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B4006 SMUD Headquarters Renovation, 2014

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SMUD Headquarters Renovation, 2014

The SMUD Headquarters Rehabilitation is a transformative project that honors the legacy of a mid-century modern icon while reshaping it for the needs of today’s workforce. Through thoughtful restoration, preservation, and targeted interventions—including an addition and comprehensive tenant improvements—the building now supports a dynamic workplace rooted in sustainability, resilience, and design excellence. This is more than a rehabilitation—it’s a reinvestment in Sacramento’s architectural heritage and SMUD’s forward-thinking mission.

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After more than 60 years of continuous use, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Headquarters has undergone a comprehensive rehabilitation. This revitalization of the 146,000-square-foot landmark carefully preserves the spirit of its mid-century modern design while upgrading the building for 21st-century performance. The transformation balances innovation with preservation, addressing the concerns of the historic community while supporting SMUD’s mission as a sustainability leader.

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Originally designed by our firm in 1958 for a growing utility, the SMUD Headquarters has come full circle with a complete interior and exterior renovation. Commissioned again in 2014, we approached the rehabilitation with deep respect for the building’s legacy and spatial logic. A discreet new addition introduces abundant daylight and expanded views, while a formerly enclosed central stair and mechanical shaft was replaced with an open stair to enhance vertical circulation and visual connection between wings. Updated open office areas now support a multi-generational workforce with flexible meeting, collaboration, and break spaces—carefully modernized while honoring the original five-foot planning grid.

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The rehabilitation extended beyond the building envelope to include thoughtful site and landscape improvements that maintain the integrity of the original 13-acre campus. Significant historic features were preserved and enhanced, reinforcing the building’s relationship to its surroundings. As part of this effort, artist Wayne Thiebaud’s iconic mosaic tile mural, Water City, was carefully cleaned and restored. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the SMUD Headquarters stands as both a cultural landmark and a continued symbol of civic pride.

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Architecture +Preservation—Popular Choice Winner

Modernism in America Awards, Special Citation

Preservation Design Awards—Trustee's Award for Excellence

Preservation Design Awards—Rehabilitation

Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards —Award of Excellence, Retrofit/Alteration

Best of Design Awards Honorable Mention—Restoration & Preservation

Best Real Estate Projects—Rehabilitation/Renovation

January Feature, "A 1959 Modernist Office in Sacramento Shines Again"

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Santa Clara Animal Services Center

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The County of Santa Clara Animal Care and Control Department needed to replace their makeshift former donated residence which had several additions and portables, into an adequate home for the area’s needy animals. The new facility enables the County to handle specialty surgeries, conduct livestock rehabilitation, promote adoptions, and maintain a 94% live-release rate, one of California’s highest.
The County&#8217;s new Animal Services Center has capacity for 54 dogs and 90 cats, with spaces for other types including small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs and birds. To house and highlight larger livestock animals, a barn is situated along the main building frontage, increasing its visibility. Prominent interior glass walls and a central courtyard in the state-of-the-art 37,000-square-foot building highlight animals and community engagement spaces. Taking a distinct departure from traditional shelter design, dog kennels are organized around an outdoor landscaped courtyard named “The Park.” Together with surrounding “Get Acquainted” pods, the experience offers a bright and open area to meet and greet potential pets in a natural park-like environment.
Another key solution this project provides is its large educational meeting facility. Not only will animal-specific community events be held there, but other County agencies are able to utilize the assembly space for conferences and gatherings up to 150 occupants—a resource they previously lacked.
County of Santa Clara Animal Services Center is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.

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B6034 County of Santa Clara Animal Services Center, 2021

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B4003 Guide Dogs for the Blind, 2014

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On any given day, non-profit Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is caring for and training a new litter of frisky puppies at their school campus. More than 800 per year are whelped and raised by a dedicated team at GDB’s National Headquarters located in San Rafael, California.
Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture, in association with Animal Arts Design Studios, was selected to design the new 28,000 square foot Puppy Center. Applying the latest in animal care design best practices, this new puppy birthing and enrichment facility supports GDB’s mission of preparing highly-qualified service canines to be lifelong partners for individuals who are visually impaired. By providing a healthier, more ergonomic and socially enriching environment for the puppies and their caretakers, GDB will better equip these future companions to reach their full potential. The facility also includes a Learning Lab (in lobby), which will help educate the public through interactive displays, dedicated areas to view puppy enrichment, and other learning spaces.
The Puppy Center includes 19 neonatal kennels and eight new whelping kennels for moms and puppies, and 30 new puppy kennels in the Young Heroes Academy where the puppies stay until 10 weeks of age. Each area will have dedicated gown-in facilities, medical support spaces, staff work areas, laundry, food preparation area and restrooms. The building systems include industry best practices in biological risk management, acoustics, air quality, radiant heating, and lighting.
A new courtyard and park across from the Puppy Center entrance also enables staff to exercise dogs and train them in real world outdoor settings.
Photos by David Wakely.

