The Shields Company office building located along Route 3 in Westtown Township posed several unique engineering challenges.  A substantial natural slope made the site difficult to accommodate the building, and the parcel was not quite large enough to fit the required square footage that Shields Construction needed.   D.L. Howell developed a plan where the building was stepped into the existing grade.  The underground lower level was utilized for parking.  By using the existing slope to our advantage, D.L. Howell was able to minimize the amount of grading and achieve the square footage of office space that Shields Construction needed.   The two story office building site was 4.63 acres with a total of 45,00 square feet. Parking was provided at a rate of 5 spaces per 1000 square feet of office space.