Best of California 2007

A panel of 10 contractor, architecture, developer and association professionals selected 36 projects as the best in California during the past year. Additionally, this year we are honoring other firms and individuals that have contributed greatly to the California construction industry in the past year.

This year’s impressive lineup of www.california.construction.com projects includes a super-green museum, an innovative learning

Judges complex, a sleek and highly Roger O. Williams, Mark Gudenas, Swinerton Builders efficient bridge, a sustainable McCarthy Building Cos. Brett Young, Cahill Constructors animal services center and a Robert J. York, David Avila, Avila Design whole downtown neighborhood. JCM Group/Heery International Russell Snyder, These and all the other winners Hraztan Zeitlian, LEO A DALY Associated General Contractors are the result of outstanding Andrew Wiktorowicz, Western of California Council of Construction Consumers teams of professionals overcom- J. Guadalupe Flores, Larry Hollis, Rosendin Electric ing daunting challenges to Flewelling & Moody Architects achieve a successful project.

1 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco Top Overall Project Outstanding Architectural Design Winner Green Building Winner

Everything about the new academy is ceiling glass walls; three-story structural big – from its 409,000 sq ft of research, exhibi- steel/concrete African Hall exhibit; three- The main sustainable features include: tion, educational and office space, to the 60,000 story structural concrete • Energy efficiency – 5% of the building’s photovoltaic cells on the “living roof ” that also retail/restaurant/auditorium space; glass- total energy use will be supplied through the features 1.7 million native California plants, enclosed rainforest dome; planetarium dome; photovoltaic cells installed in the perimeter from its $400 million price tag to the seven miles 53,000 sq ft of radiant floor exhibition hall; canopy system of the roof. of pipe in the Steinhart Aquarium. split-level basement housing aquarium life • Daylight – 90% of all spaces occupied for But what the owners really want to promote critical visual tasks (research, collection and is the facility’s sustainability – it will be the coun- Judges’ Comments administration) will be provided with a min- try’s first LEED platinum museum and it will “Totally unique.” imum daylight and view factor of 2%. definitively express the academy’s mission to • Innovation – exhibits to promote sus- explore, explain and protect the natural world. “The top project of the year, tainability will be showcased within the This world-renowned natural history museum, including displays of the building museum will house the Steinhart Aquarium no doubt about it.” itself as an example of sustainable prac- (the oldest such facility in the U.S.), Morrison tices. Modern programs for alternative Planetarium, millions of scientific specimens support systems; and a concrete-topped transportation will also be incorporated and thousands of live animals. It consists of a structural steel frame topographical garden for employees and visitors. five-story structural concrete research/collec- roof. tions/administration building with floor-to-

2 California Construction 12/2007 Northern California—Best of 2007

• Water efficiency – the use of high-effi- cooling. The openings in the roof domes will • Wood use – at least 50% of the wood is ciency irrigation technology, such as micro- create a stack effect on the exhibit floors, Forest Stewardship Council-certified. irrigation systems, moisture sensors, and drawing in fresh cool air from below and • Insulation – the buildings walls are insu- weather database controllers will be incor- exhaling warm air out the roof. Academy lated with recycled cotton fiber from blue porated to reduce water usage. staff will enjoy operable windows in their jeans. • Indoor Air Quality – a permanent offices. • Reduced heat island effect – in addition entryway system will be installed to capture • The living roof – the largest in the nation to the living roof system, a minimum of 30% dirt, particulate matter, and other pollu- (2.5 acres), with the 1.7 million plants pro- of non-roof impervious surfaces (including tants from entering the building at all high viding a thermal insulating layer for the parking lots, walkways, and plazas) will be volume entryways. The new building will building while reducing storm water run-off under shade. << rely on extensive natural ventilation for (estimated at 2 million gallons per year).

Project Team Engineering and Sustainability Consulting San Francisco; Deck West Inc., Stockton; Environmental Tree & Owner Arup, San Francisco Design, Tomball, Texas; Geo Grout California Academy of Sciences, Major subcontractors: Alcal Roofing & Inc., South San Francisco; Josef San Francisco Insulation, Hayward; Architectural Glass Gartner USA, Schaumburg, Ill.; ISEC, & Aluminum, Oakland; Jos. J. Albanese Fremont; Irwin Seating Co., Camino; General Contractor Inc., Santa Clara; ACCO Engineered Irwin Telescopic Seating Co., Webcor Builders, San Francisco Systems, San Leandro; AD-In Inc., Altamont, Ill.; Jensen Corp., Fremont; Andrew M. Jordan Inc. (dba Architects Cupertino; Kadee Industries, A&B Construction), San Francisco; Cleveland; KHS&S, Concord; BT Designed by Renzo Piano Building Alliance Roofing, San Jose; Avar Mancini Co., Milpitas; Martin M. Ron Workshop in collaboration with Stantec Construction Systems, Campbell; Bigge Associates, San Francisco; McGill Architecture (formerly Chong Crane & Rigging, San Leandro; Blue’s Erection and Welding, Hayward; Partners), Genoa, Italy, and San Roofing Co., San Jose; Big D Monterey Mechanical, Oakland; Francisco, respectively. Landscape Metalworks, Dallas; COMTEL, Santa Northstar Fire Protection, Egan, architect is SWA Group, Clara; Concourse Landscape, San Minn.; Otis Elevator, San Francisco; San Francisco Francisco; Control Air Conditioning Partition Specialties, San Rafael; Corp., Hayward; Dees Hennessey Inc., Peninsulators Inc., San Jose; Pacific San Carlos; Dolan Concrete, San Jose; States Environmental, Dublin; D&J Tile, San Carlos; Stuart Dean Co., Regional Steel Corp., Tracy; Rosendin Electric, San Jose; Rana Creek Habitat Restoration, Carmel Valley; Rite Hite Corp., Milwaukee; Reynolds Polymer Technology, Grand Junction, Colo.; Ralto Inc., San Leandro; Service Metal Products, Oakland; Sheedy Drayage Co., San Francisco; SME/Steel Contractors, West Jordon, Utah; Systems Concepts Inc., South San Francisco; Sky Rider Equipment Co., Anaheim; CE Toland & Son, Benicia; Tera Lite Inc., San Jose; Tuan & Robinson Structural Engineers, San Francisco; United California Glass & Door, San Francisco; Valley Sheet Metal Co., South San Francisco; Visual Acuity Ltd., Virginia Beach, Vir.; Won Door Corp., Salt Lake City; Weatherly Striping Co., San Carlos; Webcor Concrete Group, San Mateo; Xypex, Novato

