Ice Block I

Designed using a modern interpretation of construction techniques common to Sacramento in the early 20th century, this mixed-use commercial infill project is one of the first contemporary, timber-framed mid-rise structures in Northern California. The building includes three stories of heavy timber framing over a concrete podium—restaurant and retail space on the ground floor, and offices on the second through fourth floors. Glulam beams and purlins, left exposed to the interior, frame the structure on a 20- by 24-foot grid, with 2 1/2-inch tongue-and-groove Douglas-fir planks between. Inside, designers cantilevered the glulam beams over the glulam columns, creating a custom connection that allows continuous beams resulting in lower bending demand. This allowed for shallower beam depths, giving the office floors a lighter, brighter and more open aesthetic.