About Us:
Architectural Nexus is a people driven, employee-owned, architectural design firm focused on stewardship, inspiration, and regeneration. We have offices in Sacramento, California and in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our Sacramento office is located in the Historic R Street community and is the only Certified Living Building in California.

Position Description:
We are seeking a talented and motivated licensed architect to work in our Sacramento Office. The successful candidate will work with an integrative team through all phases of design including programming and planning, to develop and document holistic designs for a variety of project types. Applicants should be prepared to collaborate across disciplines to create regenerative places that enrich people’s lives through. Applicants should enjoy working in a collaborative environment, demonstrate strong communication and design skills, a self-starter, and a problem solver.

Benefits:

• Arch Nexus is an ESOP (employee-owned company)
• Excellent medical and dental benefits
• Matching 401(k) plan
• Twice yearly incentive and accountability bonus program
• Holiday and vacation benefits
• Paid volunteer opportunities
• 6 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of gender

Skills and Qualifications:

• Licensed Architect in the State of California
• Proficient with Autodesk Revit
• 6 years of architecture design experience
• Ability to work quickly and be deadline oriented
• DSA experience a plus
• LEED accreditation a plus

Email resumes to:

Brian Cassil, LEED AP, BD+C

Principal | Director of Communications

bcassil@archnexus.com

Thanks for sending your resume; we look forward to getting to know you.

About Us:
Architectural Nexus is a people driven, employee-owned, architectural design firm focused on stewardship, inspiration and regeneration. We have offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and in Sacramento, California. Our Sacramento office is located in the Historic R Street community and is the only Certified Living Building in California.

Position Description:
We are looking for a talented and motivated individual to be the receptionist in our Sacramento Office. We offer competitive compensation and a complete benefit package.

Responsibilities:
Happily greet visitors, colleagues, and clients
Answer multi-line phone system and direct calls to appropriate personnel
Sort and distribute mail
Maintain company calendar
Order supplies
Order food and pick up and delivery
Arrange and communicate travel itineraries
Assist with scheduling conference rooms, company vehicles, and office equipment
Other general clerical duties

Benefits:
Arch Nexus is an ESOP (employee-owned company)
Excellent medical and dental benefits
Matching 401(k) plan
Twice yearly incentive and accountability bonus program
Holiday and vacation benefits
Paid volunteer opportunities
6 weeks of paid parental leave regardless of gender

Skills and Qualifications:
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite
Professional demeanor and presentation
Experience managing calendars
Strong verbal and written communication
Reception/administrative assistance experience required
Travel coordination
Event planning
Must be punctual and maintain regular attendance
Microsoft Project, MasterSpec and Adobe Suite a plus
Experience working in a professional services office (architecture, engineering, legal, etc.) a plus

Email resumes to:

Brian Cassil, LEED AP, BD+C

Principal | Director of Communications

bcassil@archnexus.com

Thanks for sending your resume; we look forward to getting to know you.

Officials from the City of Sacramento recently gathered at Arch Nexus SAC, to announce an ordinance requiring new homes, low-rise apartment buildings and commercial structures to run entirely on electricity starting in 2023. The City Council approved the ordinance, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

“We are talking about setting the new standard for building construction in Sacramento,“ said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. The setting of the announcement was fitting, as the Arch Nexus SAC office is powered entirely by solar-generated electricity.

For complete details on Sacramento’s plan, visit the City’s new building electrification ordinance webpage. Interested parties can also learn more about electrification efforts nationwide, in this 2020 article from The Sierra Club.

The Sacramento City Council is poised to take a major step toward meeting its climate change goals when it votes Tuesday on an ordinance requiring new homes, low-rise apartment buildings and commercial structures to run entirely on electricity starting in 2023.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg will join the leaders of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District to highlight the benefits of the ordinance. Speakers will also include a representative from the environmental community and an infill developer. The press conference will be held at the Sacramento headquarters of architectural firm Architectural Nexus (Archnexus), the first certified living building in California and one powered entirely by solar-generated electricity. Read more here. Archnexus will offer media tours after the program. Attached to this advisory is a summary of the ordinance and frequently asked questions.

