Jewel Of The Bay

The San Diego County administrative center, dedicated by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, has finally lived up to the vision of several master plans.

Thirteen low-scale architectural electric-utility bollards were installed at strategic locations in the park. They are equipped with multiple electrical convenience outlets, which provide auxiliary power outlets for events.

Jewel Of The Bay Historic San Diego County administrative building finally looks out on new 12-acre public waterfront park.

The San Diego County Administration Center, dedicated by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, has finally lived up to the vision of the original 1908 blueprint and subsequent master plans.

Landscape architects were able to triple the size of the public grounds by replacing two long-standing surface parking lots with one underground parking structure, compatible with the new design of the larger site. With open space greatly expanded, plazas, promenades, civic greens, themed gardens, and children’s play areas were incorporated into a new master plan. An interactive, colorfully illuminated day/night fountain is a focal point of the park. New architecturally designed indirect lighting was added to unobtrusively enhance walkways and pedestrian gathering areas throughout the grounds.

Seventy pole-mounted luminaires enhance evening experiences for visitors with softly diffused illumination, without becoming focal points themselves. Long-life ceramic metal-halide lamps deliver glare-free indirect lighting with a pleasant, warm color temperature and CRI. These luminaires line granite walkways along the fountains, as well as along meandering trails throughout the park. They link the children’s play areas, themed formal gardens, and picnic areas.

Designed with the community in mind, layout of this $50-million, 12-acre park was configured to accommodate activ

Architecturally designed indirect lighting was added to unobtrusively enhance walkways and pedestrian gathering areas.

Left. With open space greatly expanded, plazas, promenades, civic greens, themed gardens, and children’s play areas were incorporated into a new master plan.

ities and events such as farmer’s markets, outdoor weddings, and public festivals. To that end, thirteen lowscale architectural electric utility bollards were installed at strategic locations in the park. They are equipped with multiple electrical convenience outlets, which provide auxiliary power outlets for events.

An old adage reminds us that everything comes to he who waits. It couldn’t be more true than in the case of the San Diego County Administration Center. CA

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History Of The County Administration Center

In 1908, the site for a county administrative center was literally under water, requiring substantial dredging and land fi lling. By the time those funds were acquired to fi nance that work, it was 1914, and the country was shifting budgets and work priorities to a war footing.

By 1920, the war over for two years, the city planner restated the same need for a civic center in growing San Diego County. A resolution was passed supporting the idea. That same former tidal site between the Pacifi c Coast Highway and Harbor Drive was re-proposed. It should become, the planner wrote, “. . . the cornerstone for public buildings along the San Diego waterfront.”

The county administrative center was also to serve as a western anchor point for a grand promenade. It would link San Diego Bay with the 1,200-acre urban-cultural Balboa Park, and San Diego Zoo, a mile and half east. A project-design team was put together. But when the Great Depression began in 1929, the county administrative center, already long delayed, was again postponed. Indefi nitely.

In 1935, a new project-design team was put together with San Diego architect Samuel Hamill to lead it. The CAC building was designed, a unique combination of Spanish Renaissance and Modernist architecture. Two enclosed formal gardens were to be designed and located just east and just west of the building. But those gardens were never constructed, nor were two other proposed buildings and other formal gardens. Instead, surface parking lots were eventually constructed on the sites planned for those fi rst formal gardens.

In 1938, however, a landscape architect was hired to complement the CAC building with a symmetrical path and walkway system and to incorporate planting beds suited to San Diego’s unique climate. A range of trees and low plantings between the wings of the County building had a paved terrace and one type of palm tree. Concurrently, another variety of palm and an open expanse of lawn, were created west of the CAC.

Fast-forward to 1998, when yet another master plan was proposed. Named the Visionary Plan, it favored creation of open park space, minus plans for combination development.

Pendant lighting Hoops LED ceiling and pendant lights include six models providing direct downlight and indirect uplight with interchangeable hoop-like shapes and sizes. Metal housings are fi nished in 24 K gold. All models are dimmable.

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Flex channels

Flex channels:

For DL-Flex LED lighting systems Wide range of mounting, lens, and clip options. 6- and 6 1/2-ft. lengths

A collection of mounting channels and lenses for the company’s DL-Flex LED lighting strip systems provide inconspicuous mounting. Four channel categories include rough-in, medium-depth pro le, small-depth pro le, and basic. A wide range of channel mounting, lens, and clip options are available. Features include rough-in for walls and ceilings, surface mounting, 45-deg. mounting,  angeless or  anged, lens or lenseless, 60-deg. beam focusing lens, 6- and 6 1/2-ft. lengths. Most channels are made of anodized aluminum. Clips and mounting brackets are thermoplastic and metal. Lenses are frosted or opal thermal plastic.

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Exterior, grounds lighting SLM series LED high-performance, forward- and rear-aiming white-light fi xtures for outdoor lighting applications is also military-specifi cation certifi ed. The slender, vertical-rectangle-shaped fi xtures are low-watt AC or DC

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Solar LED area light SolarDDL dusk-to-dawn LED pole- or wall-mounted luminaire is solar powered with a minimum of fi ve night’s reserve. The unit is 100% off grid, automatically self-storing, and self-charging. A low-scale, rounded lighthead distributes direct-downward light. Compact solar-panel assemblies are programmed in-house to automatically recharge their concealed storage batteries.

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Under-bin lighting Clique linear LED fi xture is an addition to the company’s under-bin lighting line. The 10-in. modules connect end to end to provide the desired length. Modules can be connected to yield lengths from 12 in. to 42 in. with an 83 CRI.

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Area/site/roadway LED ASL area/site/roadway LED luminaire is said to replace 400-W HID luminaires. Available in 8, 16, or 24 LED confi gurations with high-performance lenses, the units are available in 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 CCT. Lens distributions are fi eld exchangeable and rotatable in 90-deg. increments.

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LED track fi xtures Stealth LED track fi xtures for indoor-fl ood or wall-lighting applications are available in horizontal and vertical housing styles in a wide variety of wattage and lumen packages. The units produce a smooth, wide beam said to deliver excellent uniformity and precise beam control with an effi cacy of 121 lumens/W.

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Low-profi le linear LEDs AL Graze DC CV and DMX, single-color or color-changing, DC-powered fi xtures provide linear grazing for indoor and outdoor applications. The DC CV model offers low-voltage magnetic dimming using the company’s M series transformers. The DMX version has an on-board DMX driver with RDM addressing. Available at 2,700, 3,000, 3,500, and 4,000 K, the fi xtures are offered in 1- and 4-ft. sections with an adjustable bracket and linkable cable system. Multiple beam angles are possible.

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