As part of a City Services Restructuring Plan, the city of Lima made a decision to reorganize and consolidate the multiple functions and facilities of the city utilities department into one consolidated service building. Their goal was to achieve cost and service improvements through the elimination of duplicate vehicles, equipment, and multiple tasks by bringing all functions onto one common site.

ARCADIS was asked to evaluate the city's consolidation plan and to design a new building that would successfully accommodate the multiple functions of the new utilities department. ARCADIS team members spent considerable time meeting with key representatives of the city utilities department to identify the needs of the department and to establish areas for improvement to departmental efficiency and effectiveness. The key operational areas established through these meetings included vehicle and equipment storage, vehicle maintenance, vehicle washing, workshops, locker areas, lunch/conference areas, and administrative offices.

The project was made challenging by a limited site that was small, located in a residential neighborhood, and included unmovable underground utilities. Traffic circulation and outdoor storage also provide challenges.

The resulting project plan included two separate but adjacent buildings, one an existing on-site structure and the second a new structure. The city operations were located into each building based on their function. Field operations and administration were located in the new, larger building, while "in-house" operations, including vehicle maintenance and meter testing were located in the existing renovated building.

The new building was designed to be attractive, yet fit well into the residential character of the neighborhood. Construction materials were selected as primarily "off-the-shelf" items so as to maintain project costs within the limited project budget.