PROJECT Caltrans District 3 Headquarters L O C AT I O N Marysville, CA
The State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 3 Headquarters is located in downtown Marysville, California - 40 miles north of Sacramento. The commission for the 230,000 SF design-build project, garnered in a competition by a partnership between Turner Construction and AC Martin, features loft-like open offices with high ceilings and natural lighting. The facility houses 758 Caltrans employees and will include a 200-seat auditorium, public service counters, teleconferencing facilities, a childcare center, and a European-style cafeteria with outdoor tables and canvas awnings unusual for a state building.
The genesis of the design stems from basic ideas articulated by Caltrans and the Marysville community. Caltrans desired a healthy building filled with light and air while simultaneously cultivating a collaborative environment within and between all departments.
Informed by these guidelines the
building is aligned to take advantage of its east-west long axis ensuring that every work space is within 37 feet of natural light. Additionally, a four-story interior “canyon” is bathed in controlled natural light from south facing clerestory windows. This grand space provides increased air circulation and allows for sight lines between all floors of the building and between interior and exterior spaces. These design features, among others, are guiding the building towards a minimum of LEED Silver certification by the US Green Building Council.
The HVAC system will feature a night purge of fresh air that, during the summer months, will cool the interiors of the concrete structure. The electric lighting will be controlled by occupancy sensors and dimmers at perimeter zones adjacent to the building’s exterior which features clear, high-performance glass, further reducing heat gain/loss. Other sustainable design strategies include: access to public transit, building massing, building orientation, reduced water consumption, use of “right” materials, recycling construction waste, and acoustical control.
“The Canyon”
Front Entrance
Main Entrance Lobby
Main Lobby Fountain
Main Entrance Lobby
The Rubicon Conference Room
“The Canyon”
“The Canyon”
Work Space
Cafe
ENGINEERING THE STRUCTURE Turner Construction and AC Martin Partners have designed and delivered a new regional headquarters building for Caltrans District 3 in Marysville using a hybrid precast concrete moment frame and flooring system that was fabricated locally by Clark Pacific. The building’s architectural precast cladding is integral to the innovative structure which incorporates the latest seismic technology; deemed by leading California structural engineers to be the best performing lateral resistance system available today. The composite system offers the speed of steel erection, environmental efficiencies of concrete and unique ability to “self-right” with little or no significant damage to the major structural components following an earthquake, thus enabling re-occupancy almost immediately. While this feature exceeds the State’s contractual requirements, it is inherent to the precast hybrid frame at no additional cost to the State.
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS The building’s environmental systems have been designed to satisfy the State’s high standards for both traditional and open office space wherein employee performance is directly enhanced by air distribution and temperature controls. Approximately 80% of the workspace is open office, connected both physically and visually though the building’s four-story “canyon.” HVAC systems, enhanced by the building’s concrete thermal mass, provide zone controls at all levels in each of the four vertical building quadrants surrounding the canyon, all without compromising the open interior space.
DAYLIGHT HARVESTING Highly
reflective
light
louvers
are
incorporated to reflect light off the ceiling of the Canyon to the floor activities. The paint color of the ceiling was carefully selected to enhance the reflected light temperature to provide a warm work environment. Photo sensors and fluorescent lighting controls automatically reduce artificial lighting in response to ambient outdoor lighting.
INDOOR AIR QUALITY This project was designed in accordance with ASHRAE 62-199 “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality”. The building is regularly purged with fresh air.
CALTRANS DISTRTICT Client: Size: Completion: Location:
Key Points:
3
headquarters
California Department of Transportation 211,000 GSF 2009 Marysville, CA
• New Headquarters for Caltrans District 3; • 758 Employees, 200 seat Auditorium, Childcare;
• To create a canyon with vines and blocks of space as a metaphor for the natural landscape; • A portion of Caltrans’ existing historic building has been preserved;
• Design-Build - “Tinker-toy” elements - kit of parts;
• minimum LEED® Silver rating.