CMD Consolidated Headquarters Complex Built with Sustainability in Mind

The Consolidated Headquarters Complex for the California Military Department recently opened, bringing together the California Army National Guard, California Air National Guard and California State Guard in one location. The $160-million project located in Rancho Cordova was led by Stantec and The Walsh Group.

The project team delivered the five buildings spanning 285,700 square feet as a net-zero energy project aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency. Located on a 31-acre site adjacent to Mather Airport, the multibuilding campus houses a headquarters with a readiness center, emergency operations center/network operations facility, network operations security center, badging access control point, warehouse and central utility plant.

The site improvements included access roadways, privately owned vehicle parking lots with photovoltaic canopies, controlled perimeter security fencing in compliance with antiterrorism and force protection guidelines, entry control point, stormwater management, site amphitheater and motor vehicle fleet parking areas.

The CMD Consolidated Headquarters Complex is one of the first few large-scale campuses targeting net-zero energy implemented by the state of California. The complex produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of one year, when accounted for at the site.

The five facilities on campus were designed with energy-efficiency strategies, including radiant heating and cooling to minimize load on air-handling equipment and improve occupant comfort, daylighting controls in all daylit zones, heat recovery chiller to harvest heating energy from the onsite base cooling load, high-efficiency centrifugal chillers and condensing boilers and envelopes specifically detailed to minimize air infiltration. Each façade is specific to the building orientation to reduce solar gain and aid with daylighting.

Sustainable strategies for the site included stormwater management, limited irrigation, photovoltaic array and panels, native planting, electric vehicle charging stations and low-emitting vehicle priority parking.
With the goal of earning LEED Gold certification, the complex was constructed to reduce environmental impact, optimize performance, lower energy and operating costs, conserve resources and increase occupant satisfaction and productivity. Onsite renewable energy is generated by a photovoltaic array and panels that will serve a dual purpose as parking shade structures.