Building Requirements and Considerations
Preferential building requirements include the following:
Contains all public areas on one floor, optimally, the first
Public Areas
These are areas within the regional office that the public has access to
including waiting areas, eating facilities, hearing rooms, agent cashier's
office, interview rooms, etc.
The public areas in a VA Regional Office should meet the following criteria:
Easily recognized and accessed from main entrance
Waiting areas well defined and appropriately sized
Pleasant atmosphere
Well furnished
Accommodate handicapped individuals
Combine waiting rooms of VSD and VR&C when building permits
Interview stations should provide conversational and visual privacy
for veteran without sacrificing employee security
Hearing Room, VR&C testing room, and Counseling Psychologists'
offices have ceiling high partitions and an increased sound
transmission coefficient (STC)
Group Veterans Service Organizations as a separate unit within the
public area. Where layout permits, provide a common waiting area
for Veterans Service Organizations
Glass doors for division entrances
Security
Security and disaster prevention is a major concern in the design or selection
of a building. Aspects to consider are:
Avoid buildings with parking under or adjacent to the building
Walkways, parking facilities, and entrances are well lit
Exterior is free of large and/or dense shrubbery close to building
Adequate distance from roadways/parking to building
Entrance clearly visible
VBA Design Guide
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