See Why The Sacramento Valley Station Just Received The Highest Rating For Building With Sustainable Design
Source: Sacramento City Express
Photo: Sacramento Valley Station
The Sacramento Valley Station, a City Public Works facility, has received the highest sustainability rating for a building, LEED Platinum.
The building serves as the main hub for passenger heavy-rail in the Sacramento area and has been undergoing renovations since 2012 to improve the space while keeping its historic setting.
Recent renovations to the building include features to increase energy performance, water efficiency, reuse of materials and creating the best use of a former Superfund site.
“Sacramento strives to be a leader with its sustainable practices and policies,” said Greg Taylor, Sacramento Valley Station project manager. “This award sets a high mark for us because it’s the first City-owned building to receive such high certification.”
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a series of four ratings given to buildings based on how energy efficient they are and how little they affect the environment.
The ratings are given by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national advocacy organization for sustainable design.
Opened in 1926 under ownership of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Sacramento Valley Station has been in continuous operation as a passenger station. The Sacramento Valley Station continues to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The restoration of the building was long overdue from years of neglect by the time the City took ownership in 2006,” explained Taylor. “The building sets a bar for the future development of the city-owned site.”
The City is currently working on a 20-year master plan that includes the addition of a new bus center, new light rail station and an eventual new concourse to accommodate all transit modes with easy transfers. The plan also prioritizes bikes and pedestrians and controls traffic circulation for efficient access separated from these active modes.
The plan foresees the station to not only be a the regional transportation hub, but also accommodate residential, hotel and office uses. As the expansion of the station complex near the rail tracks evolves, the uses in the historic station will transition as well in the next two decades.