9th Street Office Buildings

This proposed project for the Commonwealth of Virginia is in the design phase and will address two goals: The first is to sensitively rehabilitate the 9th Street Office Building. The second is to build a new Broad Street Building that will be appropriate for the space meeting the high architectural standards of Capitol Square, the seat of Virginia government. The Commonwealth acquired both the 8th (at Broad) and 9th Street Buildings in 1966 to serve as state offices. Both buildings contain outdated and obsolete systems, significant life safety issues, accessibility issues, and inefficiencies. Fronting Richmond’s bustling Broad Street commercial corridor, this highly visible location requires that it function well for the Commonwealth and fit with the urban environment of the City. The preliminary design for the new building will adapt to changes in the workplace and changes in missions of its users through this century. The design will embrace leadership in energy efficiency and wise use of natural resources, reflecting the Commonwealth’s goals.

The project scope contemplates demolition of the existing 8th Street Office Building, renovation of the historic 9th Street Office Building and the construction of a new office building. The newly constructed office building will contain approximately 300,000 square feet with a proposed below grade parking deck (110,000 square feet) for approximately 200 cars. The renovation of the existing 9th Street Office Building includes 161,000 square feet of space.

The building complex will serve as offices and meeting spaces for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Primary building systems design features include a central chilled and hot water plant and a new combined electrical service located in the newly constructed Office Building that will also serve the 9th Street Office Building.

The central chilled water plant will be sized for an ultimate capacity and include a water side economizer feature. Boilers for the central heating system will be high efficiency gas-fired units. The building includes generators for life safety as well as “mission critical” loads. The newly constructed Office Building HVAC system will utilize underfloor air delivery for all floors except the two assembly room floors. The building ventilation system will use penthouse ventilation air units equipped with heat recovery units and demand ventilation control techniques. The 9th Street Office Building will use perimeter four pipe fan coil units with a centralized rooftop ventilation air system to allow the existing historic building corridors to remain unaffected.