Second Tower of State of California Office Complex Opens After 4-year Renovation

Sept. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- State of California employees will soon be relocating into Office Building 9, the second of two 310,000 SF twin towers owned by the State Department of General Services (DGS) which have been involved in a four year renovation make-over. Located at 744 P Street and occupying a full city block in downtown Sacramento, the overall project, designed by HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA), is part of the State’s Excellence in Public Building program which includes an emphasis on sustainable architectural design. HGA’s design is targeted to achieve a Silver LEED rating (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) through the United States Green Building Council.

"These towers, intended to house approximately 1,700 employees, have been a Sacramento icon since the ’60’s, making it critical that our design visually reinforce rather than splinter the original architectural style of the complex,” said Greg Bucher, AIA, LEED AP, HGA project manager. “Additionally, we were able to incorporate a considerable list of ‘green’ elements into both the new facility and office tower renovation, underscoring the State’s emphasis on sustainable design efforts. This marks the second and final phase of a major milestone in one of Sacramento’s initiatives to go “green.”

Originally completed in 1969, the two 20-story towers were, at the time, the tallest and largest office buildings in Sacramento. Today, the existing structures continue to be integral to the city’s skyline. The newly remodeled plaza and the two-story 7,800 SF lobby now link the two towers together providing a single, secure point of entry as well as a new focal point for the complex. The overall cost for the entire project was $157 million.

Office Building 8, first to be renovated and completed in 2008, housing the State of California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and a new child care facility, has already demonstrated the impact of designing green: reports indicate approximately 20% less energy use and 40% less water use, with almost 100% reuse of the existing building structure and exterior skin. Additional outside ‘green’ space was also provided through the plaza renovations, including private play areas for the child care program within the hardscape areas.

For improved energy efficiency in both Office Buildings 8 and 9, old electrical and plumbing systems were removed and replaced, along with new mechanical air distribution systems, incorporating automatic state-of-the-art controls. The towers have been seismically reinforced through upgrades of the existing steel and concrete structure and the addition of large liquid-filled dampers that act as shock absorbers for the framework of the towers.  Building materials high in recycled-content and renewable resources, low or altogether free of VOC and other harmful products, like carpet, paint, wood doors and cabinets, were also used in the upgrades to achieve both cost effectiveness and sustainability.

Office Building 9 will feature a new kitchen and cafeteria, a new fitness room along with locker and indoor bike storage facility, and a new 300-person capacity auditorium and other large meeting spaces.

HGA's project team includes Steve Fiskum, Principal, Greg Bucher, Project Manager, Angela Falla, Technical Support, Doris Rolfshus and Laurie Rother, Interior Design, and Joe Tarlizzo, Cost Estimating and LEED Coordinator.  S.J. Amoroso Construction served as the General Contractor.

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About HGA
HGA is an integrated architecture, engineering and planning firm that helps prepare its clients for the future. With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, California, Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the nationally recognized firm has developed expertise in the healthcare, corporate, arts, community, higher education, and science/technology industries since 1953. HGA’s culture for interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing and design investiga¬tion enables its clients to achieve success with responsive, innovative and sustainable design. Visit www.hga.com