DESIGN MODULE C

DESIGN PRINCIPLES: INSTITUTIONAL BUILDINGS

Copyright
This is the property of Arch. Pedro Santos Jr., and may not be reused or
redistributed without the author’s consent. For questions, contact the
author at arch.pedrosantosjr@gmail.com.
The Local Government
Levels of Local Government
• Provinces
• Cities/municipalities
• Barangays
• Puroks or sitios, if applicable
Levels of Local Government
• Executives and legislatures are elected for provinces,
cities/municipalities, and barangays.
• Local governments enjoy local autonomy, and are
generally supervised by the Philippine President.
Province
• The highest-level local government
• Governed by a Governor as its
executive and the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan as its legislature.
City/Municipality
• The next level of local government,
and is usually part of a province.
• Governed by a Mayor as its
executive and the Sangguniang
Panglunsod or Sangguniang Bayan
as its legislature.
City/Municipality
• Kinds of municipal governments:
1. Independent cities (not governed by
a province)
2. Component cities
3. Component municipalities/towns
Barangay
• The smallest local government unit.
May be further subdivided into
sitios and puroks, but these
divisions do not have elected
leaders.
• Governed by the Barangay Captain
as its executive, and by the
Sangguniang Barangay as its
legislature.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities of LGUs
• Facilities and research services for agriculture and
fishery activities
• Health services, which include access to primary
health care, maternal and child care, and medicines
Responsibilities of LGUs
• Social welfare services, which include programs and
projects for women, children, elderly, and persons
with disabilities, as well as vagrants, beggars, street
children, juvenile delinquents, and victims of drug
abuse
• Information services, which include job placement
information systems and a public library
Responsibilities of LGUs
• A solid waste disposal system or environmental
management system;
• Government buildings, cultural centers, public parks,
playgrounds, and sports facilities and equipment
• Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, school
buildings, drainage, traffic signals, and road signs
Responsibilities of LGUs
• Public markets, slaughterhouses, and other local
enterprises
• Public cemetery
• Tourism facilities
• Police stations, fire stations, municipal jail
Common Offices
in the Local Government
Offices in the Local Government
• There are 21 kinds of common offices in local
governments (provincial, and city/municipal). Some
of there are required, while some are optional.
Offices in the Local Government
Office Municipal City Provincial
Secretary to the Sanggunian Required Required Required
Treasurer’s Office Required Required Required
Assessor’s Office Required Required Required
Accounting Office Required Required Required
Budget Office Required Required Required
Planning and Development Office Required Required Required
Engineer’s Office Required Required Required
Health Office Required Required Required
Office of the Civil Registry Required Required NA
Office of the Administrator Required Required Required
Offices in the Local Government
Office Municipal City Provincial
Office for Legal Services Optional Required Required
Office of Agricultural Services Optional Optional Required
Social Welfare and Dev’t Office Required Required Required
Environment and Natural Resources Office Optional Optional Optional
Office of Architectural Planning and Design Optional Optional Optional
Office of Public Information Optional Optional Optional
Office for the Dev’t of Cooperatives NA Optional Optional
Population Office Optional Optional Optional
Veterinary Office NA Required Required
Public Safety Office Optional Optional Optional
General Services Office NA Required Required
The City/Municipal Hall
The City Hall
• The chief administrative
building of a city or
municipality, usually
housing the city or
municipal council as well
as Mayor’s office.
The City Hall
• Mainly contains offices
for the executive (Mayor)
and the city or municipal
council, as well as other
required offices and
government agencies.
The City Hall
• A secondary, but not
core function, of the
City/Municipal Hall is to
serve as venues for civic
and cultural activities.
General Guidelines
General Guidelines
• Always remember that
the city hall is an office
building primarily, and
not a monument or an
ornament.
General Guidelines
• Locate the city hall where it
will be most convenient
and where land values are
reasonable.
• Ideally, it should be located
in areas already zoned for
institutional use.
General Guidelines
• Consider the departments to
be housed, the number of
offices required, the number of
employees per office, and the
amount of storage and kind of
furniture required.
General Guidelines
• Provide ample parking
for both employees and
the public.
General Guidelines
• Try to locate all
offices of
agencies and
departments
inside the city
hall.
General Guidelines
• Ensure that the offices are
comfortable and efficient.
• Provide for ample natural
light and ventilation, and
ensure that departments
that interact with each
other are located close
together.
General Guidelines
• Use finishes, materials,
and furnishings that are
reasonable in cost and
are easy to maintain.
General Guidelines
• Provide sufficient
counters for
transactions with the
public.
General Guidelines
• Do not allow to public to
come in contact with police
activities or criminal
activities.
General Guidelines
• Avoid facilities that encourage
loitering, especially in the lobby.
These may include food stalls
near seating, as well as vending
machines for snacks and
drinks.
• Smoking areas should be
located away from the lobby.
General Guidelines
• Departments requiring
constant contact with the
general public and the
collection of payment of
money (tax department
and finance departments,
for example) should as
much as possible be
located on the lower floors.
General Guidelines
• Departments related in function should be located
near each other.
• Consecutive operations should be planned
production-style.
General Guidelines
• Expensive lobbies and
hall space add to the
cost of construction
without adding usable
space.
