Carvel State Office Building

Complete Entrance & Lobby Redesign Improves Building Dignity & Enhances Security

Problem

The Carvel State Office Building, opened in 1977, is a 12-story, 305,000 SF facility housing over 1,000 employees.  It serves as the primary office of the Governor, Attorney General, and New Castle County Legislators, while serving a number of other state agencies.

The entrance and lobby area date back to the original construction and do not reflect a modern welcoming first impression to employees and visitors.  In addition, the security arrangements were "awkward" and needed streamlining.  Other problems included:

• Desire for security but not inconvenience
• Poor HVAC distribution at screening
• Line-of-sight active shooter protection
• Confusing wayfinding for visitors
• Code compliance issues
• Limited ADA accessibility
• No public gathering areas
• Worn and outdated finishes

The State of Delaware Office of Management and Budget wanted a solution that improved the building dignity by making a good first impression to visitors and staff while also providing enhanced security and streamlining the security screening process.

Solution

StudioJAED's multi-disciplined facility planning, architecture, and engineering expertise was extremely important in this process.  Integrated expertise is critical in developing creative and efficient solutions and to integrating planned innovations into existing infrastructure.

StudioJAED:

• Provided a feasibility study which led to Virtual Reality (VR) simulations that were designed to elicit deeper design discourse with the stakeholders
• Used Virtual Reality software to help communicate the vision to key stakeholders, up to and including the Cabinet Secretary level, winning support at critical phases
• Provided precise cost estimating due to a limited budget and accelerated schedule

Utilizing the StudioJAED VR process was essential in the design process in order to:

• Impart design knowledge and parameters to various key stakeholders quickly and efficiently
• Explore multiple design concepts in an easy-to-understand manner
• Streamline communication and save time in design updates and modifications

Impact

The State of Delaware, through the StudioJAED VR process, was able to:

• Make decisions early in the design process
• Develop better budget information
• Have greater buy-in by stakeholders
• Have a higher level of project confidence and project commitment