the building feel like a new, invigorating space while also making it feel like it has always been there. The exterior walls are clad in natural terracotta, recalling the brick tones of historical Mesa buildings while also providing a thermally isolated system to help prevent heat from entering the building. A large sloping roof overhangs the south and west facades to shade the tall glass. The roof will be finished in a low-gloss, copper-tone standing seam metal system. In the center of the roof, the council chambers pop through, glowing like a beacon.

To further enhance the connection to downtown, the existing plaza located south of Plaza Tower will also undergo a revitalization. This newly reworked plaza not only serves as a unifying link but also offers a sensory experience to those who cross it. As visitors weave their way through the creosote shrubs and cholla groves, they’ll encounter mounds of textured concrete, shaped like barrel cacti, forming planters that blend effortlessly into the sidewalk and lead to the front entry.

The interior presents a warm and welcoming space. Natural desert tones and materials flow into the space as you walk over the terrazzo floor and look up at the wooden ceiling. In the center of everything, you see a meeting space where the council and other working groups can meet with neighbors.

There are working areas for anyone who wishes to work in collaborative or private spaces on the ground level. Tall walls across the project’s interiors provide opportunities for art installations to bring more community into the “living room” walls.

Directly above, slanting glass cradles the new council chambers with a glow of natural light from the cove above.

Visitors can access the second-floor chambers through the main staircase near the entry or the elevator located beyond the reception desk. The council chamber has been designed to provide a sense of openness and accessibility throughout the day and night. A curved soffit, held up by brass-toned columns, creates a gentle and artistic way of bringing natural light into the chamber. As the sun sets, the cove light above emits a warm and inviting glow, becoming a beacon of light for the city. Artfully angled panels host both lights and speakers, carefully situated to provide optimal acoustics and aesthetic appeal.

The project is slated to begin June 2023 so stay tuned for construction updates! These will be posted on our socials so please follow us on your favorite social media.