C.W. Driver completes $110 million civic centre project in Newport Beach

Located at 100 Civic Center Drive, next to the Newport Beach Central Library, the civic centre and park is spread over 117, 000 square feet.

The project has expanded the two-storey library by adding 17,000 square feet and a second entrance on the north side that effectively connects the library to the City Hall and park. The project also includes a new 450-space parking structure, an 88,000 square feet office building, and a community room and city council chambers totaling a combined 12,000 square feet.

The parking structure can accommodate 450 spaces, 100 of which are allotted to the library, and can be accessed from the main entrance to the Civic Center or from the library’s parking area.

The new Civic Center, which officially opens in May, is currently slated for LEED Silver certification, with the possibility of LEED Gold.

In addition to that the new project also includes the city’s fifth-largest park at 14 acres, with it’s first-ever dog park. Connecting the south and north park parcels, the new pedestrian bridge provides views of the park, Civic Center and Pacific Ocean. It also decreases the impact of pedestrian traffic crossing the busy San Miguel Avenue.

Housing about 220 employees, the new City Hall also features a 150-seat City Council Chambers, an emergency readiness centre, a new community room and a one-stop permit centre. It features a glass and steel exterior with a wave-like roof to give the building an iconic look. Special features have been incorporated in the building to maximise wind and solar efficiency. The building is projected to save more than $85,000 per year in energy costs compared to a traditional new building.

The project has been developed in three phases with the first phase started in May 2010, which included massive dirt removal and shoring work to prepare for the new parking structure and park. The second phase included constructing the parking structure, and began in early 2011 while the final phase of the project began in early 2011, encompassing the library, park and city hall building construction.