3 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Berkeley City College, Berkeley Higher Education Winner

ering spot, a circulation hub and central entryway with elevators and open stairs Project Team arriving and departing at all six floors. The Owner atrium is crowned by a monumental 80-ft Peralta Community College District, by 50-ft skylight, which floods the building Oakland with natural light. And an exhaust grille ringing the skylight turns the atrium into a General Contractor very efficient ductless air return system for SJ Amoroso Construction, Redwood City the entire building. Architect The U.S. Green Building Council recently Ratcliff, Emeryville awarded the building a LEED Silver desig- Project Management nation, earning the honor by its promotion Swinerton Management & Consulting, of urban redevelopment and incorporation San Francisco of various energy-efficient design elements. In addition to the life-cycle savings of its Key subcontractors: Forell/Elsesser (structural and civil engineers), energy-efficient design, the new building San Francisco; Taylor Engineering has already earned the district $129,000 in (mechanical engineer), Alameda; cash incentives from Pacific Gas & Electric The Engineering Enterprise (electrical Co.’s Savings by Design program. engineer), Alameda; SJ Engineers Project architect Mike Matson of (plumbing engineer), Oakland Ratcliff says expansive, high performance Other green elements include: glass curtain walls were used to convey • Energy Efficiency -- The building is over transparency and openness to the commu- 40% more energy efficient than the base- nity while admitting northern light and line. The keys to this accomplishment are views of the nearby hills. intelligent building controls, and energy- taminants were reduced through a rigor- This new $46 million, six-story college efficient mechanical systems, lighting, and ous selection process of interior finishes, building houses 20 lecture rooms, 15 labs building “envelope” design, such as white adhesives, and sealants that limit the emis- and a 250-seat auditorium. roofing to reduce the “urban heat island sion of volatile organic compounds A challenge for a single building on a effect.” (VOCs) and the design of mechanical systems that respond to heightened carbon Judges’ Comments dioxide levels. • Construction Waste Diversion -- This “It’s unusual that in a tight site a totally vertical project diverted 998 tons (77%) of con- building can provide so much natural daylighting.” struction waste from landfill. • Recycled Content and Local/Regional landlocked, tight site was replicating such • Water Efficiency -- Berkeley City Materials -- Ratcliff says it selected build- desirable campus amenities as courtyards College is 34% more water efficient than a ing materials and finishes with high recy- and plazas that offer sunlight, air and com- comparable building, due to low-flow sen- cled content and 30% of those materials mon gathering ground. The oval six-story sor-controlled plumbing fixtures. were manufactured from raw materials atrium is the campus quad and social gath- • Indoor Air Quality -- Indoor air con- within the region. <<

4 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California North Tower Addition, Memorial Medical Center, Modesto Healthcare Winner

Project Team

Owner

Sutter Health, Sacramento

General Contractor

Skanska USA Building, Oakland

Architect

Chong Partners, San Francisco

Main Engineers

KPFF, San Francisco; Ainsworth & Associates, Sacramento; Mazzetti & Associates, Sacramento

Key subcontractors: Anning Johnson, San Francisco; Bergelectric, Sacramento; Solecon, Modesto; Conco, Concord; California Drywall, San Francisco; Apex Painting, Modesto; Capitol Builders Hardware, Sacramento; Located at the heart of the existing remodeling of the existing dietary building Memorial Medical Center campus, this required as well as complete campus utility Clark Pacific, West Sacramento; Kings project consists of a seven-story, 376,000- upgrades. Roofing, Patterson; Trane, Sacramento; sq-ft surgical center with a below grade Due to the positioning of this addition, Otis Elevator, North Highlands; J.S. basement and a fully enclosed mechanical all demolition and construction occurred Perrott and Co., Portland, Ore. penthouse. directly adjacent to the active dietary facili-

Judges’ Comments performed the erection of 3,300 tons of “Understated, subtle blending of form and function.” structural steel with the support of the firm’s Washington division without inci- In addition, the North Tower Addition is ty, labor and delivery unit and administra- dent (and very little staging). supported by a new 33,000-sq-ft central tion services. Although just a few feet away Additionally, the recast utilidor was utility plant connected to the North Tower from these services, general contractor placed without any impact to the existing by a 300-ft precast utility tunnel. Skanska USA Building was able to not only facility while relocating or rerouting more In order to fit up the addition, there was successfully orchestrate the work, it self- than 72 unidentified utility services. <<

5 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Hilton San Francisco Financial District Hospitality Winner

Project Team Owner Justice Investors LP, San Francisco General Contractor Cahill Construction, San Francisco Architect Gensler, San Francisco Major subcontractors: KPFF (structural engineers), San Francisco; Marx-Okubo Associates (construction consultant), San Francisco; Revolver Design (lighting consultant), San Francisco

The entry feature is a millstone that floats between the elevator masses, incorporating a water feature, and setting the tone for the Asian-inspired interior. The existing lobby interior was wide open, The goal of this renovation project like”: dark, uninviting and disconnected dominated by a set of escalators. The design was to reposition the hotel from a tourist- from the interior. The design team respond- team’s objective was to zone the expanse based property to a four-star business prop- ed by capturing a portion of the existing into smaller, discreet nooks, creating a more erty. The scope of work encompassed par- outdoor area as a glass enclosed transition intimate experience for the guests. Seating tial exterior renovation of the hotel’s base from the valet drop-off to the registration alcoves were placed against the escalators, redirecting guests’ attention to the restaurant and bar. Judges’ Comments An “infinity box” was placed to separate “The challenge was taking a rather dumpy former hotel the restaurant and bar, becoming an architectural anchor for the new fireplace. This and re-energizing it. Well done. Mascassar Ebony wood enclosure with and a complete remodel of the public desk. New aluminum cladding on the under- bronze mirror creates a dramatic backdrop spaces. side of the existing bridge entrance extends for dining. The dining room is clad in butter- The existing architectural base, accord- to this new area, as does the paving, creating scotch colored glass panels, complimenting ing to the architect, Gensler, was “fortress- a seamless transition from outside to in. the red, bronze and oak palette. <<

