SANTA MONICA CITY HALL: EAST
SANTA MONICA, 2020
PROJECT
A globally inspiring facility, Santa Monica City Hall East is quite possibly the most sustainable municipal building in the world. This high profile project has been years in the making and created waves in the Green Building community for pushing the envelope, setting new standards and legitimizing “fringe” green technologies in the first municipal Living Building Challenge (LBC) certified building in the world. The city of Santa Monica had to address and change their own building codes just to make this building possible. It converts rainwater to potable drinking water, treats all its own waste onsite (sewage and otherwise), produces its own electricity, and sourced as many healthy materials within a 100 mile proximity.
PROJECT SERVICES
Design
Fabrication
Installation
Project Management
Chain of Custody
Custom Milling
Urban Lumber Consultancy
PRODUCTS
Conference Tables (Incense Cedar)
Communal Tables (Melaleuca quinquenervia)
Courtyard Benches (Deodar Cedar)
Building Dedication Plaque (Incense Cedar)
SPECIES & SOURCE
Incense Cedar from Santa Monica
Deodar Cedar from Beverly Hills
Melaleuca quinquenervia from Santa Monica
Project Team
City of Santa Monica, Client
Frederick Fisher and Partners, Architect
Nate Stefanelli Design Build, Fabricator
2ndwnd interdisciplinary Design Studio, Fabricator
RAD Furniture, Fabricator
Mark Anderson, Fabricator
INCENSE-CEDAR
A native to the inland forests of California, the Incense-Cedar is commonly seen at elevations of 2,000 - 9,000 ft. As John Muir describes, “in it’s prime, the whole tree is thatched with (beautiful fern-like plums) so they shed off rain and snow like a roof, making fine mansions for storm-bound birds and mountaineers”. Indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada used the tree’s durable fibrous bark to make huts called “oochums”, weave bark fiber for basketry, and turned the wood into hunting bows.
Incense-Cedar is appropriately named for this tree whose heartwood is used for fragrant cedar chests and gives off an aromatic smell when milled, bringing you back to sharpening pencils at school. Most pencils you see today are made from this tree as it sharpens easily without splintering. The wood is soft, lightweight and is rot resistance making it great for exterior house siding or interior paneling.
MELALEUCA QUINQUENERVIA or PAPERBARK TREE
Another tree endemic to Australia but does well in Southern California is the Melaleuca or Paperbark tree. On the east coast of Australia, this tree grows along estuary margins and enjoys swampy and silty soil. It is widely used by indigenous Australians as a brew was made from the bruised young aromatic leaves to treat colds, headaches and general sickness. The paper-like bark is used traditionally for making carrying vessels, shelter, wrapping baked food and lining ground ovens. These trees bark is spongy to the touch but yields hard, tight grain, excellent lumber that can be used for fencing and furniture.
DEODAR CEDAR
The Deodar Cedar tree comes from the Western Himalayas. In Sanskrit it is called “Devadaru,” which translates to “wood of the gods.” For centuries, Hindu scholars have given homage to Shiva in the shade of Deodar forests in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Afghani and Tibetan spiritual leaders have found refuge and inspiration there as well. These mystical tree’s are endemic to mountains at elevations ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Now, Deodars flourish throughout the elevated Santa Monica Mountain and San Gabriel Mountain ranges.
Deodar Cedar’s golden heartwood hue, natural clear-grain tendency, high resin content, and closed tight grain excels in both exterior and interior applications. Since Angel City Lumber’s conception, Deodar Cedar has been a fan favorite.
