Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters Complex

We were pleased to provide specialty engineering support to the HDR structural engineering team on this project. The Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters Complex is a high-profile project that prioritizes employee well-being while incorporating innovative and sustainable practices. This complex consists of three 3-storey buildings with an expressive diagrid glulam roof at the main lobby entrance.

One of the first mass timber commercial buildings in the greater LA region, almost every design feature of the complex contributes to improved green building performance. The building’s structural framework uses a hybrid mass timber construction combined with expressed steel-braced frames, which both reduces the weight of the structure and allows for a faster and safer on-site erection. The choice of mass timber also adds a natural warmth to the interior of the building, which positively affects employee comfort and satisfaction.

Targeting LEED gold and net-zero energy certifications, the building incorporates sustainable features such as biogas energy generation and photovoltaic panels, heating provided from waste heat of the plant operations and electric vehicle charging stations. Additionally, the building’s orientation is carefully considered to maximize daylighting while reducing glare and solar heat gain.