6 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Bay Street Emeryville Mixed Use Winner

Project Team Owner MacFarlane Partners, San Francisco General Contractor Devcon Construction, Milpitas Architect SB Architects, San Francisco Structural Engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers, San Francisco MEP Engineer Flack + Kurtz, San Francisco Landscape Architects April Phillips Designworks, Sausalito, and The Guzzardo Partnership, San Francisco Interiors CDC, Costa Mesa

Bay Street Emeryville converts an The residential design team, led by SB By locating the residential podiums on underutilized infill site – a vacant industrial Architects, faced the challenge of creating a either side of the main street on different brownfield on the edge of San Francisco new community above the podiums, with levels, the design team maximized access to Bay – into a lively mixed-use district. little connection to the retail or street life valuable bay views from residences on both Sited on a 5.67-acre site, the $100 million below. In the new design, the team created sides of the street. project combines three blocks of main smaller-scale buildings, with numerous These residential podiums offer an street retail with a mixture of 284 rental courtyards of different sizes, as well as trel- opportunity to create a sense of community apartments and 95 for-sale townhomes. lised overlooks and raised bridges that cre- above street level, providing quieter, semi- The project features 387,000 sq ft of resi- ate a physical and psychological connection public spaces for residents – larger, shared dential space atop an eclectic mix of to the street below. courtyards for the rental units, and more ground-floor retail shops that were com- The design team employed a panelized intimately-scaled, private courts with indi- pleted several years ago; the owner of this tube steel bearing wall system, pre-fabricat- vidual entries for the townhomes. retail phase is Madison Marquette, Jerde ed then assembled on site, which allowed At street level, broad sidewalks and a Partnership/Charles Group was the archi- them to redirect and spread the weight of landscaped plaza provide opportunities to tect and DPR Construction was the general the new structures across the existing sup- gather. << contractor. port system.

7 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Munger House Relocation, Palo Alto Restoration Winner

Project Team Owner

Stanford University, Palo Alto

General Contractor

Hathaway Dinwiddie, Santa Clara

Architect

Cody Anderson Wasney Architects, Palo Alto

Engineers & Consultants

BKF Engineers, Redwood City; DCI Engineers, Bellevue, Wash.; SWA Group, Sausalito

Upon the approval of the new Munger Owen and Drell houses had to move only a scaping and additional associated site Graduate Residences, Stanford University few hundred ft, the Rogers, Mariposa and work. The intent of the renovation work began working with Hathaway Dinwiddie Serra houses had to move 1.4 mi to their was to preserve the architectural qualities in relocating and renovating five historical final resting place. A temporary road had to while bringing the buildings up to code. houses (Rogers, Mariposa, Serra, Owen and be built in a swampy lawn area along the Ramps and elevators were added, making Drell) that were located on the site. The five determined path. While students were the houses ADA accessible. Samples of the houses were all constructed as student resi- away on spring break, Hathaway Dinwiddie original paint were chipped off, studies dences between 1890 and 1925 in an area of began to make room for the new Munger done and new paint made to match the the Stanford campus known as The Row. Graduate Residences. Light posts and signs original. The original hardwood floors were Preparing the houses for the move was a were removed, and shrubs along the path of restored and hand rails were raised to cur- lengthy process in itself. The five structures travel were trimmed down to 3 1/2 ft tall to rent standard height. A few pocket doors were dislocated from existing utilities and allow the houses to travel over them. Once that had been previously covered were cut from their foundations. Bracing and all the prep work was completed, the hous- found hidden in the walls and restored to under-building support systems were put es were hoisted onto trailers and hauled to their original functions. into place and the houses were jacked up. their new locations. Construction on the new Munger The Serra House had to be cut in half and a Once the structures were set onto their Graduate Residence has since begun, mak- temporary interior frame was put in place new foundations, the renovation work ing Stanford the only university in the at the seam. began. The effort included construction country to guarantee three years of apart- Determining the path of travel for the and site prep, foundations, seismic ment style housing to its law students. << houses was the biggest challenge. While the upgrades, interior improvements, land-

8 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Theatre Square Residential Winner

Project Team Owner Petaluma Theatre District LLC (c/o Basin Street Properties), Petaluma General Contractor Midstate Construction, Petaluma Architect BDE Architecture Inc., San Francisco Project Manager Conversion Management Associates, Petaluma Structural Engineer ATM Engineering, Rancho Cordova After the closure of Petaluma’s last above and a separate office building of Mechanical Engineer movie theater, a group of local teenage girls 34,500 sq ft. Cal-Air Inc., Santa Rosa petitioned and campaigned for a new com- BDE Architecture and Strauss Architects Electrical Engineer munity cinema. Responding to the chal- (planner) were presented with the oppor- E&L Electric, Windsor lenge, Basin Street Properties became the tunity to turn an urban brownfield site into Plumbing Engineer vanguard of Petaluma’s urban redevelop- a successful development. Once a used car The Engineering Partnership, Santa ment in the downtown core. lot, the Theatre Square site was a challenge Rosa Immediately following Basin Street’s from the beginning. A passively vented Civil Engineer opening of a new cinema, the Theatre vapor barrier was used under the founda- Square project broke ground, planned to tion to mitigate the condition of the soil. Brian Kangas Foulk, San Jose become a vibrant mixed-use development. The design also called for making the Landscape Architect While the historic portion of downtown ground floor plan as flexible as possible for Sasaki Walker Associates, Sausalito Judges’ Comments “An attractive recreation of an entire downtown.” One of the development’s main features is a courtyard plaza flanked by a clock has been preserved, the six blocks of the the retail component while including tower and fountain at one end and the cin- Theatre District has become a new area for future connections to plumbing, gas and ema at the other. The design allows for all residential, commercial, retail and enter- electrical systems. Residential unit plans retail spaces to open onto the courtyard, tainment establishments. Among the proj- took into consideration the tenant’s priva- creating outdoor dining and gathering ects is Theatre Square. cy from the public atmosphere of the areas. A project of the Petaluma Chamber Completed in April 2007, Theatre courtyard and surrounding streets and at of Commerce, the “Faces of Petaluma” Square contains 46,000 sq ft of retail space the same time, providing adequate natural fountain was created by members of the along the first floor with 56 apartments light and ventilation. community. <<

