Libeskind’s First California Project Reshapes Sacramento Skyline

Libeskind calls the 400-foot-tall building “a sculpture that changes with light and the season.”

Meaghan O'Neill -- Interior Design, 4/27/2006

Situated in the heart of downtown Sacramento, California, the Aura condominium tower at 601 Capitol Mall is reshaping the city’s skyline with a much more modern view. The building, designed by Daniel Libeskind and developed by BCN Development of Denver, both embraces the architect’s signature sculptural forms and steps up the capital city’s architecture a notch.

Rising more than 400 feet above the city’s floor, the 38-story luxury residential tower features a luminous glass façade wrapped with translucent bands of balconies cut by curvilinear lines, which will provide residents with sweeping views of the city and surrounding landscape when it opens in 2007. The 256-unit building will also feature street-level dining, a sidewalk café, a fountain with sculptures, and a pedestrian-friendly lobby, all in the name of encouraging interaction between the tower and lively public space outside. Inside the residences, 10-foot ceilings open up 700-square-foot one-bedroom condos, the 4,400-square-foot penthouse, and everything in between. Other amenities include a landscaped garden, spa facilities, and 24-hour concierge services.

“The sculpted form of the building, its lightweight construction and luminosity, and its seamless interior spaces create an iconic whole greater than the sum of its parts,” says the architect, who is best known for master planning the new World Trade Center site and for designing the Jewish Museum Berlin. He calls Aura, which is his first project in California, “a sculpture that changes with light and the season.”

Libeskind has brought “a sense of energy and vibrancy to the city,” says Craig Nassi, founder and CEO of BCN. A developer for high-end, mixed-use, luxury properties, BCN currently has a combined real estate portfolio valued at more than $500 million.