When a Christmas Eve fire destroyed the Town of Irondequoit’s Department of Public Works facility in 2016, the loss reached well beyond a single building. It interrupted the daily operations and emergency response capacity that residents rely on year-round. Our team was selected to lead architectural and engineering design for the full reconstruction, with a clear charge: restore that capacity quickly while building something more efficient, more resilient, and better suited to its neighborhood than what came before.
Built For Work, Ready for Emergencies 
Sited on a 12-acre parcel, the new complex was designed around how a public works department actually functions. A 10,750-square-foot administration building houses offices, crew facilities, a conference room, plan room, storage, a lunchroom, and an emergency operations center ready when the town needs it most. A 48,450-square-foot structure brings the highway garage, wood shop, metal shop, and welding shop under one roof. A separate 15,000-square-foot vehicle maintenance facility features double-bay, pull-through access, giving crews flexible two-sided entry that accommodates longer municipal vehicles and keeps circulation moving.
Efficiency & Good-Neighbor Design
Sustainability and community responsiveness shaped the project from the start. More than 170 photovoltaic panels on the south-facing roof offset energy use, trimming building consumption by roughly 78 kW annually. Exterior lighting was specified for dark-sky compliance, supporting safety while minimizing spillover into the surrounding residential area. Automated controls reduce lighting overnight, when the facility sits quiet. The result is a working public works campus that serves the town efficiently and respects the neighbors who live alongside it.