Cal Oaks Plaza

Type: Commercial – Retail Restaurant

Building Method: Type 5, wood frame, stud and stucco

Cal Oaks Plaza, located in Pasadena, CA. is just across the street from the Huntington Memorial Hospital at the busy intersection of Fairoaks Blvd and California Blvd. The project consists of two new commercial buildings and the refurbishment of an older historical building to accommodate a new retail tenant. The older building was originally a warehouse built of red clay brick and a heavy timber truss wood roof structure with roll roofing on top. To remodel the building for the retail tenant the old interior partitions were demolished and removed and new openings cut into the brick walls for new storefront windows and entry doors. The shell building was then structurally upgraded with seismic restraints to support the building in the case of an earthquake. The finished product left the brick and wood roof structure exposed for a very authentic historic feel next to the new and modern retail tenant improvements. The two new buildings that are part of the project are constructed using spread footings with slab on grade foundation, wood stud framed walls and pre-engineered roof trusses. The exteriors are plaster with large cornice moldings and fabric window shades to achieve a historic look. The shell buildings have high roof parapets to conceal the roof mounted air conditioning equipment. The design includes large storefront glass facing the street to enhance the appearance of the businesses. The parking lot is asphalt pavement with stripes and bumpers and fully landscaped with automatic irrigation. The interior of the shell buildings, like pre-engineered metal buildings, are column free to enhance flexibility in tenant improvement design. Since the buildings are built right at the back of the city sidewalk there had to be pedestrian protection installed and maintained throughout the construction process. Landscaping included planting several new palm trees to keep that Southern California Feeling.