Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Grand Opening of the New North Natomas Public Library
Remember when a library meant quiet reading, lots of shushing, and probably the last place your kids wanted to spend a Saturday afternoon? Well those days are behind us! The brand new North Natomas Library put the word “fun” back into the meaning of “library!”
On Saturday, January 9th, loads of people piled into the new library to celebrate its grand opening. This 22,645 square foot state-of-the-art library is in its final certification process for a LEED Gold rating by the United States Green Building Council. The design of the project incorporates numerous sustainable features including controlled natural daylight, recycled materials, and low water-use landscaping. This latest Sacramento public library is not only meant to serve the citizens of Natomas, but is also now the primary library for Inderkum High School and American River College's North Natomas Campus.
Record crowds gathered at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to christen this special addition to the community. Among the speakers were California State Librarian Stacey Aldrich, Mayor Kevin Johnson, California Democratic Representative Doris Matsui, and an Inderkum High School student whose speech inspired and touched the audience.
As you approach the building, you’re welcomed by bright colors that reflect the sunlight, a way to lower cooling costs in the summer. An electronic open/closed sign flanked by a pair of 8-foot tall stainless steel reading glasses makes for convenience as you drive by. Complete with 120 public access computers, wireless connection, a huge children’s area, eclectic teen nook, community meeting room that seats 75 people, self-checkout counters, and even a bookstore, this library is sure to cater to all types of ages and needs.
The main focal point, and arguably the most stunning feature in the library, is its soaring “open book” roof, clerestory and east facing windows through which an abundance of natural filtered daylight floods the interior. Comfortable sofa chairs, warm colored carpets, and books, books and more books invite you to sit down and read.
The children’s space is bright, energetic, and colorful, and is geared towards learning and creativity. Two large reading nooks, complete with cozy kid-friendly furniture, allow your children to feel comfortable while making reading an enjoyable pass time. Murals of children’s stories and fairy tales adorn the walls as if the characters are coming to life from the books. Low chairs and tables and age-appropriate computers equipped with learning games allow this library to be an all-around fun place for kids.
What - an area devoted to teens? You heard right! With its eclectic colors, energetic feel, and the Twilight series available in Spanish, your teen is sure to be pretty content for a while. A bonus: there’s also a huge section devoted to manga comic books!
If that’s not enough, the new North Natomas Library also has a quiet room for studying, a large computer room for catalogue and web surfing, plasma screens displaying news and events, and lots of friendly staff. Don’t forget to look up at the gigantic clock as it will be easy to lose track of time in this fun, activity-filled environment.
Bring your family and come check out our new library!
List of Speakers:
Rivkah Sass, Master of Ceremonies, Sacramento Public Library Director
Stacey Aldrich, California State Librarian
Doris Matsui, California Democratic Representative
Kevin Johnson, Mayor, City of Sacramento
Dave Jone, Assembly Member, District Nine
Darrell Steinberg, District Six, Senate President Pro Tem
Roger Niello, Assembly Member, District Five
Ray Tretheway, Council Member, District One, City of Sacramento
Brice Harris, Chancellor, Lost Rios Community College District
Karen Thomas, President, Friends of the North Natomas Library
CDCR Salinas Valley State Prison 64-Bed Mental Health Facility
The Salinas Valley State Prison 64-Bed Mental Health Project designed by Nacht & Lewis recently received formal notification that it has achieved LEED Silver certification by the United States Green Building Council. The Salinas project marks the first LEED certified project for a correctional facility for the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.
Nacht & Lewis and HOK Selected to Design New Sacramento Criminal Courthouse
Nacht & Lewis is proud to announce that together with HOK, our team has been selected to design the new Sacramento Criminal Courthouse. With 35 criminal courtrooms, the Sacramento project is the largest of the thirteen courts projects recently awarded by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Scheduled for completion in late 2014, the new project will provide much needed relief to the existing Gordon D. Schaber downtown courthouse, designed by Nacht & Lewis and completed in 1965. The existing courthouse will remain in operation after completion of the new facility.
UCSF Orthopaedic Institute
The new Orthopaedic Institute at UCSF Medical is now operational. This state-of-the-art facility offers the latest research technology for all areas of orthopedic medicine. It is the first “Human Performance Center,” which specializes in assessment, training and performance improvement for individuals and athletes, and houses a top-tier Orthotics and Prosthetics Center in addition to specialty clinics, outpatient surgery services and a patient education area.
ACE Mentor Program
For the past several years Nacht & Lewis has participated in the national ACE Mentor Program. ACE, or, Architecture, Construction and Engineering is a national program that exposes high school students to the design and construction industry and further fosters interest to pursue careers in these fields.
“The program's mission is to enlighten and increase the awareness of high school students to career opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering and related areas of the design and construction industry through mentoring; and to provide scholarship opportunities for students in an inclusive manner reflective of the diverse school population.”
Brian Maytum, AIA, LEED AP, our Principal-in-Charge for Education, is currently team leader for Galt’s new Liberty Ranch High School ACE team. With the support of Amber Alexander, Design Technician, and Nacht & Lewis Architects, Brian and team will introduce the students to the practice of architecture, construction and engineering thru their efforts in this year-long program.
This year’s ACE project will focus on a new intermodal transportation hub at the Sacramento Railyards. The project will expose the students to real-time current issues surrounding the plans for development of this historic property in downtown Sacramento.
The Central Utility Plant has opened following its first 3 phases of work and is currently operational. The final phase of the project has begun which will complete the site development work, landscaping and the construction of a massive thermal energy storage tank. The TES tank is being assembled! The project is scheduled to be fully operational by August 2010.
Portola Courthouse
The State of California’s first multi-jurisdictional courthouse, and first new ground-up court project to be completed in the state, opens this month. It may see trials as early as January. Since courthouses in California are now funded by the state and not by individual counties, courts may now be regional and not divided by county. Portola will serve portions of Plumas and Sierra counties east of their county seats and beyond the mountain passes that are often impassible during winter. The Superior Court of California, Portola, will ensure the delivery of justice to this region, and pave the way for future regional courthouses.
UC Davis Medical Center
The Interventional Radiology Room 1623 project has started construction for the equipment replacement of this single plane room. Construction began on December 14th with an anticipated completion date at the end of March 2010. This is one of three rooms that will have major equipment replacements for the Interventional Radiology suite.
We are continuing the design of the other two Interventional Radiology rooms (1625 and 1627) and will be reviewed in mid-January. The anticipated start of construction is fall 2010.
Consumnes River College - Elk Grove Center
Schematic design has begun on the new Elk Grove Center satellite campus for Cosumnes River College. This 25,000 square foot first phase will be the 40-year old campus’ first expansion beyond its existing site in south Sacramento. The Elk Grove Center will provide fundamental courses and student services to the rapidly growing south area. Occupancy is expected in 2013.
Nacht & Lewis is proud to announce the following promotions:
Rhonda Pettit has been promoted from Associate to Vice President.
Mike Parrott, AIA, LEED AP, Vice President has been promoted to Senior Project Manager.
Lorenzo Lopez, AIA, LEED AP, Vice President has been given the new title of Senior Planner.
Chuan Hua, AIA and Michael Patrick and have been promoted to Associates.
Mary Hall Arzave and Kristen Groves have been given the new titles of Business Development Coordinators to encompass their growing responsibilities.
Professional Development
Laura Wood, Virtual Design Coordinator, had the privilege of attending Autodesk University in Las Vegas in December. Autodesk University is an intensive 4 day training in the future project delivery trends, design, sustainability, and the latest technology in hardware, software, and services. She validated her expertise at Autodesk University by earning certification as a Revit 2010 professional.
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