The Challenge:
Chandler, Arizona was one of the largest cities in the state without a permanent City Hall until November 2010, when it opened a newly constructed City Hall complex. As part of the facility’s design, city officials desired a space in the complex that residents would view as a gathering place.
The Solution:
Design Principal Mark Roddy explains that the City Hall’s Council Chambers became that space. “We knew they wanted to make it special,” he says, “so it was important that we give it a warm, intimate, inviting feel.”
To help impart that feel, the design team created a distinctive, bell-shaped space that features a dramatic saw-tooth ceiling. It is comprised of Armstrong WOODWORKS Tegular Custom 1' x 8' planks in a Bamboo Patina finish, perforated for sound absorption and installed in a series of clouds.
“The ceiling is a very prominent design element in the space,” Roddy notes. “It adds a dynamic quality to the room that is noticed as soon as people walk in.” He also notes that the design team decided to use clouds instead of a continuous ceiling to add a sense of scale to the space while still leaving the impression of more volume and space above the ceiling.
To complement the ceiling, the team used Armstrong WOODWORKS Custom Curved 4' x 8' Walls in a matching Bamboo Patina finish around the perimeter of the chamber and above the council dais. “We wanted all the wood finishes in the space to match,” Roddy explains. “In this case, we matched the wall to the ceiling, rather than vice versa, which is often the case.”
The architect also explains that all the walls are canted outward slightly to add a sense of intimacy and coziness to the space. “We wanted to create the feeling of a living room, and the use of the warm, wood finishes helped us do that.”
Project: Council Chambers, Chandler City Hall
Location: Chandler, AZ
Architect: SmithGroup, Phoenix, AZ
Products: WOODWORKS Tegular Custom Planks and Custom Curved Wall Panels