9 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Placer Co. Community Development Resource Center, Auburn Civic/Institutional Winner

Project Team Owner Placer County, Auburn General Contractor HMH, Sacramento Architect Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners, Roseville Construction Manager Turner Construction, Sacramento Mechanical Engineering Consultant Capital Engineering Consultants Inc., Rancho Cordova Electrical Engineering Consultant Glumac, Sacramento Structural Engineering Consultant Buehler & Buehler, Roseville Civil Engineer The Placer County Community Longevity, durability and ease of mainte- A.R. Associates, Auburn Development Resource Center was nance were important criteria. Landscape Architect designed to bring together several different The character of the building reflects the Yamasaki Landscape Architecture, agencies that had previously been housed special environmental qualities of Placer Auburn separately. The two-story, 97,400-sq-ft center County itself. Much of California’s history is one component of the county’s was written by the immigrants’ trek over Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan. the Sierra Nevadas, through the foothill Located in the Dewitt Center, the $22 mil- gold country and into the fertile struction and operation that resulted in a lion resource center’s tenants are the Sacramento Valley. This rich history building that exceeds the state’s Title 24 Building Department, Planning inspired the question: Could a building Energy Efficiency Standards by 44%. Under- Department, Public Works, Administration, devoted to land planning and building serv- floor air distribution, extensive daylighting, Environmental Health and Air Pollution ices become an example of how the Placer generous perimeter (low-emissivity) glaz- Control. County-built environment should develop? ing, high insulation levels and an advanced The design of the building focuses on Sustainable design considerations were HVAC system utilizing evaporative pre- functionality for the users and the flexibility important, including energy-conserving cooling of outside air all contribute to the of the space for the lifetime of the building. features in all facets of the building’s con- high performance. <<

10 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California CCP-2 Manufacturing Expansion, Vacaville Industrial/Manufacturing Winner

Project Team Owner Genentech, South San Francisco General Contractor DPR Construction Inc., Redwood City Architect/Engineer Fluor Corp., Irving, Texas

Maintaining operations and meeting the schedule required creative phasing. At 450,000 sq ft, the expansion of there was only one lost-time safety inci- Innovation and flexibility were a must. A Genentech’s facility in Vacaville makes it dent. unique approach was necessary to accom- the largest biotechnology fermentation In addition to the accelerated schedule, modate Genentech’s request that DPR’s facility of its kind in the world. The project part of the project was constructed within first order of business on site be the re-bid added a new manufacturing facility and a an operating facility and had to be per- of the entire build-out. The re-bid needed to new infill building. It doubled the size of formed without disrupting ongoing opera- be done while all the equipment remained the central utility plant, added an existing tions. The central utility plant, which on schedule for fabrication and delivery, warehouse and extended the spine. affects all of the systems Genentech uses to which occurred prior to the interior build- To meet the aggressive June 27, 2007 produce its validated biopharmaceutical out start. Because the equipment had already been procured and fabricated, DPR Judges’ Comments developed and executed a plan to install it first; then built out the facility around it. “An amazingly complex project coupled with an aggres- Validation was another issue. There were sive schedule.” more than 300 subsystems to complete, start up and validate. Looking at the contractual delivery date set in late 2005, drugs, had to double in size. DPR accom- process from a purely mechanical perspec- when DPR Construction started as the plished this without a single un-planned tive, Genentech and DPR developed a plan general contractor, sticking to an aggres- shutdown. to begin validation of specific systems sive schedule was imperative. To accom- Throughout the entire project, there was a before final completion of the overall proj- plish it, 3 million craft and management 70% overlap of construction crews and ect. Thus, the facility was turned over sys- hours were worked in just 65 weeks with Genentech start-up and validation staff. Both tem by system, piece by piece not by area or some work going on 24 hours a day, seven contractor and owner fostered an extremely building as would occur during a normal days a week for a full year. In all that time, collaborative and cooperative effort. construction turnover process. <<

11 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon K-12 Winner

Project Team Owner San Ramon Valley Unified School District, San Ramon Construction Manager Roebbelen Construction Management Services, El Dorado Hills Architect Akol & Yoshii Architects and Engineers, Walnut Creek Structural Consultant 54-acre high school proj- start-to-finish construction was completed This massive, Tipping-Mar & Associates, Berkeley ect utilized a little-used construction in 16 months – five months less than origi- Civil Engineers finance alternative – a developer-built nally budgeted. school. This novel approach addresses the There are 80 high-tech classrooms, a per- Carlson, Barbee & Gibson Inc., San lengthy cost and process of building a forming arts center with a 600-seat audito- Ramon school in California. It’s the result of a col- rium and multiple athletic facilities, includ- Key subcontractor: John Nichol & laborative effort between the city, school ing a gymnasium, softball fields, tennis Associates (landscape architect), Walnut Creek; WHM Inc (electrical consultant), district, developer, community and the courts and Olympic-size swimming pool. Moraga; Mechanical Design Studio Inc. state. It was financed by Shapell Industries The school also has a commons building, (mechanical consultant), Walnut Creek; and Windemere BLC, local developers and library, cafeteria, all-weather field and ValleyCrest (landscape), Pleasanton; homebuilders, and was designed to com- 2,800-seat outdoor stadium. Urata & Son’s Cement, Rancho Cordova; plement the homes around it and the over- Construction manager Roebbelen says it McClone Construction (wood framing), Shingle Springs; Armour Steel Co. all feel of the community. was challenged to keep up with the speed of (structural steel), Rio Linda; Cupertino Electric, San Jose; F.W. Spencer & Son Judges’ Comments Inc. (mechanical), Brisbane “This project impresses us with its developer-built approach and completion five months ahead of schedule.” steel was erected within 90 days after receiving a notice to proceed and pre-detail- “Visually, it has a nice presentation up front.” ing the steel was necessary. This compact work schedule forced The $130 million Dougherty High School the fast-track construction while utilizing many site work activities to occur out of occupies 349,000 sq ft and was built to the multi-prime delivery method. None of sequence, which required continuous house 2,200 students and will eventually the trade contractors on the project used it adjustments to the team’s schedule. expand to 2,400 students. This is the first before. The wood framing required was Roebbelen says everyone pulled together new high school in the San Ramon Valley enormous and required crews of 150-plus to keep things moving, adjust schedules Unified School District in 32 years and the as well as considerable overtime. Structural and accommodate the fast pace. <<

