Parterre Creates Homey Atmosphere for Ga. Dept. of Human Services

The Georgia Department of Human Services opened its newest office in Gwinnett County in August 2017. The 100,000 square-foot facility, which is situated in Lawrenceville, Ga., houses 400 employees and provides child and family-oriented programs—among other services—to over 120,000 families in the county. Because it is a government agency, DHS officials were required to publicly bid the project. Winning the project after answering a Request for Qualifications and a successful interview process was CGLS Architects, a full-service, mid-sized architectural firm located in Atlanta.

The design firm was entering new territory when it won the bid to design the new government building, having traditionally specialized in academic, religious, and hospitality projects. Frankie Ware, an interior designer at CGLS for the past 15 years, said her design firm was tasked with carefully designing a government facility that handles a variety of emotionally-charged and highly-sensitive situations related to family and child custody issues. The government agency also experiences a high employee turnover rate, so the new facility would need to be designed in such a way that was inviting and gave off a home-like feel.