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CalPERS Headquarters Expansion Master Plan

Workshop #7: Review of Design Concepts

July 12, 2000

On July 12, 2000 over 35 people visited the design team's open house at the CalPERS building on 400 P Street. The open house provided an opportunity for visitors to hear brief progress reports about the architectural design for the new headquarters project. Visitors had a chance to discuss the project informally with the project designers, ask questions and write their comments on flip charts.

 

Presentation Questions

The following are written summaries of the questions asked the designers and additional comments:

 

1. I am glad to see some of the parking being relocated off-site. Will the courtyard spaces have escalators? (There could be stairs or escalators.)

2. I am concerned about the noise that comes from the loading areas. (We are working on understanding how to reduce the noise and improve our operations as part of the new design.)

3. How the building is modulated to respond to the context is very important.

4. What will the materials be? Will there be clear glass? What are the colors? (We are currently studying glass colors and anticipate using a clear glass. The exterior materials of the building are also being studied. We have not yet determined the color of the curtainwall framing system.)

5. What is the height of the tallest building? (The west building is anticipated to be six stories between 3rd and 4th Streets. The east building is anticipated to be four stories between 4th and 5th Streets. The tallest part of the project is 100' to the top of penthouse (87' to the top of the sixth floor roof).

6. Will public art be incorporated into the design? (Yes. We expect the architects to work with artists to integrate art into the project.)

7. Greenery is important to us. I do not see any greenery on the model. (The landscape architects are just starting the project and are here tonight to listen to the community's ideas. They are going to start working on this. Please talk to them.)

8. We want to see more detail of the streetscape design including the sidewalks, trees, and landscape. Also, what about bike amenities? (We hope to present all these at the next community meeting.)

9. Where are other residential projects? (The Capitol Park development is the nearest large project that is underway.)

10. What will the streetscape be like for the residential portions of the project? How about the courtyard spaces? (We have not yet started to design the streetscape or courtyards. The courtyards between the office and residential portions of the project are 45' across. Now that the parking is being located off-site, the courtyards will be at street level and part of a more accessible public open space system.)

11. What about the commercial design? What commercial uses will be in the CalPERS building? (We are working on potential tenants. We would like a restaurant connecting on 5th Street and to 4th through the courtyard. We also want to include other tenants that can serve both employees and the public and that can enliven the ground floor. The 4th to 5th Street block will have these uses.)

12. Will the existing day care be expanded? (We plan to move the existing childcare facility to the new building and to enlarge the area so that they can care for more children. We are working with the existing childcare providers to assess their needs in the new building.)

13. How many people will be in the project? (When both Lincoln Plaza and the new building are fully occupied there will be about 3,400 people in the combined buildings.)

 

Written Comments

The following are comments written by open house visitors on flip charts:

 

Urban Design and Streetscape

Architectural Design

 

Courtyards and Atrium Design