12 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California San Francisco Conservatory of Music Performing Arts Winner

high-tech audio-visual and lighting systems. Project Team With the help of structural engineer Owner Forell/Elsesser, the main challenge of shoring the existing historic structure San Francisco Conservatory of Music (façade and ballroom) and the transfer of General Contractor loads of the existing historic plaster ceiling Swinerton Builders, San Francisco were accomplished without a hitch. Architect In order to create outstanding acoustical SMWM, San Francisco performance, the engineers used heavy Historical Architect CMU (concrete masonry unit) partitions throughout the building as well as special Page & Turnbull, San Francisco treatment of the historic plaster cavity with Structural Engineer acoustic fill. Forell/Elsesser, San Francisco This complicated conservatory proj- Project Manager incorporates three efforts – new con- ect Oppenheim/Lewis, San Francisco struction, adaptive re-use and historic preservation - and succeeds grandly with all M/E/P three. Flack + Kurtz, San Francisco Swinerton Builders, as general contrac- Major subcontractors: Morrow-Meadows tor, converted the six-story, steel-framed (electrical), South San Francisco; 1920s-era building into a modern educa- Critchfield Mechanical, Menlo Park; Raymond Drywall, Concord; Strocal tional facility. There are three state-of-the- Steel, Stockton art performance spaces, with the largest seating 450; recording studios; rehearsal and practice rooms; classrooms; a library; and rooftop courtyard. All of the finishes are Class A, with hardwood and limestone Forell/Elsesser notes that the largest Judges’ Comments space is the concert hall, which incorpo- “An incredible use of space.” rates the historic ornate plaster of the former ballroom. Since the existing exterior “An excellent, beautiful performance building.” wall of the ballroom occupied space between the planned seating area and stage flooring, hardwood and limestone wall Construction innovations on the project of the new concert hall, a large transfer treatments, full theatrical and acoustic also included the use of metal stud framing truss was engineered to resupport the exist- complements, acoustic drapes, sound as formwork and screeds for tapered ing ceiling and create a large, column-free doors, stage lifts, state lighting, seating and acoustic shotcrete walls. space. <<

13 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California New Benicia-Martinez Bridge Transportation/Bridges Winner

Project Team

Owner Caltrans General Contractor Kiewit Corp., Omaha, Neb. Engineer-of-Record T.Y. Lin International/CH2M Hill, a Joint Venture Key subcontractors: SDI, San Jose; V- Structural, Hanover, Md.; D.S. Brown, North Baltimore, Ohio; Sika Corp., Lyndhurst, N.J.; Parsons, San Francisco

The new Benicia-Martinez Bridge girder structure was primarily construct- is built to withstand earthquakes in a ed by a balanced segmental cast-in-place mal structural concrete. At the same time, a high-seismic zone and is a lifeline struc- construction technique. high concrete strength was required for the ture for Bay Area residents – meaning it A significant portion of the bridge was segmental portion. After months of must remain open to emergency traffic constructed using high-performance light- research and more than 100 test mixes, a immediately following a major earth- weight concrete to lower mass and reduce concrete mix meeting all of the require- quake. seismic demand. The lighter the segment, ments was developed, but with one compli- The new $800-million, five-lane toll the less the impact is on the piers during an cation. The lightweight mix did not dissi- bridge is more than 83 ft wide and is earthquake. pate heat very well, resulting in unaccept- aligned with the existing Benicia- The design was originally for a 528-ft- ably high internal concrete temperatures. The team worked closely with the owner to Judges’ Comments design an internal cooling coil system to reduce internal concrete temperatures to “Functional, streamlined – an excellent solution to acceptable levels. congestion.” One of the significant features of the bridge includes the two moment-resisting Martinez Bridge and Union Pacific long span, but the Coast Guard required midspan hinges between the three-span Railroad Bridge. Despite prior expan- 656 ft for navigation. The result: a light- continuous frames, a unique application sions, the existing bridge was prone to weight, extra-long span length structure especially in a high-seismic zone. congestion from the 100,000 vehicles that that pushes the boundary for any segmen- The combination of features, innovative cross I-680 daily. tal span. construction methods and seismically- The new bridge is 7,400 ft in length and For a bridge of this size to endure a seis- tough design makes this bridge a world- encompasses 22 spans, with 12 over mic event, it required using concrete that class structure and the largest of its type water. The post-tensioned concrete box weighed approximately 20% less than nor- built in California. <<

14 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Pacific Ethanol Plant, Madera Industrial/Manufacturing Award of Merit

