so the guy wants low cost, low maintenance public buildings. he should be celebrated. if someone wants a hugely expensive taj mahal. let them build it with their own monies. as for public funds, they need to be spent wisely, for public purposes, not for self aggrandizement.
Economic design and Functional design may be applied more effectively than ruling the architecture must be a shoe box.
More stupidly, he is ruling that design professionals aren’t to be used to design buildings. He prefers a franchise styled, one-design-fits-all solution without any site adaptation.
Just use the nearest prison for design inspiration. Thats what all our newer high schools look like here.....prisons.