Edifice Best

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Commercial Architecture
By Marti Childs and Jeff March

The recent lively debate over the proposed Parthenon-influenced penthouse for a Sacramento high-rise office serves to remind us that architecture is not the exclusive domain of architects, designers and building developers. It is a topic that sparks controversy among government officials, preservationists and environmentalists, as well as with John and Jane Q. Public.
    The notion of what constitutes “greatness” in architecture has evolved. The rigid lines delineating art deco, Bauhaus, mission revival, Romanesque, Italianate, modernist and other classifications have blurred — sometimes drawing criticism in the process. Structures designed for commerce have been ridiculed (recall Sacramento’s pejoratively nicknamed “Darth Vader” and “Ban Roll-On” buildings: 801 K St. and 1201 K St., respectively) or derided with the contemptuous “big-box” label.
    While form, line, scale, texture and color remain considerations, economic, environmental and cultural changes are exerting a heavy influence on the architectural design of office buildings, retail centers, hotels, restaurants and even industrial facilities. The Sacramento region has been slow to adapt, however, in the view of several leading architects and one prominent local builder.
    “This community deserves good architecture, but too much of it has been run-of-the-mill,” says Barry Wasserman, fellow of the American Institute of Architects. “Some people regard buildings that become treasured as great,” says Wasserman, who discredits grandiosity or endurance alone as defining criteria of architectural distinction.
    Wasserman, who was a state architect during the Jerry Brown administration, is a member of the city of Sacramento Planning Commission and serves as design administrator for commercial projects for the county of Sacramento. He is a board member of the Environment Council of Sacramento and co-author of “Ethics and the Practice of Architecture,” published by Wiley in 2000. He discourages ostentation.

Order, Not Ostentation
    “A building should be visually appealing without adding to the visual disorder in our environment,” Wasserman says; on the other hand, he says, it shouldn’t mimic everything around it. “Buildings can be individualized, can take on an order of their own, without overwhelming the purpose of the building.”
Nick Docous, AIA, also criticizes self-consciousness in building design, typified by imposing entryways.
    “Greatness must be defined in terms of the human experience, how people interact with the built environment,” says Docous, architect and principal with Lionakis Beaumont Design Group Inc. of Sacramento.    “Attentiveness to human scale puts people at ease around the built environment. Elements that are disproportionate and out of scale do not constitute good commercial architecture. Even a table that’s out of scale for the room in which it’s placed can make people feel uncomfortable.”
    He believes that the principles set forth by Roman architect Vitruvius in the 1st century B.C. remain relevant today. Vitruvius, who regarded architecture as an imitation of nature, advocated firmitas, utilitas and venustas — firmness or durability, commodity or utility and delight.
    “Firmness is the soundness of a structure, which conveys a sense of permanence or institution,” Docous explains. “Commodity involves basic elements such as light and energy. Delight is a function of the artistry of design. You interlace a well-thought-out, balanced, integrated design and extract delight from people who live, work and learn in a building.”