Project Team Owner Pacific Ethanol Inc., Sacramento General Contractor W.M. Lyles Co., Fresno Designer Delta T Corp., Williamsburg, Va. Key subcontractors: Boyle Engineering Corp. (civil), Newport Beach; T.E. Ibberson Engineers (structural), Hopkins, Minn.; Collins Electrical Co., Stockton; F. Rogers Specialty Contractor (pipe and equipment insulation), Livermore; Olson & Co. Steel, San Proactive management techniques processing vessels housing three large dis- Leandro; Jerico Fire Protection, Fresno; including an on-site pipe fabrication facility tillation columns. Other structures include Ford, Bacon and Davis (additional and an impeccable safety record that, a cooling tower, a final ethanol storage area, design work), Baton Rouge, La.; U.S. together, saved the owner months in the cold-lime water softening treatment plant Water Services (additional design work), construction schedule, highlight the Pacific and 15 other storage tanks with a 3-million Cambridge, Minn.; Valley Steel Corp., Bakersfield; Winbco (tank constructor), Ethanol Production Plant project. gallon storage capacity. Ottumwa, Ia. Originally, the owner, Pacific Ethanol, W.M. Lyles says construction materials contracted general contractor W.M. Lyles consisted of approximately 750 tons of vari- Co. to complete work on the fully automat- ous steel, 10,000 cu yds of concrete, and eventual start-up and performance ed, five-building, 60,000-sq-ft facility on 500,000 ft of wire and more than 45,000 testing. April 30, 2007, but later changed the com- lineal ft of pipe. It was apparent that the acceleration in construction with the available design would Judges’ Comments complicate and challenge Madera County’s permitting process and available inspection “This is a state-of-the-art design-build project that also services. W.M. Lyles says it immediately shows a strong commitment to safety.” became the owner’s agent in preparing and securing permits for all design review and pletion date to have the plant on-line and Once the new construction deadline was eventual fast-tracking of construction activi- operational by the fourth quarter of 2006, announced, W.M. Lyles managed an accel- ties. five months ahead of schedule. erated schedule that contained more than The project also received the California The $68 million project includes a four- 2,000 activities and covered everything OSHA Golden Gate Partnership Recognition story steel structure suspending five major from design to owner milestones, delivery Award for Safety Excellence. <<

15 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California The Odeon, San Francisco Redevelopment Winner Mixed-Use Award of Merit

small buildings containing dilapidated restaurants and offices. The historic façade Project Team of the “Elevated Shops” was shored, saved and the adjacent smaller buildings were Owner removed. A new six-story horizontal addi- Union Property Capital Inc., tion took place on the footprint of the San Francisco demolished O’Farrell Street buildings. Behind the historical façade and in place of General Contractor the missing smaller buildings, a six-story Suffolk Construction Co., San Francisco mixed-use development was created. The Architect first two floors (plus basement) became a single 45,000-sq-ft retail space. Floors three MBH Architects, Alameda

through six were converted into market- Structural Engineer rate townhouse lofts that range in size from 981 sq ft to 2,100 sq ft. Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle

Judges’ Comments MEP Engineer “Takes redevelopment to a Critchfield Mechanical, Cotati new level.” Civil Engineer Luk + Associates The project is located on the southeast corner of Powell and O’Farrell streets in the Key subcontractors: Decker Electric, busy Union Square shopping district. San Francisco; Clark Pacific, West at 150 Powell is a six-story The Odeon Adhering to the city’s downtown retail con- Sacramento; Broadway Mechanical, mixed-use project of approximately 104,000 struction laws, deliveries and lane block- Oakland; Olson & Co. Steel, San sq ft that includes a two-story H&M flag- ages could only occur at night. The dense Leandro ship store, 29 residential units, 12,000 sq ft site requirements and historical nature of of office space and a basement storage this restoration project made off street space. The $30 million project retained the parking and staging areas non-existent. To street fronts of a historic four-story corner tackle these restrictions, the builders used a building and married its volume into a six- system called Conxtech to temporarily make the structure solid. This system is story horizontal extension. shore up the building. The structural sys- quick and not common for a housing proj- The original four-story building was built tem is made from pre-cast planks and ect. in 1906 and designated as the “Elevated beams, which were manufactured by an Despite the extremely limited and Shops.” Dwarfed between the “Elevated outside source and dropped in one at a restricted construction zone, the project Shops” and a city parking garage sat three time. Concrete was then poured on top to was successfully completed. <<

16 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California I-880/Coleman Avenue Interchange, San Jose Transportation/Bridges Award of Merit

The 880/Coleman Avenue Interchange tion for vehicles coming from the airport to project included the realignment and directly access southbound I-880 via an Project Team widening of existing ramps, adding a new underpass, thus removing one-half of the Owner direct connector ramp from Airport historical traffic that clogged a critical inter- Boulevard to southbound I-880, and widen- section providing airport access. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (with Caltrans and the city of ing Coleman Avenue to six lanes from north The VTA awarded the main construction San Jose) of Airport Boulevard to Heddin Street. contract to FCI/Pavex, a joint venture, in General Contractor The scope and schedule of these March 2004, which quickly identified a improvements were directly linked to the value engineering construction method FCI/Pavex, joint venture, Benicia and planned expansion of Mineta San Jose approach for the new direct connector San Jose International Airport. underpass. Design Consultant Santa Clara Valley Transportation Despite many challenges – including a URS Corp., San Jose Authority and the city of San Jose worked fast-paced schedule, strict airport and FAA closely together to develop a scope and height regulations and high water table – design to meet the needs of freeway traffic, the project was successfully completed safe- sequencing and improved system applica- the adjacent operating airport and private ly and within the expected time frame and tions, relationships between FCI/Pavex, the property owners. VTA’s design consultant, budget. Through thoughtful planning, subcontractors, the Santa Clara Valley URS Corp., developed a creative solution close coordination, careful selection of Transportation Authority, Caltrans and the that provided a new freeway ramp connec- equipment, innovative construction city have been strengthened. <<

17 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California College of San Mateo Science Building & Planetarium, San Mateo Higher Education Award of Merit

Project Team Owner College of San Mateo General Contractor McCarthy Building Cos., San Francisco Architect LPA Inc., Roseville Structural Engineer Rutherford & Chekene, San Francisco