• What: Press conference on electrification ordinance coming to City Council on June 1
• When: 11:30 a.m., Thursday, May 27
• Where: Archnexus building, 930 R St. (in back parking lot, under solar panels)
• Who:

Mayor Darrell Steinberg

Paul Lau, CEO and General Manager, Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Alberto Ayala, Executive Director, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District

Kendra Macias Reed, Sacramento City Planning Commissioner and infill developer

Kate Wilkins, environmental scientist and board member of 350 Sac, a local group working to fight climate change

Cheryl McMurtry, Associate, Arch Nexus

Summary of electrification ordinance

Sacramento has some of the worst air quality in the nation. Burning gas in our cars or in our homes not only contributes to dirtier air and ozone, but it exacerbates risk for respiratory disease. Burning gas also creates greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. When new buildings use electricity rather than natural gas, these buildings are not just better for the environment and the health of those living in them, but they are also cheaper in almost every development type. Studies show that residents in these new electric buildings will also save hundreds of dollars in electricity costs. Constructing new buildings to be all-electric takes advantage of the clean power that SMUD produces, maximizing the benefit of SMUD’s commitment to zero-carbon electricity by 2030.

Shifting new buildings to electricity ensures they are clean, affordable, and resilient. This is why building electrification is a key principal for the 2040 General Plan, as committed by the City Council.

By constructing new buildings to use only electric appliances, Sacramento can realize cost reductions and benefits in health and air quality improvements.

The New Building Electrification Ordinance takes a balanced, phased approach. With delayed effectiveness that varies based on development size and type, the City is ensuring that developers have time to adequately plan and prepare for implementation. The ordinance includes limited exemptions and an infeasibility process, to accommodate technical challenges and ensure that the ordinance is not a barrier to construction.

Key points:

• What is the ordinance? The ordinance requires that new buildings be all-electric, with no gas or propane infrastructure. The ordinance slowly ramps in by development type and size, from 2023 to 2026, starting with residential and commercial buildings of three stories or less.
• What does the ordinance apply to?
  • Only to new buildings, with limited exemptions and a process to accommodate infeasibility.
  • The ordinance does not apply to existing buildings, remodels of existing buildings, tenant improvements, or expansions.
• Who will this affect? Only those developing new buildings. The ordinance doesn’t apply to existing construction.
• Why is the City doing this?
  • Electrifying new buildings is a key strategy to ensure new buildings are efficient, clean, and resilient. In August 2020, City Council prioritized the ordinance as a critical near-term action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate goals. The ordinance advances a key recommendation of the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change.
  • When you use gas in your home, such as a gas stove for cooking food, the combustion creates air pollutants – not only does this pollution create dirtier air and contribute to ozone, but studies have shown that using a gas stove increases the likelihood of asthma in children by 42%.
  • Long-term, electric buildings are more resilient and can use the renewable power that SMUD generates. SMUD has committed to 100% clean power by 2030.
  • Electric buildings will save residents money over time. One study estimated that over a 30-year period, residents in new electric construction would pay less in energy bills by approximately $5,349 in single family housing and $2,337 in low-rise multi-family.^[1] SMUD also has the lowest electricity rates in the state, meaning that going all-electric in Sacramento will yield the biggest ratepayer benefits.

