New Visions for Sacramento's River District

Summary:

The CA Department of General Services (DGS) announces the selection of design-build team Hensel Phelps and ZGF in partnership with Dreyfuss + Blackford for the 1,250,000 square foot Richards Boulevard Office Complex (RBOC).

The multifaceted and highly sustainable design solution proposed by Hensel Phelps and ZGF in partnership with Dreyfuss + Blackford sets a precedent for the River District, an area of Sacramento transitioning from its industrial past to an eclectic and desirable neighborhood with close ties to the downtown core. The project’s comprehensive program responds to the day-one needs of its estimated 4,650 occupants while also thoughtfully setting the stage for future development.

The RBOC features four high performance, collaborative and interconnected office buildings, a rich amenities program calibrated for the needs of building occupants on day one and beyond, and a unique landscaping program. Together, these serve as the project’s connective tissue, each enhancing and supporting connection between occupants, buildings, and the evolving urban fabric of the neighborhood beyond. Featuring an integrated approach to sustainability and with an eye on triple-bottom-line value, the project will exceed Title 24 by more than 15% and achieve the lowest practicable EUI. The project is being designed to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) and zero net carbon (ZNC) for the entire site through State-purchased carbon free green power.

The individual design of each tower conveys the significance of the civic functions housed within, while authentically reflecting the River District’s eclectic industrial character through the choice of materials including timber and metal. The site’s landscaping offers shade trees aligned to reinforce pedestrian circulation and wayfinding. A central public open space, the Town Square, and landscaped walkways at ground level tie together the podium and four towers into a coherent and inter-connected user experience. The towers are further connected by a three-story bridge between the two north towers, and a second level timber bridge across the Town Square, which forms a weather-protected link between the east and west of the campus. Amenity spaces are integrated into the podium, which is bisected by the Green Pathway, the central circulation spine that connects one end of the site to the other.

The RBOC is first and foremost a workplace environment and as such workplace design was a critical success factor for the client. The project’s workplace solutions are benchmarked against best in class research and metrics representing extensive user prototyping and ‘day-in-the-life’ scenario testing to ensure workplace solutions encompass the broadest range possible of users’ needs. The resulting designs energize and activate the workforce, and thoughtfully organized floor plates offer a range of efficient, secure, and infinitely flexible and adaptable spaces that will meet the evolving workforce needs.

Construction on the Richards Boulevard Office Complex is anticipated to begin in Fall 2020 and complete in March 2024.