Project Description
Located east of Salisbury, Maryland, the Choptank Electric Cooperative – Regional Service Center (RSC) was designed in an effort to help the utility company consolidate several area service centers into a singular entity. The selected site was originally unincorporated, but with the assistance of Davis, Bowen & Friedel, Inc. (DBF), the RSC was incorporated into the City of Salisbury upon construction completion.
The site is comprised of approximately twenty-six acres, and was master-planned to accommodate two pad sites for future development and future growth. DBF provided comprehensive design services for the new 60,000 SF RSC. The project consisted of the design for a 12,000 SF administrative office and 48,000 SF maintenance/service garage. The RSC is designed to serve as an emergency planning/response facility in the event of severe weather and outages.
The design of the building was to convey a modern, fresh appearance; informal and inviting in many respects. The single-story office building needed to work with a somewhat typical pre-engineered warehouse and, in order to balance the scale of the two entities, the roof was elevated at the entrance to match the warehouse height and to direct visitors to the front doors. Brick, metal and aluminum storefront were chosen as the materials of choice. The repetitive stainless steel clad roof supports were intended to serve as a symbolic reference to electric transmission, the hallmark of the Cooperative. The project costs came within budget and construction was completed in 2016.
In an effort to demonstrate to their members their commitment to sustainability, it was the client’s directive that all aspects of the project, including the site, be designed in accordance with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Rating System for new construction and major renovations. The LEED Certified Silver building powers itself primarily from an on-site solar array. Natural daylighting, recycled products and employee control of workspace comfort were all techniques utilized throughout.