Town Hall Transformed
Oak Bluffs Town Hall, MA – The main project goals were:
- To create a modern, healthy work environment for the town staff and Oak Bluff’s community
- To reduce energy loads and greenhouse gas emissions
- To create a fully accessible, welcoming, and well-organized community service center
The town hall was located in a school building constructed in 1938, then expanded in the 1960’s. After a detailed assessment of the existing building, the design team determined that the existing heavy timber roof construction, floors, and exterior walls could be retained (approximately 50% of the existing building).
The new 17,320 SF town hall design inserts a steel and heavy timber structure and an additional floor within the existing building footprint. In addition to reusing the existing structure, the building envelope was upgraded to meet Passive House performance standards. The design features exterior shading and daylight harvesting. The building systems are all electric. No fossil fuels are used, and the building is PV-ready.
