Photo credit: John Haigwood Key Takeaways:
Most American cities inherit their civic identity. Their city halls, town squares and government facilities are often decades or even centuries old and serve as physical reminders of generations of growth and community investment. But for Brookhaven, Georgia, one of America’s newest municipalities outside of Atlanta, there was nothing to inherit.
When Brookhaven incorporated in 2012, city government operated out of leased offices furnished with donated furniture, public services were built from the ground up, parks were gradually transferred from county control, and the police department began with one officer — the chief himself.
Just over a decade later, Brookhaven has unveiled a very different vision of itself.
“We wanted a permanent, city-owned landmark that would be a center of activity in Brookhaven for generations to come, something that was immediately recognizable so people would see it and know they were in Brookhaven” says Greg Klima, director of facility services for the city of Brookhaven.
Opened in August 2025, the new Brookhaven City Centre is more than a city hall. The $80 million development serves as the city’s civic living room and houses government operations while also creating a destination for residents, nonprofit organizations, businesses and visitors.
From the beginning, city officials envisioned Brookhaven City Centre as far more than a workplace for municipal employees. They wanted a facility that would strengthen connections between residents and local government, creating a space where people want to gather rather than simply visit when they needed a permit or service.
“Roughly 60 percent of the facility is dedicated to public space,” Klima says. “If you want it to be a hub where the chamber of commerce can meet, where people can come for events and educational opportunities, then you have to build those spaces.”
The building includes 11 reservable meeting rooms, flexible event space, a public council chamber with adjacent viewing rooms, dedicated mother’s rooms, meditation rooms, a soundproof studio and a coffee shop open to the public.
The city hired Klima in 2022 to establish a facilities department and provide operational expertise during the design process.
“Very early in the planning phase, my team and I were involved,” Klima says. “We met with architects and designers. We looked at mock-ups. There were a lot of people who had input, but our voice was certainly listened to.”
Klima’s team now consists of approximately 20 employees responsible for maintaining all of the city’s facilities, parks and grounds.
The team’s early involvement allowed them to advocate for decisions that would affect the building’s long-term performance. They pushed for infrastructure to support future electric vehicle (EV) charging, evaluated vibration concerns related to the adjacent rail line and reviewed building systems from a serviceability angle, among other duties.
Sustainability guided many of the project’s most significant features.
“We wanted to set a standard,” Klima says. “We’re supposed to be enforcing these things as a new city, not saying we’re exempt from the rules. We wanted to go above and beyond those minimums for other businesses to follow.”
The most visible example is the building’s mass timber structure that contains engineered wood panels and beams instead of traditional steel and concrete. As Georgia’s first municipal mass timber building, the Brookhaven City Centre features exposed wood throughout its upper levels and incorporates approximately 46,000 square feet of engineered timber. Klima says the structure stores roughly 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide, making the building part of Brookhaven’s carbon reduction strategy and the largest to register with Georgia’s Carbon Tax Credit, a financial incentive for landowners to help protect Georgia’s natural resources.
But the facility’s sustainability extends well beyond its structure. The facility was designed to achieve LEED Gold and WELL Building Gold certifications, two frameworks that approach sustainability from different perspectives.
“LEED is all about the building,” Klima says. “LEED focuses on the carbon in the mass timber, the reusable water, basically the environmental impact. WELL is all about the employee or customer experience of anybody walking in the door.”
The design team intentionally pursued both standards simultaneously, creating opportunities where building performance and occupant wellness could complement one another.
Regarding LEED, the facility incorporates a range of environmentally focused features, including all-LED lighting, EV charging infrastructure and a 15,000-gallon underground cistern that captures stormwater runoff and stores it for irrigating the rooftop terrace and surrounding landscapes.
WELL principles also shaped the building’s interior atmosphere. Natural light, open sightlines and carefully selected finishes help create a calmer, more inviting environment. The design team also paid close attention to wayfinding and accessibility, aiming to create an intuitive layout that makes navigating the building straightforward for first-time visitors and including low-sensory, private spaces for children and adults that cater to a wide range of needs.
WELL principles also shaped less visible building systems. Indoor air quality is continuously monitored to track moisture levels and thermal comfort. Carbon monoxide sensors and demand-controlled ventilation systems run throughout the parking structure to maintain healthy air conditions. A network of eight exhaust fans can purge the building’s air in less than 30 seconds, supporting both fire safety and emergency response.
Location also played a critical role in the project’s success. Situated directly adjacent to a MARTA rail station on one of metro Atlanta’s most prominent lines, the Brookhaven City Centre was intentionally sited to maximize accessibility and visibility.
“When I go to meetings downtown, I can walk down the sidewalk and jump on the train,” Klima says. “I love that people can get right off the train and walk directly into the City Centre.”
For a city of roughly 60,000 residents, direct rail access to downtown Atlanta — a home to more than 530,000 people — creates a slew of opportunities. The transit connection places Brookhaven within easy reach to one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas, reinforcing the city’s vision of becoming a regional destination.
For Brookhaven officials, the facility represents more than a new government building. It is a statement about how far the city has come in a little more than a decade and a signal of where it hopes to go.
“Brookhaven is a young city, but we’re building something meant to last,” Klima says.
Elaina Myers is the assistant editor of the facilities market. She has covered various topics from pest management to resilience to sustainability and is the beat writer for special days. She also runs the FacilitiesNet social media accounts. Elaina is an avid cat lover and world traveler.