Additionally, the ceiling panels are made from recycled and non-petroleum based materials. Sustainable elements include a reflective roof, auto flush valves to reduce water use, low VOC products, rainwater retention, “direct/indirect” evaporative cooling sys- The Science Building and Planetarium McCarthy/LPA say they dedicated the tem, occupancy and daylight sensors, high project was one of five community college effort to following the legacy of world- efficiency glazing with shading to reduce facility construction projects allowed under renowned architect, John Carl Warnecke. head gain and natural lighting in all occu- the design-build pilot program created by The new facility’s design is consistent with pied spaces. the passage of Assembly Bill 1000. The the campus’ architectural signature of large To accommodate CSM’s schedule, design-build team on the project was windows and stately vertical lines. The proj- McCarthy used a multi-stage “fast track” McCarthy Building Cos. and LPA Inc. ect team ensured that the final design had approach. Since the facility is located in the The 62,000-sq-ft, three-story, $24 million Warnecke “DNA,” but also suggested central part of the campus, the project team building serves as the anchor to the cam- improvements. For example, instead of implemented a construction and site specific plan that overcame the obstacles of pedestrian traffic and other safety issues. Judges’ Comments The excavation occurred on a hillside “An innovative campus project with green elements and that featured large pieces of bedrock, a neat planetarium.” requiring a comprehensive removal and site landscape restoration strategy. The plan pus’ north entrance. It features a planetari- cast-concrete, synthetic plaster was used. included the replacement of 40-year-old um and an observatory with a retractable The ceiling tiles also have high light reflect- utilities and the relocation of the main utili- roof for several fixed telescopes and houses ing capabilities that lessen the need for ty lines running directly beneath the loca- lecture halls, offices and laboratories. energy-consuming mechanical lighting. tion of the new building. <<

18 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, San Leandro Green Building Award of Merit

Energy and Atmosphere, and Innovation and Design Process. Project Team Exceptional levels of efficiency were Owner achieved in the following areas: • Water-efficient irrigation technology County of Alameda GSA, Oakland reduces site water consumption by more Construction Management than 50%; saving over 5,000,000 gallons Vanir/Cornerstone, San Francisco annually. Design-Builder • Waterless urinals and water-efficient Hensel Phelps, San Jose, and HOK, plumbing fixtures reduce water consump- San Francisco tion by 41%; saving more than 2,000,000 Key subcontractors: Beverly Prior gallons annually. Architects (associate architect), San • The building complies with Title 24 Francisco; Gerson/Overstreet (consult- requirements (more stringent than national ing architect), San Francisco; KPA Photo by John Swain standards), but is nearly 66% more efficient Group (structural engineer), Oakland ; than the baseline; saving 500 kW annually. Telemon Engineering (civil engineer), Alameda County officials and the proj- San Francisco; MCT Engineers • An 850 kW solar panel array on the ect team who delivered the highly success- (mechanical, electrical engineer), San rooftop provides over 60% of the building ful new juvenile justice center received the Francisco; Taylor Engineering (mechan- energy demands, over 1000 MW annually. ical engineer), Alameda; Marelich news recently that the facility has been cer- • The project contracted to purchase Mechanical (design-build mechanical tified LEED Gold, making it the first and 100% of the building energy needs equiva- engineer), Hayward; Rosendin Electric only detention center in the nation to (design-build electrical contractor), San lent to 2,629 MWh from wind generation. Jose; Loisos + Ubbelohde (energy consultant), Alameda; Keller Mitchell & Co. Judges’ Comments (landscape contractor), Oakland. “The builders fought hard to get green elements in what is essentially a prison.” sound direction to minimize these impacts and the project was delivered 57 calendar • 93% of construction waste was recycled days ahead of schedule. achieve this status. It has also exceeded the and diverted from landfill disposal. In addition, the project was completed county’s goal of a LEED Silver building. • 23,800 gallons of bio-diesel fuel were within budget; the original contract Opened in April, the Juvenile Hall (pro- used in the site grading equipment saving amount presented by the design-build viding capacity for 360 minors), adminis- 200 tons of CO2. team was $135 million. An additional $7.1 tration building, and courts building cover Along with meeting LEED requirements, million (5.3% of the contract) was originat- 379,000 sq ft. additional challenges with the project ed in change orders, with 1.3% of the The United States Green Building included the availability of specified prod- changes being owner requested, 1.2% Council awarded the project 43 points (out ucts, unforeseen site conditions, and material escalation costs, and 1% in differ- of 45 submitted) towards the certification, inclement weather. The team provided ing site conditions. with a perfect score in the categories of <<

19 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California Grace Episcopal Church Phase II, St. Helena Restoration Award of Merit

Project Team

Owner

Grace Church, St. Helena

General Contractor

James Nolan Construction, Napa

Architect

Lemmon/Woodruff Architecture, Santa Rosa

Key subcontractors: Ahlborn Structural Steel, Santa Rosa; R. McClure Electric Co., Cotati; Leduc & Dexter (plumbing), Santa Rosa; J.M.S. Mechanical, Rohnert Park

The original stained glass windows were removed, cleaned, re-framed and installed in the now seismically stabilized The original 1,118-sq-ft stone stripping off the interior stone so a shot- stone structure. sanctuary, which was built in 1885, was crete structural wall could be added to At the same time the church recon- partially dismantled and reconstructed to stabilize the exterior stone walls. struction was taking place, James Nolan comply with current building code The existing redwood trusses were rein- was adding a 4,228-sq-ft expansion, which houses additional sanctuary space Judges’ Comments with a balcony, a kitchen, restrooms and clergy support rooms. The limestone and “This was a small, but intricate, project that resulted in a redwood building materials used on this beautiful restoration.” expansion were hand selected to match the materials used in the original build- requirements, according to the general forced with tube steel frames. All of the ing. contractor on the project, James Nolan new structural work was carefully hidden James Nolan says the quarry where the Construction, part of Hearn Pacific Corp. by the addition of new finish carpentry 1885 stone was mined was reopened tem- The work involved pouring new foot- work crafted to match the existing red- porarily to furnish material for the interi- ings against the stone foundation and wood trim. or and exterior stone veneers. <<

20 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Northern California SFSU at Westfield Centre, San Francisco Higher Education Award of Merit

