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Sustainability Archives - Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture

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Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture

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This new 10-story state office high-rise at the corner of 10th &amp; O Streets in Sacramento, fulfills critical office space infrastructure needs for the State of California. It serves as a temporary home for the legislative and executive elected officials for the duration of the Capitol Annex renovation. Afterwards, the building will remain the home for the legislative and executive staff.
Our Progressive Design-Build team of HOK and Hensel Phelps achieved the State’s aggressive energy use goals of Zero Net Energy and Carbon Neutrality through innovative design solutions which use a fraction of the energy of conventional office space. An energy efficient building skin allows for high levels of daylighting, minimizing direct sun on exterior glazing. Additionally, the split-core concept allows for an open plan with naturally-lit waiting areas, and several clustered conference spaces and common great rooms with views of the State Capitol. A highly-transparent open stair connects great rooms, encouraging impromptu meetings and interactions. The latest technology in lobby spaces and hearing rooms on the first two floors allows constituents to participate in government both inside hearing rooms and while in queue. Amenities include spaces for caucus meetings, conference committee meetings, general meeting rooms, legislative and executive branch offices, and integrated parking. With unparalleled views of Sacramento, the building will house 1,250 staff at opening and up to 2,200 staff in the future. A ground floor café will be open to the public after the Capitol Annex renovation is complete.
The project has a LEED Platinum certification and was the first to use Progressive Design-Build for the State of California.

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John L Martin Partnered Project of the Year—Diamond Award Buildings and Infrastructure $25-$250 M

Best Real Estate Projects—Public Project

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C0001 State of California, DGS Richards Boulevard Office Complex (RBOC), 2020

Establishing an urban fabric for the current and future River District, Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture is collaborating with ZGF on the State’s largest office complex to-date. Together with Hensel Phelps, the team will deliver a large campus with four high-performance office towers over a multi-function podium and a parking structure on a site north of Downtown Sacramento.
Each office building provides a rich amenities program calibrated for the needs of the building’s occupants as well as unique landscaped open spaces developed with RELM Studios. Featuring an integrated approach to sustainability, the project will exceed Title 24 by more than 15% and achieve the lowest practicable Energy Use Intensity (EUI).
The 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. The “Town Square”, a central public open space, 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.
RBOC is designed to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) and zero net carbon (ZNC) for the entire site through State-purchased carbon-free green power.

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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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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.

Sustainability

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State of California, 1021 O Street Office Building

Department of General Services, May Lee State Office Complex

SMUD Headquarters Rehabilitation

County of Santa Clara Animal Services Center

Placer County Animal Services Center

CLARA, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts

PG&E Gas Safety Academy

California ISO Headquarters & Operations Center

Lincoln Plaza CalPERS Headquarters

Museum of Science and Curiosity

OE3 Training Center

CalPERS R Street Expansion