Economics Trump Delight
While “extracting delight” from employees in a building may not appear economically compelling to building owners or tenants, they may be motivated by potential economic benefits of architecturally distinctive design.
“Good design and good business go hand in hand. A well-designed, functional building will cost less to build, own and operate, will lease more quickly and will sell at a higher value,” says Curtis Owyang, AIA, vice president at LPA Sacramento Inc.
    “The human resource is the most valuable resource to any organization, and definitive studies have shown that a healthier environment has direct benefits, including increasing productivity and reducing sick days of employees,” explains Owyang, who has Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation. The LEED Green Building Rating System, developed by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, sets voluntary national standards for environmentally sustainable structures.
    Buildings can be LEED certified, but it’s often at substantial cost in specialized engineering methods and materials. Owyang says that builders can benefit, however, by selectively integrating environmentally sustainable practices.
    Developer Michael J. Heller Jr., president of Heller Pacific Inc. of Gold River, acknowledges that he initially was skeptical about the merits of “green” building practices but has become more enlightened.
    “A tenant who inquired about one of my projects under construction asked about making it a ‘green’ building. Construction was too far along to make those modifications, and my budget didn’t allow it, so I pooh-pooh’d it. Now I realized it would have been the right thing to do,” says Heller.
    “I respect environmentally sensitive design in light of what is happening in the world today, and pursuit of LEED certification is noble. Certification requires compliance with a laundry list of checkpoints, which does add to cost. Some prospective tenants, though, will really appreciate that effort and will target your building,” he says.
    Matthew Shigihara, AIA, a principal with Lionakis Beaumont, says that the sustainability movement will increasingly influence commercial architectural design.
    “Sun shading is essential, because direct heat gain on the west elevation is a killer on commercial office buildings,” says Shigihara. He points to advancements in technology and building materials, including glass that reduces heat transmission, but says that aesthetics also play a role in environmentally responsible design.
    “Our future lies in creating vibrant communities at the base of buildings. Plazas, green spaces, public spaces surrounding buildings and linkages from one project to one not by the same architect or developer — that’s the kind of thinking that is going to rejuvenate our city,” he adds. “Sacramento hasn’t matured yet as a city architecturally, but there’s a lot of potential for us to do the right thing.”
    Andrew K. Anker, professor and chair of the Department of Design at Sacramento State, corroborates Shigihara’s views.
    “Studies have shown that office-worker productivity has increased as a result of good lighting and an open landscape, which lead to a greater sense of well-being,” says Anker, who is a licensed architect. He endorses elevating the level of ethical responsibility with which architecture is practiced. “Architects should educate their clients,” he says.
    Anker urges architects to routinely evaluate the effects of their buildings upon the larger surrounding community in terms of traffic, living conditions and even the economic implications of the kinds of jobs that a building project would generate.
    “What will be the building’s impact, and how will it fit in with its immediate context?” Anker asks rhetorically. “Is it the right use for that space? Pedestrian friendly? What kind of life is it going to promote? Should it be there at all?” These, he notes, are questions that architects should ask their clients.
    Robert Lee Chase, AIA, chief building official for the city of Sacramento, agrees. “Greatness in commercial architecture can be distilled to a sense of place. To me, if a structure doesn’t create the impression for visitors that you have arrived somewhere, then it hasn’t achieved greatness,” says Chase, who spent 35 years as a private-sector architect before joining the city’s staff in July. “Proper placement of a building can be just as important as its design.
    “If you stand in Greenwich Village, you’ll see that while many individual buildings are not architecturally great, together they create a pleasing environment that has a lot to do with scale, how the buildings relate to each other and to the street. Design of individual buildings is important, but ultimately you have to feel good about where you are.”
    Cynthia Easton, AIA and principal architect at Cynthia Easton Architects, has worked in Sacramento since 1980. She says the region is definitely becoming more architecturally exciting especially with some of the new towers and infill projects. “I think the region had been, for the most part, characterized by a lot of nondescript, under three-story development in the suburbs that was not very interesting. Now with all of the new cities forming in the region, rather than just being part of the sprawl, they will require, and get, better architecture to create an identity and separation.”
    Bill McCandless, president and principal architect of  of Woodland, believes that “functional as well as emotional aspects” are the two principal components of building design.

Scaling the Heights
“The aesthetic emotional component is of great consequence in church design, whereas the functional side is more important than emotional experience in designing warehouse space,” McCandless says. “Office space relies on more of a balance between the two.” He dislikes pretension in architectural design.
    “I don’t like pseudo-historical styles, such as a ‘big-box’ store with a gabled entry or a cornice added near the roof. If you’re building a ‘big-box’ retail store, why not let it be that, instead of trying to make it appear to be something it isn’t?”
    Barry Wasserman says architectural design is often compromised because architects must respond to five other “clients” in addition to the builders or owner-occupants who hire them.
    “They also have to consider the needs of the people who will work there, the patrons of the building occupant, the general public, the natural environment and themselves” says Wasserman.
    “I used to challenge architects we hired by saying all we wanted was the best project they could do, given budgetary and other circumstances. And they had to look to themselves to be honest about whether they had reached those heights.”

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