The center consists of a 56,000-sq.-ft. city hall, a 28,000-sq.-ft. library, a 30,000-sq.-ft. sheriff’s facility, and a 15,000-sq.-ft. fire department. All these elements are choreographed around a central plaza that becomes part of the civic life for this new community.
In creating a 'civic heart' where none existed before, native plants and oaks begin to tell the history of the place. As a visitor arrives at the portal, a welcoming wall of reclaimed water cools the entry and acts as an acoustical escort to the quiet of the interior spaces.
In collaborative design workshops with the community, a local history and environmental narrative was created. The native landscape not only saves water, but anchors the complex to the region. The natural stone accents are profiled to announce the entries on the building and are an abstraction of the surrounding hills, which are visible from the site.
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