A good Plan B: when Sacramento County stepped back from their ambitious development plan for a downtown block (see 700 I Street), we were asked to reconsider the site with a more modest proposal. Starting with the existing commercial shell, we imagined a space reprogrammed for adaptive re-use. This proposed redefining pushes for transparency and openness.
Special consideration was taken for future flexibility, including development of the under-utilized site; the west end is preserved for a commercial/office high-rise tower, while the south side can accommodate a multi-level structured parking lot.
Adaptive re-use of existing buildings is, after all, one of the greenest steps an architect can take.