Civic Centre opens in San Ramon

The City Centre Bishop Ranch (CCBR) – a retail hub and civic attraction designed by architect Renzo Piano – recently opened in San Ramon.

Comprised of two three-storey structures, the $300 million complex draws influence both from Renaissance-era piazzas and the meandering hills of the nearby Diablo mountain range, according to CLAD News.

The 300,000-square-foot shopping district has several restaurants on-site as well as a bowling alley, a 10-screen multiplex – dubbed “The Lot” – and an Equinox spa and fitness facility.

Described by San Francisco’s Urban Land Institute as “a modern public square for the Bay Area’s Tri-Valley region,” the CCBR development has been in the works since 2013 and forms part of the expansive Bishop Ranch business park.

To bring it to life, planners at Sunset Development recruited RPBW and BAR Architects; the team was later joined by landscape specialists Burton Landscape Architecture Studio and structural engineering advisers Magnusson Klemencic Associates.