It has been some time since I first looked at the plans for the proposed replacement Okaloosa County courthouse – the one that will eventually sit in the county seat, albeit that most county functions are located elsewhere. At first I admired the architect’s rendition of the antebellum design, but the more that I thought about it the more I decided that perhaps there is a better and cheaper way to accomplish the mission!
What I have deduced from taking another look at the design is that the center portion of the structure will consist of three floors, while the distant parts of the building will have only two. I can understand that the designer of the building was looking for balance and symmetry, and with little concern for overall cost.
With the design as is, it calls for an expansive “foot print,” i.e., basement and/or slab to extend from the farthest portion on one end to the farthest portion on the other. Similarly, the entire building will be covered by roofing material extending the same distance and square footage of the entire structure.
Now, basements and/or slabs cost money, as does roofing material. Furthermore, the pumping out of heat and/or cooling to distant offices, or for whatever the far off places will be used, will have a considerable cost.
I do not care in what direction the building will face. What concerns me is the announced overall expense and how the cost can be reduced.
I am not an architect, and perhaps I do not have all the answers, but I am reasonably certain that a reduced “foot print” and a roof covering approximately 40% less area than the original plan will cost significantly less.
How do we accomplish this?
Instead of a center section of three stories, why not build a five story building? By doing this it is suggested that functions originally planned for the outer wings can be relocated to the two added floors.
Somebody will say that this modification will require folks to climb too many stairs. This is not true. The only modification will require the already-planned elevator to stop at all five floors.
Another will claim that a building of such height will be a hazard to aviation. Again, this is not true. Or, a claim that such a building will be subject to major damage in the event of a hurricane. With the improved construction practices and better materials, there is little merit to this argument.
Currently, there is concern about the lack of parking space. With the reduced “foot print” will come considerably more area for a multitude of parking spaces.
In summary, it is my opinion that a building with approximately the same square footage can be built on less ground and at a significant savings to the taxpayer.
Bob Allen is a Crestview resident and former city councilman.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ALLEN: The proposed courthouse – my opinion