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CALIFORNIA
NATURAL
RESOURCES
HEADQUARTERS
Sacramento, CA
Client: California Department of General Services
RELM’s guiding principles in designing the landscape for the new Natural Resources Headquarters in Sacramento are born of anchoring adjacent uses, forms, demographics, and periods of time. The project is a pivotal urban infill site in the historic core of downtown Sacramento. The 1-acre ground level campus is divided into four programmatic zones, connecting office tenants and community to food and beverage, retail, high quality open space, and transit across the street.
NATURE AS ARMATURE
The region’s river deltas inspired the open space’s sinuous vernacular. A mixture of Oak, Sycamore, and Maple trees create a dynamic tree canopy celebrating Sacramento’s urban forest statute. Changing in expression moving north to south, the site is expected to enjoy 40% canopy coverage in five years, exceeding the city’s goal of 35%.
The landscape is comprised by 4 areas, each with a unique function and softscape. Heilbron Park is a community park lushly planted with native species; Natural Resources Plaza is an expansive urban plaza supporting two retail pavilions, an auditorium, and the main entrance to the building, with a ground-level dining patio and rooftop terraces offering smaller gathering places.
A CIVIC COMMONS
Paramount to the concept behind NRH was transparency to the public and inviting them into the site, day and night. RELM and AC Martin achieved this by taking the building vertical, maximizing the ground plane and activating it with community programming. A key feature includes a public artwork at the main entry where invited artists create temporary works in chalk and discuss their ideas at community lectures.
A NATURE-BASED TREE WALK
California’s most identifiable native big trees—Western Sycamore, Valley and Coast Live Oaks, Coastal Redwood, and Big Leaf Maple— shade paths and seating areas. The landscape includes 72 trees, representing a 200% increase in the total number of trees when compared to what was onsite before construction.
ROOFTOP ECOLOGIES
Five exterior roof terraces provide private outdoor space for employees. The terraces serve a dual purpose: outdoor space for breaks, lunches, and meetings as well as an expansive backdrop of native habitat. Staff enjoy immediate access to nature year-round.
