TL:DR

When one of Southern California’s largest sanitation utilities set out to consolidate outdated offices into a new headquarters, mass timber wasn’t even on the table. But a rigorous analysis of construction efficiency, energy performance, and lifecycle value revealed a different calculus: mass timber wasn’t a premium choice, it was a cost-competitive investment that made sense. The result is more than a cost-effective headquarters—it is a civic statement about accountability, sustainability, and the evolving role of public infrastructure.

Project DetailsProject Details

• Project Name:
  • Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters (OC San HQ)
• Location:
  • Fountain Valley, CA
• Architect:
  • HDR 
• Structural Engineer:
  • HDR (structural engineering team) 
• Contractor:
  • Swinerton 
• Mass Timber Supplier / Fabricator:
  • StructureCraft 
• Timber Products:
  • CLT 
  • Glulam 
• Size:
  • 100,000 square feet
• Photographer:
  • Dan Schwalm

“Convincing them that mass timber was a viable option took some time. As a public utility, it was essential that it come in on budget and not exceed the cost of a standard office building. They were a little petrified,” says Kate Diamond, principal at HDR. “We essentially said; ‘If we can prove that a true high-performance, sustainable building won’t cost you more, would you let us pursue that approach for this project?’ And what we discovered was just how cutting edge they already were in their water treatment operations—they had been breaking new ground for decades and this approach really aligned nicely with their culture of innovation.”

My Thoughts 💭My Thoughts 💭

Beautiful project! Hopefully this is the age of biophilic work spaces

The building is also fostering a positive shift in workplace culture and offering a biophilic boost for employees. Administrative staff once spread across temporary trailers are now consolidated under one roof in a light-filled environment framed by expansive exposed wood—with 98% of occupied spaces deliberately oriented to capture daylight and views of nature. “There’s a warmth to wood you just don’t get with steel or concrete,” Diamond says. “It brings a human scale to a workplace that for some employees was once pretty isolating and fragmented.”