Building Requirements and Considerations
Building Orientation
Orientation is how the building is situated on the lot as well as its
relationship to the surrounding neighborhood.
The orientation of a VA Regional Office building should have:
A main entrance facing and/or visible from major highway access
A maintenance/service areas located away from main entrance
Building
This term refers to the actual structure that houses the regional office and
covers both exterior and interior aspects of the building.
In order to facilitate an efficient and effective VA Regional Office layout, a
proposed building SHOULD minimally meet the following standards:
Support a horizontal versus vertical work flow
Rectangular (avoid long, narrow buildings) with no wings and a
minimum number of floors
The minimum building footprint must support the smallest usable
Adjudication Division or claims processing division layout
Large, open bays to accommodate systems furniture
Optimal column spacing no less than 30' o.c. Column spacing less
than 30' will impact efficiency
Support modern ADP cabling, telephone and electrical
requirements
Above grade floor(s) that support 125 lb live load for file bank (Live
load requirement is requested in all areas where files may be
stored.)
Project a professional image through structure, design, and
Provide easy access to public areas
Provide separation between public and non-public areas
Loading dock contiguous or with direct access through common
area to VBA space
Freight elevator in multi-story buildings
Clear and comprehensible signage
Automatic glass entrance doors, sliding preferred
Page 1-9
VBA Design Guide
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