The complex will be located at the corner of Virginia and Main streets on the east side of McKinney.
The architects presented floor plans for the new Council Chambers within the building, as well as the various city departments housed in the facility.
The design team presented the following six guiding principles for the project:
1. Community space: a building and plaza that draws people in and serves the community
2. Transparent building: welcoming and inclusive to all; not institutional; flexible, and resource-efficient
3. Great place to work: accommodates a wide mix of indoor and outdoor spaces while encouraging a collaborative culture; great views out, and great daylight within
4. Landmark building: civic, timeless, expressive of the “Unique by Nature” spirit
5. Leverage and celebrate the history and surrounding community in a meaningful way
6. Adapt gracefully to growth and change
Designs showed plans to incorporate the historic McKinney ice house into the new municipal complex, as well as complement the silos at the flour mill across Virginia Street.
Plans for a large plaza and grassy amphitheater that could serve as a place for outdoor gatherings and performances were also included in the design.
“We intend to create not just a City Hall, but a community gathering space the entire community will embrace,” said Barry Shelton, McKinney’s assistant city manager who is part of the city’s design steering committee, in a news release. “That means we design to the context of this unique historical district and celebrate it in the area around the building.”
Some of the features included in the concept design featured a roof terrace and a roof deck, a future cafe, a grand staircase and an outdoor breezeway. Jonathan Smith, an associate partner with Lake | Flato + Parkhill, said one goal of the design is to bring in more daylight.
“The idea is to have this thing be really effectively daylit,” he said. “Many of the other city halls that we toured were just really kind of dank and sad and didn't have that great daylight. It is really nice to work in a well-daylit space. So trying to make sure that we really tune the daylight and give you all a really awesome workplace.”
A timeline for the new municipal complex has not been determined yet. A link to the presentation will be posted on the East McKinney page in the next few days.
