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RNL has been retained by the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration to design the architectural spaces associated with this new 550 acre cemetery near Bakersfield, California. These spaces include grounds maintenance facilities, a visitor’s information center, an administration building, and a committal shelter.

The design of the public spaces is based on a processional experience through the cemetery. The public spaces reference each other in material use and arrangement. The committal shelter is set as the most important space in the cemetery as this is where the burial services are held. A monumental wall serves to orient the space and as the foundation for a grand, soaring canopy. The shelter is built into a hill side creating a threshold between the committal space and the roadway. Magnificent views are framed by the canopy edges and plaza surface to encompass the serenity of the rolling hills, ancient oaks, and rock formations of the Tejon Ranch. The administration building and the visitor information center are arranged across from each other to create a threshold into a grand plaza.

These buildings are designed to achieve a minimum of a LEED Silver certification through a variety of unique strategies, including earth berming, local/native plantings, and daylighting