General Guidelines
• Any government building
taller than two floors
ideally should have
elevators, especially if
there are often-accessed
offices on the topmost
floors.
General Guidelines
• Avoid locating general
offices in the
basements. Basements
should generally be used
for storage, services,
utilities, and parking.
Departmental Layouts
Departmental Layout
• Layout of departments is extremely variable and
greatly depends on the activities and workflows of
each particular department.
Departmental Layout
• A finance
department
typically requires an
open plan for
accountants/clerks,
and one or two
private offices. A
vault for records
may also be
provided, as well as
window counters
for collection.
Departmental Layout
• The public works
department, on the other
hand, may require
private offices for the
director, engineer,
inspectors, a drafting
room, a plan room, and
conference rooms.
Private Offices
Private Offices
• The requirement for
greater space and higher
construction cost
requires a selective
approach
• Typically provided for
executive positions and
department heads.
Private Offices
• Pros:
1. Transactions of a confidential
nature can be made more easily
(alternative for open plans:
general purpose conference
rooms)
2. Affords privacy and better
concentration especially for jobs
of an independent nature
• Cons:
1. More expensive, requires more
space
2. More complicated ventilation
and HVAC
3. Supervision and coordination of
work as well as communication
are impaired
4. An open, well-arranged office
often has a more business-like
appearance
The Mayor’s Office
The Mayor’s Office
• The location is important
for good public relations
• It should give the
impression of being
accessible and open to
any caller, yet should not
be too prominent so as to
invite curious intruders
The Mayor’s Office
• The second floor is often a good
location since while accessible
enough, some effort must still be
expended to visit it
• If located on the ground floor, the
layout must allow for visitors to be
screened (provide one or two
intervening areas)
The Mayor’s Office
• A conference room for at least 12
people should be provided for
meetings of the city council or the
department heads
The Finance Department
The Finance Department
• With the exception of perhaps the police department,
the finance department typically has more contact
with the public than any other department, due to
their collection activities.
• This means that a prominent location on the ground
floor, typically in front, is practical.
The Finance Department
• Avoid cubbyholes for separate functions and provide
a large work area to improve the workflow and to
give the appearance of an efficient and well-planned
layout.
The Finance Department
• Collection functions should be located closer to the
public counter while accounting, purchasing, and
budgeting may be located farther away.
• These activities should be so grouped that the
supervisor can observe the work of all his
employees.
The Finance Department
• A vault for record safekeeping of records should be
provided unless a space is provided nearby by the
City Clerk’s office.
The Police Department
The Police Department
• The police department
has to be discussed
separately because it
requires special
facilities that ordinary
offices do not.
The Police Department
• Police departments are often
not included in the city hall, but
when they are, they must be
separate from all other city hall
activities.
• Criminal activities should
always be segregated away
from public activities.
The Police Department
• If jail cells will be provided, they
should be located away from
public areas.
• Additionally, prisoner retention
automatically requires toilet and
kitchen facilities.
• Men and women should also be
kept/jailed separately.
The Police Department
• If jail cells will not be provided, the provision of at
least a retention room with toilet facilities is still
recommended.
The Police Department
• Fingerprinting, photographic, identification, and
booking areas should be located together, although
not necessarily in the same room.
• There should be sufficient storage for firearms
(locked cabinets) and confiscated/lost/abandoned
articles.
The Police Department
• For large prisoners, an
interrogation room
should be provided, as
well as rooms for use of
attorneys and prisoners,
for facilities that house
prisoners.
Sample Offices/Departments
Pasig City Hall (8 Levels)
Level 1
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• None • Education/Central Printing
Office
• Pasig City Employees
Cooperative
• Payroll Section
• Public Office and Safety Unit
Level 2
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• None • Business Permit Licensing
Office
• Community Tax Certificate
• Cashier
• Idle Land Unit
• Real Property tax
• Treasurer’s Office
Level 3
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• Commission on Audit • City Accountant
• NSO • City Assessor
• Register of Deeds • Business Permit and
Licensing
• Local Civil Registry
• Management Info Systems
Office
Level 4
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• None • Human Resource Records
• Claims and Benefits Section
• Baranggay Computer
Literacy Program
• Office of the Building Official
• City Records office
• CENRO
• General Services Office
• Senior Citizen’s Office
Level 5
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• COMELEC • City Health Department
• X-Ray Section
• Drug Testing
• Sanitation Office
• Land Inventory
• Legal Department
Level 6
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• None • City Engineer’s Office
• Engineering Department
• Architectural Office
• Structural Section
• Survey Section
• Water Management
• Flood Control Office
• Drainage Maintenance
Level 7
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• None • Vice Mayor’s office
• Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Sanggunian Secretariat
Level 8
• National Offices • Local Government Offices
• DILG • Mayor’s Office
• People’s Law Enforcement • Executive Assistant’s Office
Board • City Administrator’s Office
• Budget Office
• Solid Waste Management
Office
• Internal Audit Service Unit
• Cooperative Development
Office
Others (Located Outside the City Hall)
• National Offices
• BIR
• Criminal Investigation and
Detention Group (CIDG)
• Fire Department
• PNP
• Post Office
• Public Attorney’s Office
Sample Floor Plans
Beaverton City Hall (Washington County, Oregon)
Sample Floor Plans
Bacoor City Hall