9th Street Office Buildings

This proposed project for the Commonwealth of Virginia is in the design phase and will address two goals: to rehabilitate the 9th Street office building sensitively and 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 the 8th (at Broad) and 9th Street buildings in 1966 to serve as state offices. Both buildings contain outdated systems, significant life safety issues, accessibility issues, and inefficiencies.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 city’s urban environment. The preliminary design for the new building will adapt to changes in the workplace and changes in the missions of its users throughout 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 ft² with a proposed below-grade parking deck (110,000 ft²) for about 200 cars. The renovation of the 9th Street office building includes 161,000 ft² 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 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 consists of 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 keep the existing historic building corridors unaffected.