The Buildings

  • A combination of office and retail space comprised of 560,000 gross square feet
  • Two levels of underground parking with approximately 1,000 spaces
  • Building design encompasses two U-shaped wings to increase natural day lighting with a public courtyard for use by CalPERS staff and the community
  • East and West Wings are connected over 4th Street by walkways on the third and fourth floors
  • West Wing is six stories high; East wing is four stories
  • West Wing houses CalPERS information technology and operations support functions, and the building manager’s office
  • East Wing houses the Sacramento Regional Office, investments staff, the daycare center, and food service/restaurant
  • First floor of the West Wing contains a fitness/exercise room for employee use, along with showers and lockers
  • Employee lunch rooms are located on each floor with tables, chairs, microwave ovens, and refrigerators
  • Lincoln Plaza North and the new building are connected by a passage under Q Street, which accommodates both pedestrians and cars
  • 4th Street is a single direction street, southbound from Q to R Streets
  • Total Headquarters Expansion Project budget was $265 million

Sustainable Design

  • Buildings are oriented to take the best advantage of natural light
  • Certified Gold in New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program
  • Exceeds the State’s Title 24 requirements
  • Heating and air conditioning systems use outside air, energy efficient systems, and cooling towers
  • Landscape design incorporates trees to provide shade, minimize water use, and reduce heat gain
  • Light shelves and double-glazed energy efficient windows further enhance daylight and provide protection from sun and heat gain
  • Raised flooring where electrical connections and cabling ventilation is located are used to reduce energy consumption and lower costs of future relocations
  • Renewable and recycled materials are used in the building, as well as photovoltaic panels provided by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) as a demonstration project

Construction Facts

  • Mass excavation and slurry wall started October 2001 and completed May 2002
  • 250,000 cubic feet of dirt removed from the site - equal to 13,000 to 15,000 truckloads
  • Cement bentonite wall, measuring 20 inches wide and 100 feet deep, built below grade around the entire two square block site to prevent water intrusion
  • Hensel Phelps awarded building construction bid in January 2003
  • Foundation construction and parking garage completed in November 2003
  • Erection of structural steel began in September 2003
  • All work completed in Fall 2005