• What about costs to build new construction? Building without gas is cheaper  in almost all circumstances, and SMUD incentives are available to further reduce costs.
  • Accounting for both the City’s EV standards and all-electric requirements for residential buildings, data suggests that construction savings ranges from over $6,000 (for a mid-rise, ~88-unit development) to over $60,000 (for a low-rise multi-family project with 8 dwelling units), based on cost-effectiveness studies for SMUD territory.^[2]
  • Construction costs for all-electric high-rise multi-family vary depending on project design and how hot water heating is addressed, but are offset by SMUD incentive. While the cost increase for all-electric mid- to high-rise unit can range from a savings of $228 per unit to a cost increase of $557 per dwelling unit, SMUD electric incentives range from $1,750 – $5,000 unit, offsetting the cost.
  • Also, gas rates are forecasted to increase because gas infrastructure is costly to maintain and keep safe. Residential gas costs are forecasted to increase from just about $1.3 per residential therm today to an estimated $18 per therm in 2050^[3]  (the average home in Sacramento uses about 300 therms per year; without a managed transition, annual average home gas costs in Sacramento would increase from approximately $400/year today to over $5,400/year in 2050).
• Why is the City doing this now in the midst of COVID19? New development often takes years to plan. By passing the ordinance now, Council is sending a strong signal to inform financial decisions and infrastructure planning, so that developers are ready for implementation when the ordinance goes into effect in 2023.
• How will this impact new business and housing construction?
  • The ordinance includes limited exemptions and infeasibility process, to ensure it does not place a barrier on business or housing development. This means that new restaurants can build with a gas stove, or a new manufacturing facility could include gas equipment for high-intensity process loads where technology may not be widely available. Hot water heating in regulated affordable housing is also exempt from the ordinance until 12/31/25.
  • Stakeholders will be invited to advise staff to develop infeasibility criteria, to ensure that the process is clear and transparent for applicants, and to identify technologies that may not be market ready, or project-specific conditions that may make all-electric infeasible. A range of representatives will be involved including those representing manufacturing, business, development, restaurants, equity and environmental justice perspectives, cultural perspectives, technical and engineering expertise, and labor.
  • The City will work closely with SMUD to ensure availability of educational materials and resources to assist developers with the transition to all-electric construction.
• What other cities have done this? 44 other cities in California have adopted electrification ordinances that are in effect already or go into effect before 2023, including San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
• What about existing buildings?
  • The ordinance does not regulate existing buildings, and there’s no proposed requirements to retrofit or replace of appliances in existing buildings.
  • On June 1^st, staff are also recommending a framework to City Council for an 18-month planning process to evaluate options and develop a strategy to decarbonize existing buildings over the next twenty-five years. To develop this strategy, the City will conduct a technical analysis and lead extensive stakeholder engagement. The proposed framework does not include new retrofit mandates, but outlines a planning process to develop recommendations for City Council.

Architectural Nexus President, Kenner Kingston, was recently interviewed for the Wasatch Gazette that airs on Cumulus radio stations B98.7, KBER, KKAT, K-BULL and Power 94.9. Check out their conversation regarding the new Arch Nexus SLC building, right here.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, commonly known as LEED, is an official recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council. It verifies that a project complies with the requirements prescribed within the LEED rating systems. Becoming LEED certified allows a building to prove its sustainability through measurable criteria in a variety of areas.

The Nexus designed Kearns Library has achieved the status of LEED Gold Certification, meaning that it has met stringent benchmarks of quality and environmentally sustainable infrastructure. Areas where the Kearns Library design scored the highest, include:

Energy and Atmosphere. With optimal energy performance, advanced energy metering, renewable energy production and Green Power and Carbon Offsets, Energy and Atmosphere is where the Kearns Library ranks highest.

Innovation. Arch Nexus demonstrated innovation starting with social equity within the Project team. At least 40 weighted products within the design have Environmental Product Declarations provided. Additionally, the Kearns library not only meets the requirement for exemplary performance of 54%, it far exceed that measurement at 78.3%.

Regional Priority Credits. Regional Priority Credits are unique to the projects location. They address geographically specific environmental, social equity, and public health priorities. The Kearns Library scored well for its bicycle facilities, optimizing energy performance and its renewable energy production.

We love the latest cover story of Utah Construction and Design Magazine: Community Embodied A Library Grows In Kearns. Of the 35,00 square foot facility that was completed in 2020, UC&D Editor, Taylor Larsen writes;

The Kearns Library is unlike any library I’ve ever seen, while all at once being everything one can be and more. At every corner and description, I don’t think I’ve seen a more impressive building given what it stands for and achieves. It’s a community space, it’s a refuge, it’s a treasure trove of knowledge, and ultimately, it’s a library. Getting from a community-centric idea all began with a little bit of outreach from designers at Arch Nexus to see what Kearns and its residents would want out of their new library. The final product centers around sustainability, accessibility, and community.

Download the full issue to learn all about how architects engaged with the community, worked to preserve the past and the many ways in which the design taps into nature.

Gone are the days of the shushing librarian. In their place comes one well-versed in all of the resources this building and its programming have to offer… With a library that perfectly encapsulates the community, it’s evident: this is their space.

In 1935 the Sprague Library was named the “Most Beautiful Library Branch in America.” A Devastating flood in 2017 left the building badly in need of a revamp. Working together, Architectural Nexus and Margaret Sullivan Studio took on the task of maintaining the library’s historic charm, while meeting the modern needs of the community. The project highlights the important historical features while rehabilitating the space into a 21st Century Human-Centered library that activates every square foot of the library.

