DART Design provides creative and economical architectural solutions to clients across the state of Illinois. Owner and President Stephen May brings a personal touch and his extensive experience to every step of their projects. He enjoys working closely with clients to develop new solutions for building and improving their facilities.

“I like doing large projects, and at the same time I like small projects that you can get a lot more personal with clients, working with them directly,” he said. “And I work directly with clients in all the projects that come through our office, so there’s consistency for them.”

Their projects are intended to support their community for years to come, and bring clients back to DART when they need further work. DART specializes in finding alternative solutions to meet the aesthetic, functional and budgetary needs specific to each project.

“In meeting with clients and discussing their projects with them, you come up with ideas they haven’t thought about, and light bulbs start popping. It’s fun to see,” May said.

One project that DART is especially proud of is the Lake Egypt fire station, which has received enthusiastic reviews from locals. The rapidly growing district needed a larger facility to accommodate their current and projected growth. The new facility is comprised of 7,200 sq. ft. of administration and living quarters, and 6,800 sq. ft. of garage area. It features tilt-up concrete panel construction on the exterior walls, making the structure safer and more durable. The new fire station also has backup generators in case of power outages.

“Being a fire station, it has to be very stable facility, so when there’s a disaster that causes interruption in the community, the fire station will still be operational,” said May.

The new facility enables faster emergency response because it has twice the amount of living space for more full-time firefighters. The expanded garage and concrete parking lot allow emergency vehicles to maneuver more easily and quickly. There is also more office, storage and recreation space, making the fire station a more comfortable place to work and live. Its benefits extend to the entire community: property insurance costs for the district have dropped because of the fire station’s improved services.

DART stands for Distinctive Architecture Reflecting the Times, a fitting name for May’s philosophy of balancing budget and aesthetics to adapt to any project.

“One of the hardest things to do in architecture is providing a functional, aesthetically pleasing facility at a low cost,” May said. “It’s a matter of utilizing the right construction for the time period and for the location.”

DART has also built a reputation in the area for the high quality of their services for schools. Using his previous experience with constructing and renovating schools, May can come up with designs to help accommodate schools’ growth. DART also provides safety inspection services. Most of DART’s current school projects involve renovations and repairs to existing facilities because the economy makes new construction more difficult. But May says that school construction is a growing market.

“I see a good future in that direction. Whether it’s new facilities construction, renovation and repairs, or inspection, there are lots of things that have to be done for schools,” he said.

They also complete renovation projects for healthcare facilities in the area. DART provided interior renovations for the Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Illinois. Their services included renovations to doctors’ offices, laboratory renovations, and expansion and relocation of existing facilities for physical therapy and cardiology. They modified existing spaces to work with new medical equipment and expanded healthcare services.

May’s experience working on public sector projects and healthcare gives him insight in to the complex process of financing and approval for those projects, and he stays personally involved throughout each phase.

“We do everything from helping a client pick out a piece of property all the way to turning the key on the door, and everything in between,” he said.

Several recent projects have been design build construction, and they look forward to doing more. The architecture industry has come full circle in recent years to return to the older design build method, says May.

“It’s a great avenue because you’ve got a team between the contractor, the architect and the owner,” he said. “Everybody has an idea of what the end product needs to be and how everybody needs to put it together.”

May has been able to establish connections with clients and developers in the area, and plans to continue to enlarge the firm in the coming years. Clients return because they appreciate the hands-on and complete service from the small company.

“We strive to keep our clients and move forward with them,” said May. “You develop a good relationship with them and things flow well.” CLT

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