HDR-Designed OC San Headquarters Recognized in Fast Company’s 2025 Innovation by Design Awards

HDR’s design for the Orange County Sanitation (OC San) District Headquarters has been honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards, earning recognition across three categories: Finalist in Best Design North America, Finalist in General Excellence and Honorable Mention in Sustainability and Circular Design.

The building achieves net-zero operational energy with a unique system that captures biogas from the sewage treatment process and employs photovoltaics to deliver 105% of the facility’s energy needs — a circular transformation of waste into energy, creating a regenerative building. Optimized building orientation, envelope and passive shading further contribute to net-zero operational energy by reducing external loads from solar heat gain. 

Durable, exposed mass timber paired with low-carbon concrete reduces embodied carbon by 60% and contributes to design where architecture, engineering and interiors are thoughtfully integrated. Biophilic design principles are evident throughout the space with locally sourced, red-list-free materials that eliminate the need for finishes and views to nature that create a seamless indoor-to-outdoor experience. Natural light reaches 97.5% of occupied spaces, and native vegetation increases site greenery by 300%.

“Thank you to the Orange County Sanitation District for being great clients willing to go on an aspirational design journey with HDR. OC San challenged our integrated team to deliver high-performance sustainability on a tight budget that reflects stewardship of rate-payer dollars with a design that supports the agency’s core values of integrity, inclusion, honesty, and respect for staff, customers and communities,” said Kate Diamond, HDR civic design director, based in Los Angeles. “Our great team proved that delivering regenerative design on budget is possible when ambitious goals are set from the beginning of design, delivered through construction, and nothing is designed in isolation.”

The headquarters has already earned acclaim as the 2024 Sustainable Project of the Year in the USGBC California Green Building Awards and continues to serve as a model for cost-conscious, high-performance public investment.