This isn’t the first time that Principal Architect Jeff Davis has worked on a historic structure, Davis has worked on at least seven other historical sites in Utah and California. When asked about his favorite feature of the newly renovated space, he says it’s the people in the space that are using it. “My favorite architectural feature is hard to pinpoint. I like the use of color to highlight historic elements and the use of color and pattern to bring interest throughout the spaces. I also love the use of Sugar House motifs used throughout floor, glass, and wall coverings that have a more modern feel but are actual recognizable elements from the history of sugarhouse like the Nucor popcorn sign, the sputnik, and the custom sugar beet railing and the custom sugar beet carpet inlays.”

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Public Library says “Inside [the Sprague Library] patrons will find a bright, colorful, and welcoming space, with updates that complement the building’s vintage style.” Click here to read a news article about the recent ribbon cutting ceremony and public opening.

Architectural Nexus President, Kenner Kingston, is slated to appear on the ABC4/CW30 program IN FOCUS, at 7PM MST, Thursday, April 29th. Innovative Architecture is the topic of this episode. Kenner will discuss the Arch Nexus SLC Living Building project, which aims to be the first commercial living building in Utah. Check back for a link to the segment after it airs.

Architectural Nexus, one of the top 100 national green architecture firms, has taken the challenges presented by the Covid Pandemic and created an opportunity. While employees have been working remotely at Arch Nexus SLC, the firm’s headquarters has been undergoing a major renovation with the goal of becoming the first commercial building in Utah to achieve Living Building Certification.

According to American Lung Association 2020 State of the Air Report, Salt Lake City ranks 7^th for worst air quality among U.S. cities. Challenges such as air and water pollution continue to threaten both worldwide and regional environmental health. Buildings are responsible for 40 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Recent advances in building technology as well as building codes have demonstrated some effectiveness in reducing the amount of environmental damage that buildings cause, however, experts worry that the improvements are coming too slowly.

“This innovative project shows how we can lead the way, one building at a time, in addressing the serious air quality challenges that Salt Lake City faces. Arch Nexus SLC will be an extraordinary community asset that serves to both inspire and set a new standard for our community’s health and quality of life,” states Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is a philosophy, certification, and advocacy platform for projects to move beyond merely being less bad and to become truly regenerative. Living Buildings function as a part of the natural ecosystem both using and providing resources in the same way as any natural element such as a flower or a tree would. As a Living Building, Arch Nexus SLC will incorporate a number of regenerative features including:

• Net Positive Energy – By combining ultra-efficiency with on-site power generation via solar canopies, the building will generate more energy than it consumes on an annual basis.
• Net Positive Water – Rain water collection and gray water recycling will be implemented for all non-potable uses such as indoor and outdoor irrigation as well as flushing.
• Healthy Environment – Building materials were intentionally selected, with priority given to reclaimed and local materials, so as to promote both environmental and human health.
• Biophillic Design – Living walls, nature inspired murals, and abundant daylight will provide beauty and inspiration to the occupants and visitors within and around the building.

In 2018 Arch Nexus SAC, the office for Architectural Nexus in Sacramento, Ca., became the first certified Living Building in the state of California. Kenner B. Kingston, Arch Nexus President and 2018 Living Future Hero, says, “When we embarked on the Arch Nexus SAC project, one of our many goals was to harvest regenerative design philosophy and knowledge from California and bring it to the Intermountain West. This project is the exciting evolution of that story.”

In addition to the regenerative aspects, the newly renovated office will feature a diverse assortment of working environments, including open work spaces, hoteling offices, focus rooms, lounge areas, design labs, state of the art tele-communications systems, community meeting spaces, courtyards, café, and a gym. Julie Berreth, Arch Nexus VP of Operations and Principal in Charge of the project has this to say about the enthusiasm leading up to moving in, “As we regenerate our building to the bold LBC criteria, we are also reinventing our whole way of working together. We’ll have many choices for comfort, and many opportunities to learn from those around us. We’re excited to be together again and we delight in the success of our reimagined workplace.”

For more information, including renderings, construction photos, video, and a virtual reality tour, please visit http://www.archnexus.com/arch-nexus-slc/. For media inquiries, please contact Brian Cassil at 801-671-3344 or bcassil@archnexus.com.