Merit Award

Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Sacramento, CA

AECOM

Lead Landscape Architect: James Haig Streeter

Client: Sacramento Kings

Sports venues are defining landmarks in many cities, but their lofty aspirations often go unmet. The typical venue sits on the outskirts, surrounded by parking lots, bulky and uninviting, idle much of the time, consuming costly quantities of energy and water when in use.

Sacramentoäó»s Golden 1 Center reverses this model through close collaboration between urban designers, landscape architects, architects and engineers, together with an ambitious client. The result is the first LEED Platinum arena, the worldäó»s most sustainable indoor venue. A downtown arena imbued with regional culture, Golden 1 Center is a year-round hub of activity, a world-class entertainment destination and new heart of the city.

The landscape led master plan restores the historic street grid, reconnecting old town, downtown, and midtown, forming the new Downtown Commons, DOCO, mixed-use retail district. With strong public transportation connections, DOCO with the arena at its center, welcomes the public daily with an open plaza for pre-event activities, farmers markets, or simply enjoying the shade trees, art and sculptured seating in a vibrant setting.