Month: August 2014

Northville Municipal Building

northville_municipal_hall_featured

The building design incorporates elements traditionally found on bridges, symbolic of the main building function; connecting the community.

Visitors are greeted in a two story lobby, with service counters located on either side. The lobby can be closed off by security gates during after-hour functions. All staff and non-public office spaces are located in the lower level. The grading of the build site allowed for a walk-out lower level at the south-west corner of the building. This walk-out features a landscaped plaza for use during outdoor community events. Administrative offices are located on the second level, accessible by a stairway located in the tower, a feature element of the building’s exterior. A suspension bridge spans the two-story lobby, connecting the offices with the Community Room on the opposite side of the tower. This community room is used for many of the township’s democratic functions.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Northville Municipal Building
Client:
Charter Township of Northville
Location:
Northville, MI
Cost:
$6,000,000
Sq Ft:
39,000
Completed:
2004

Project Summery:

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Senior Activity Center

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The emphasis of this hallmark of senior activity centers was health and wellness for senior adults. Situated on a hilltop overlooking downtown Rochester, this traditional brick structure flows across the site, blending with the contours of the natural setting. Wood slat ceilings, metal roofing, stone accents and masonry in Earth tones give this facility a stately, sophisticated appearance.

Visitors can take advantage of over 37,000 square feet dedicated to health and wellness, including two pools, one for aerobic activity and another for therapeutic programs. A gymnasium, indoor walking track, aerobics room and exercise room add to the myriad of fitness opportunities. Nearly 9,000 sq ft is arranged into arts-and-crafts classrooms while an emphasis on nutrition is evidenced by a large commercial style kitchen and dining room.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Senior Activity Center
Client:
Older Persons Commission
Location:
Rochester, MI
Cost:
$11,000,000
Sq Ft:
89,900
Completed:
2004

Project Summery

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Parker High School

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Parker High School offers a flex scheduling option to its students. The architecture, allowing the facility to be in use from 7:00 am until 10:00 pm, was specifically designed to work with that system. It includes partnership spaces for use by the local community college, business partners and training programs. The design features two separate structures, an academic building and a fieldhouse unified by a circulation spine or “knowledge mall”. The academic building features 6 academies, a twostory media center, dining commons, staff-less school store, and a theater/fine arts zone. A covered walk leads to the athletic building, which houses a gymnasium, natatorium, two weight/nautilus rooms, an athletic field with synthetic running track, and a stadium with grandstands built into the side of the fieldhouse.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Parker High School
Client:
Howell Public Schools
Location:
Howell, MI
Cost:
$52,000,000
Sq Ft:
300,000
Completed:
2007
Project Summary:
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Northville Fire Department

northville_fire_headquarters_featured

French Associates was contracted by the government and public safety officials of the Charter Township of Northville to design a new fire station, police headquarters and township hall. Originally, the township offices were combined with the police and fire departments in a dated, cramped facility.

The fire station accommodates multiple fulltime fireman. One wing dedicated to living quarters includes a sleeping room, dayroom, kitchen, lockers and exercise area. The administration wing contains offices, a training room, and other administrative functions. The wings flank an apparatus bay, complete with underground exhaust system and an active training tower. The building’s design is reminiscent of traditional architecture found in the surrounding neighborhood. Pitched roofs, brick-and-stone exteriors and accented windows blend the facility harmoniously into its suburban setting.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Northville Fire Department
Client:
Charter Township of Northville
Location:
Northville, MI
Cost:
$4,000,000
Sq Ft:
24,000
Completed:
2004

Project Summery

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Eagle Creek Academy

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Set within a 20-acre picturesque site on the edge of a wetland preserve, Eagle Creek Academy’s facility emphasizes the surrounding natural features. Natural light and geothermal heating cooling systems make this 250-student K-8 school an extension of it’s environment. Each classroom has a view of the wetland, access to an outdoor deck that runs along the back of the building, a storage zone, kitchenette, student workstations, document cameras and large plasma monitors. Exposed wood ceilings are present in every classroom as well as the gymnasium, cafeteria and media center. The media center’s form, timber structure, transparent enclosure, trunk-like wood columns and wood trusses are the focal point of the exterior design and main entrance.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Eagle Creek Academy
Client:
Eagle Creek Academy
Location:
Oakland, MI
Cost:
$12,000,000
Sq Ft:
56,000
Completed:
2005

Project Summery:

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Early Childhood Center & Admin Offices

clarkston_early_childhood_featured

In order to merge the Administrative Staff Services and Board of Education facilities from multiple sites, we expanded the existing 9,100 sq ft administrative office building. Additions include more offices, conference rooms and a Board of Education meeting room, which doubles as a space for large gatherings, school activities and community meetings. There was also a need for a new Early Childhood Center to house the Kindergarten Kids Connection, Funshine Preschool, extended preschool care and preschool enrichment programs.

The exterior design is intended to blend with the surrounding residential environment. In an effort to be sensitive to these surrounding, each classroom is its own separate entity, breaking up the large building and making it appear smaller in scale. Individual cupolas were added to complete the older “school-house” feel of the architecture.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Early Childhood Center & Administrative Offices
Client:
Clarkston Community Schools
Location:
Clarkston, MI
Cost:
$13,786,000
Sq Ft:
68,880
Completed:
2005

Project Summary:

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Grosse Ile High School

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In 2007, Grosse Ile Township Schools began construction at Grosse Ile High School. The original building, constructed in the 1950’s, had inadequate space for the cafeteria and media center. Designed with curved exterior walls featuring large spans of glass, the new cafeteria and media center are filled with natural light, a sharp contrast to the old, dimly lit interior. The new exterior’s undulating curves mimic the shorelines of Grosse Ile.

A carefully phased building plan allowed the kitchen, which needed little remodeling, to serve the existing cafeteria until the new space opened on the opposite side. The kitchen simply transitioned to serving the new space with no loss of service or safety.

Existing building areas were also renewed, including a remodeled gymnasium and science labs. The former cafeteria was converted into specialty classroom space while the former media center became the new central office, strategically located to monitor and control the building’s new main entrance.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Grosse Ile High School
Client:
Grosse Ile Township Schools
Location:
Grosse Ile, MI
Cost:
$8,500,000
Sq Ft:
119,110
Completed:
2008

Project Summery:

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Grand Blanc Police Headquarters

grand_blanc_police_featured

The new Grand Blanc Township Police Headquarters building is the first construction project on a planned municipal campus. The traditional design of the Police Headquarters includes a brick-and-stone faÁade and is reminiscent of days past, yet it houses some of the most advanced computer, security and surveillance technology available. The main level features a multi-purpose Public Meeting Room, dispatch office, five individual holding cells, a group holding cell and detoxification cells. The Detective Bureau accommodates eight detectives and two D.A.R.E. officers in a mix of work stations and enclosed offices. The Patrol Department includes an officer roll-call room, ten officer work stations and enclosed offices. Conference and interview spaces, an enclosed Sally-port and forensic evidence garages are also located on the main level.

The 16,100 square foot lower level of the building houses locker rooms, a unisex training room, an evidence processing area, enclosed six -lane gun range, and storage rooms.

Project Details:

Project Name:
Grand Blanc Police HQ
Client:
Grand Blanc Township
Location:
Grand Blanc, MI
Cost:
$11,500.000
Sq Ft:
41,190
Completed:
2008

Project Summery:

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