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The Placer County Animal Services Center replaces an existing 40+ year old shelter in north Auburn, California. It is a welcoming destination for visitors focused on animal wellness, care, and education.
The entire facility is designed to encourage people to quickly bond with adoptable animals in light-filled, transparent spaces that are engaging for all ages. Thoughtfully arranged in a compact plan, the program areas promote enhanced operational efficiency, flexibility, safety, and flow. Emphasizing public access and community visibility, the new Center is situated close to Avenue B, on the western edge of the Placer County Government Center in Auburn. The building has a patio outside the event center, bicycle racks near the front entrance, and a large, separately-accessible agility yard for the dogs.
The site is designed to protect the native habitat, trees, and open space for existing wildlife. A barn and paddock are situated in the southeast corner of the site with the ability to house horses, donkeys, cows, sheep and goats.
Integrated inside the facility are the latest best practices for disease control, odor control, and acoustics to promote health, reduce stress, and create a calming environment for both animals and people. The Center includes expanded spaces for dogs small and large, domesticated cats, feral cats, small mammals like rabbits, and exotics like geckos. A new animal clinic with a separate entrance is also part the new Center, specifically for animals residing at the Center. The new Center also includes a small store inside the lobby, called Retails, which sells items for adoptive owners, and products specifically branded by the Placer County Animal Services Center.
In 2017, the Design-Build Institute of America, Western Pacific Region awarded the project both a Design Excellence award and a Distinction Award.
Placer County Animal Services Center is certified LEED Gold by the USGBC.

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B4012 Placer County Animal Services Center, 2014-2016 (PCASC)

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B3017 CLARA Midtown, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing

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The expansion of residential suburbs in the 1960&#8217;s and 1970&#8217;s left our central city with stately but underutilized school facilities. Fremont School is one of 10 examples in the area that was designed by Dean &amp; Dean. It is a beautiful brick and terracotta building in the Spanish Revival style on a quiet Midtown street. It had a second life as an adult education center, which was shuttered in 2012.
After much discussion and negotiation, Fremont School now is the new creative home for Sacramento’s performing arts community, complete with outdoor performance space. The high ceilings and large classrooms perfectly suit rehearsal and teaching needs for <a href="https://www.sacballet.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento Ballet</a>, <a href="https://www.mckeeverdance.com/#index" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">McKeever School of Irish Dance</a>, <a href="https://sacprepmusic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy</a>, and several others.
There are many technical challenges to adapting an early 20th century non-reinforced masonry building to the needs of 21st century performing arts. For one, the west wing of the school needed a truly creative structural solution to make the former classrooms and hallways open up for ballet studios. With <a href="https://buehlerengineering.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Buehler Engineering</a>, an innovative solution of 36 post-tension cables made this need a reality. The red cables, typically buried within new concrete, are intentionally left visible and are viewable from the first floor School of the Sacramento Ballet studios. The structural system was more complex than other concepts but once optimized, it was the lightest and least costly solution for the budget.
On March 17, 2015, the Sacramento City Council approved spending to renovate the building for the performing arts community in Sacramento. On May 11, 2015, <a href="https://www.rsconstruction.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudolph &amp; Sletten</a> started construction on the project. On March 9, 2016 the project &#8211; which was renamed <a href="https://www.claramidtown.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CLARA</a> &#8211; officially opened.
CLARA received the 2017 Rehabilitation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation; and Honor Award from the AIA Central Valley as well as the Divine Detail Award for the innovative structural solution. In 2017, the project also received an Award of Excellence in Historic Preservation from SEAOCC.
Photos by Chip Allen; historic photos courtesy of Center for Sacramento History.

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PG&amp;E Gas Safety Academy, 2017

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Californis ISO Headquarters, 2011

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California ISO Headquarters

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California ISO Headquarters Interiors

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California ISO Headquarters, 2011

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A7814 California ISO Headquarters, 2011

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A9007 Museum of Science and Curiosity, 2002-2021

The SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC) is a transformation project at the confluence of history, science, and community impact. Formerly the Powerhouse Science Center, MOSAC reimagines a long-dormant riverfront power station as a vibrant hub for science education, exploration, and civic engagement. Set against the banks of the Sacramento River, the museum is a cornerstone in the city’s riverfront revitalization and a destination for learning that connects past innovation with future discovery.

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The design of MOSAC grows directly from its context—physically and symbolically. Occupying the site of a once-abandoned PG&E power station, the museum forms a key part of Sacramento’s waterfront activation. It anchors the Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park and serves as a southern gateway to the 32-mile American River Bike Trail, inviting cyclists, families, and visitors to engage with science through architecture and landscape.

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Vacant for over 50 years, the original 30,000-square-foot structure was carefully rehabilitated, including the construction of a new interior floor level. A striking two-story, 22,000-square-foot addition extends from the east, housing classrooms, a café, offices, and a light-filled lobby. A 120-seat planetarium punctuates the building’s mass, its zinc-clad hemispheric dome signaling the museum’s outward-looking mission. The facade is inscribed with angled vector lines—connecting the building to satellites, landmarks, and broader ideas—reminding visitors of our place within a vast, interconnected world.

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Museum of Science and Curiosity

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SMUD Headquarters Rehabilitation

County of Santa Clara Animal Services Center

Guide Dogs for the Blind Puppy Center & Park

Placer County Animal Services Center

CLARA, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts

PG&E Gas Safety Academy

California ISO Headquarters & Operations Center

Museum of Science and Curiosity

CLARA, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts Signage & Wayfinding

The Shop at VSP Global

UC Davis Health System Parking Structure III

UC Davis Health, Parking Structure 4