Newport Beach Civic Center

The City of Newport Beach now has a 17-acre Civic Center complex featuring a TENARA® Fabric façade to match the surrounding community’s coastal lifestyle, beauty and commitment to sustainability.

Newport Beach, CA, is both a bustling residential community and popular tourist destination. Its city limits contain the largest recreational harbor on the West Coast and a variety of arts and cultural institutions. Yet until this year, the city, which encourages green building, operated out of an obsolete, sprawling City Hall that failed to meet seismic safety and ADA standards.

But now, with contributions from SEFAR® Architecture, Newport Beach’s newly-completed, LEED Silver-certified City Hall epitomizes the city’s identity as a waterfront community. The main building’s roof forms a wave, while a curved fabric “sail,” made from TENARA® Fabric, envelops the adjoining double-height council chambers. When viewed through the fabric facade, the sheen of the chambers’ zinc cladding creates an effect reminiscent of light shimmering on the ocean.

Eide Industries, Inc. completed the fabrication and installation of the three-dimensional tensioned fabric curtain wall structure to meet BCJ Architects’ vision. The BCJ Project has since won the AIA Orange County 2013 Honor Award for Design, and 2013 Members Choice Award.