Shasta County Administration Center, Redding

From initial master planning through completion of the new center, Kitchell provided full project and construction management for this $35-million project that consisted of a three-story building to accommodate numerous county departments, and a 98,000-sq.-ft., 296-car parking garage that is adjacent to the office building. Also included in the project is a landscaped courtyard complete with water feature.

The new facility comes in response to the county's Capital Improvement Plan Needs Assessment Study, which architect KMD, planner DSA and Kitchell prepared in 2002. The study looked out 20 years and identified the most economically feasible combination of the county-owned and leased space. It recognized the rising cost of lease space, the inadequacy of existing facilities, and the need to move the county administrative office out of the courthouse.

The California state legislature's decision to separate its trial courts from the county requires the county office to be moved from the courthouse. The new administration center also meets this requirement.

Shasta County consolidated its office from 40 buildings, totaling 484,550 sq. ft. of owned and leased space, into three owned buildings, a minimum number of leases and a new 106,000-sq.-ft. county administration center.

Completed a month ahead of schedule and $500,000 under the estimate, the new facility was constructed on a block of county-owned land, just north of the Shasta County Courthouse. Presently housing 185 employees, the building will office up to 300 workers as the county grows.

Kitchell provided estimating, scheduling, budget development and management, constructability and peer design reviews, code compliance (including ADA), value engineering and assistance with architect/engineer selection. During construction, Kitchell managed bid and award, construction and closeout.

By introducing a modified precast system, the county saved 25 percent over traditional cast-in-place systems and delivered a better looking facility. Other features, included at no additional cost, were a large training room, improved board chambers and support spaces, and a spacious, open lobby with spectacular views of Mount Lassen. Together, the team achieved $700,000 in value engineering savings and $100,300 in cost savings during conceptual design and schematic design reviews.

The design accomplishes three major objectives: large floor plates for one-stop shops and excellent circulation with all of the public counter functions directly off the entry lobby; compatibility with the nearby courthouse; and an economical parking structure, well screened from the street.

Owner's Comments:

"There were two keys to success on this project: selecting the right project team and excellent communication throughout the project."-H. Douglas Latimer, administration officer, Shasta County

Project Team:

Owner: Shasta County
Architects: Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects;
Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto
Project manager/construction manager: Kitchell
General contractor: Gifford Construction
Landscape architect: Land Image
Engineering team:
Pace (civil)
Costa Engineers (mechanical)
GLP Karjala/Kulonis Inc. (MEP)

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