Sunnyvale, CA, August 13, 2025 - The Sunnyvale Civic Center Campus, designed by SmithGroup, is unlike any municipal building in the country. The first phase of the master plan is now complete, and this fall the 170,000-square-foot facility will officially be designated as the first ground-up LEED Platinum and Net Zero Energy City Hall in the United States. We looked back on this groundbreaking, multi-phase project with Todd Kohli, Senior Principal and Landscape Architect at SmithGroup.

The City of Sunnyvale Civic Center journey began when SmithGroup was awarded the master plan in May of 2017. After an extensive and highly interactive planning process that spanned 18 months, the team started on Phase 1, which included an emergency operation center (EOC) and a new 170,000-square-foot city hall nestled within 6 acres of open space. One primary source of design inspiration? Trees.

“There were over 750 existing trees on the 26-acre campus, and through the community meetings during the master planning process, it was apparent that residents wanted to keep as many trees as possible,” Kohli says. “So, we identified a premier location within the site—an idyllic grove of existing redwood trees—that would maximize the city’s design goals while satisfying the community’s desire to preserve the natural features that they’ve come to love.”

Here’s where we came in: Kohli says QCP was specified for sustainability purposes and the regionality of materials. Our precast concrete is made in our factory in Norco, California, within 400 miles of Sunnyvale. Kohli and his team also wanted thoughtful seating elements so the space wouldn’t appear cluttered by an overabundance of vertical elements.

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Along with the tree design, Kohli and the SmithGroup team was very specific about the color — QCP Senior Sales Consultant Neil Elenzweig jokingly calls the hue “Kohli White.”

“The less dark materials are, then the less heat it will absorb,” Kohli says. “The benches by QCP were designed to be as white as possible to achieve the team’s desired solar reflectance index (SRI) values. I told QCP, ‘It has to be one of the whitest benches you've ever done.’"

The landscape design was focused on connecting the physical manifestation of tree roots with the concept of community roots. The result? Precast concrete benches with intentional, sinuous curves, as well as an amphitheater with an integrated lighting system.

“It’s all for gathering,” Kohli says. “All of the open space elements will draw people together in this democratic plaza where they can gather, hold rallies and demonstrations, and celebrate the many factors that make Sunnyvale so vibrant and unique.”

QCP is proud to work with landscape architects like SmithGroup who push the boundaries of what is possible with precast concrete. If you have a project in mind, find a QCP sales rep here to help you get started.