Since May of 2024, Village staff has been working with Williams Architects and their consultants to develop schematic floor plans, elevations, and site plans for the reconstruction of the Village Hall. The design process has been based on the previous Village Board decision to demolish and rebuild the Village Hall on the current site. Department Directors and key staff have taken part in numerous design meetings to identify critical adjacencies within the building. Several key elements were identified as requirements for the new designs:

• A separate staff entrance and parking area to provide better security and controls contact with the public

• A priority to provide above grade office space for all staff, with natural light in as many spaces as possible

• Better internal circulation paths between departments that do not require crossing into public areas of the building to meet, which also allows for multiple access points to and from each department for emergency situations

• Customer facing staff should be located on the main level, while less forward-facing staff can be located on the second floor

• A public entrance that conveys the quality and appearance of the Village of Schaumburg

The drawings being presented to the Committee of the Whole include a two-story design with a basement in order to match the existing footprint of the building, but still provide for all offices to be above grade. The basement is being reserved for building services and storage spaces only. In order to keep the forward-facing staff on the main level to support daily functions the Village Board room and smaller Community Room were located on the second floor.

The main entrance to the building is designed to face south along the existing parking lot, while the employee entrance and parking will be located to the west. The additional parking area will allow the Prairie Center for the Arts to eventually hold daytime events in the theatre without affecting Village Hall parking. The largest change to the site is the relocation of the main entry from Summit Drive further south. This is in response to the location of the staff parking lot and entrance, along with the lower-level delivery dock, which will serve the storage and mechanical areas in the basement. The goal is to recreate the entry experience of the existing entry in the new location along Summit.

The exterior of the building has been designed in what is called a “Modern Prairie Style” incorporating stone and masonry elements with taller glass elements and large overhangs on the building. The stone and masonry elements project the permanence and importance of a government facility, while the tall glass allows for the natural lighting to flow into spaces. The large overhangs provide a connection from inside out to the site, but also serve a function from sunshade to the large expanses of glass. The building is split in the middle by a two and a half story lobby space with clerestory windows at the top. This lobby design will allow for light to penetrate the departments from the interior to complement the exterior windows, but also allow for views into the second floor public room spaces from the first floor.

As this Schematic Design phase completes, the next phase is known as Design Development. This builds on the design being presented and adds another layer of detail where the wall, window, furniture, and mechanical locations are all identified and locked in. Materials and products will be selected for each space throughout the building, electric and plumbing fixtures will be identified, but most importantly the site plan details will be completed and full engineering drawings will be submitted to Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) for approval.

Staff’s recommendation is to approve the schematic design as presented and begin design development with Williams Architects. All costs associated with Williams Architects have been included in the overall design contracts previously approved by the Village Board.