Project Team Owner Westfield Corp., Los Angeles General Contractor Swinerton Builders, San Francisco Architect Huntsman Architectural Group, San Francisco Engineer Flack + Kurtz, San Francisco Key subcontractors: Cupertino Electric, San Jose; Marelich Mechanical, Hayward; Anderson Rowe & Buckley, San Francisco; Raymond Interiors, Concord; Paganini Communications, San Francisco

The downtown campus offers more than 25 programs, most leading to professional and academic certificates. Extended learning students include mid-career profession- San Francisco State University’s new tinuing education and community out- als seeking to enhance their career poten- downtown campus opened in January at reach. Two of the university’s nine colleges tial, as well as lifelong learners pursuing 835 Market Street, part of the new are present at the campus: the College of personal development and enrichment. Westfield San Francisco Centre develop- Extended Learning, and all graduate pro- The College of Extended Learning offers a ment. grams in the College of Business are now variety of programs including financial The campus includes office and adminis- located at the new facility. Together, the planning, paralegal studies and human trative space, classrooms, and common programs serve approximately 7,700 stu- resource management. areas, many built around the Westfield dents per year at that location. As this was a San Francisco Centre’s historic glass-enclosed atrium. The new 107,000-sq-ft campus boasts 33 Redevelopment Agency project, Swinerton A portion of the fifth floor, and the entire classrooms, nine computer labs, five break- Builders, the general contractor, did out- sixth floor, are devoted to university activi- out rooms, and wireless Internet access reach to the community in terms of con- ties and programs related to business, con- throughout. tract work and local labor pool. <<

21 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Private Owner of the Year Donahue Schriber

Costa Mesa-based Donahue Furthermore, they exercise great sensitivity Schriber’s innovations have transformed to the preferences of residents where the the experience of shopping for millions of company operates centers. people – not only in California, but all over Donahue Schriber makes a concerted America. effort to engage adjacent property owners, Founded in 1969 by city planners and local government to Tom Schriber and the ascertain any aesthetic or functional issues late Dan Donahue, the important to community members. Private Owner of the Prior to his death in 2002, Dan Donahue Year Donahue Schriber tirelessly supported KidWorks, a nonprofit owns or operates 91 founded to improve the future of inner-city retail centers in the U.S. with more than 15 youth. Tom Schriber, Donahue Schriber’s million sq ft of space. board chairman, sits on the board of Over the years, the company has trans- KidWorks, which operates the Donahue formed the regional mall as it is known Center in central Santa Ana. In addition, today into what is considered a destination Pat Donahue & Tom Schriber the Dan Donahue Keeping Kids on Track or lifestyle center, such as Anaheim Plaza, Award is presented annually through the an enclosed regional mall that was demol- While a major financial success (as of Orange County United Way. ished and redeveloped into a successful January 2007, its development pipeline Patrick Donahue, Dan’s brother, serves power center, and the three-year, $100 mil- exceeded $500 million), the company’s as president and CEO. << lion renovation of Fashion Island in leaders also maintain a strong commitment Newport Beach into a lifestyle center. to charitable giving in the community.

Best of 2007 Public Owner of the Year Los Angeles Community College District

As our Public Owner of the Year, tractors the information and skills they the Los Angeles Community College need to successfully bid and participate in District is currently holding sway over a the program. $2.2 billion building program thanks to These efforts are paying off: to date, the passages of Proposition A and AA in small businesses have earned 86% of the 2001 and 2003, respectively. construction contracts funded through LACCD has made tremendous efforts to the bond program. involve local businesses through small Overseeing a program that includes 457 business fairs and community outreach projects is Larry Eisenberg, the district’s programs. The district is partnering with executive director of facilities planning local economic development organiza- and development. tions and other agencies to sponsor “boot Additionally, the region’s workforce has camps” and seminars to give small con- Larry Eisenberg benefited from the district’s internship

22 California Construction 12/2007 and jobs programs. The internship program has placed hundreds of students in numerous professional fields where they acquire hands-on training and receive job placement opportunities. The district is also facilitating the hiring of at-risk adults for construction jobs through the successful PVJOBS program.

The Allied Health and Sciences Building at L.A. Valley College is one of a number of projects ongoing in the District.

And the district’s sustainability program aims to maximize its positive effect on the environment by conserving natural resources through environmentally-sound selection of building materials, landscaping, water-smart plumbing systems; developing a plan to produce enough of its own energy to take its nine campuses “off the power grid” using only renewable sources; and exceeding California’s Green Energy requirements by a minimum of 20%. LACCD’s green policies have resulted in an increase in demand for materials and furniture with a high concentration of recycled content. The district has offered a bulk procurement purchasing process to all non-profit and public agencies in California, giving them the ability to purchase sustainable products at discounted rates. << Best of 2007 Project Manager of the Year Dennis Breen Clark Construction Group – California LP

“Very effective,” “strong leader- on the project, and Breen, starting his career as a structural ship,” “’can do’ attitude,” “calm those he knew by steel subcontractor, made a commitment and professional approach” – these name came to him that he would create a subcontractor- are just a few descriptions from Pasadena with ideas and/or friendly atmosphere on the project by city officials, consultants, subcontractors problems. It is insisting that Clark and the onsite subcon- and contractors about Dennis Breen, Clark Breen’s philosophy tractors shared office space, a very unusual Construction Group’s project executive on that some of the best arrangement on a project site. He knew the high-profile Pasadena City Hall Seismic ideas come from the that if he created trust on the project, peo- Retrofit project. people who actually Dennis Breen ple would work together, share ideas and Overseeing this challenging project, do the work. help each other. Breen overcame many obstacles. The retro- Refusing to stay stuck behind his desk, As Clark Construction Group put it fit required work activities to progress in a Breen spent much of his time in the field when nominating Breen as Project regimented and highly sequenced manner. and became an asset to the superintendent Manager of the Year: “His exceptional Initially a 5,000 activity construction sched- staff in the field developing ideas to improve planning, management and communica- ule was established to provide direction for conditions for the workers, make operations tion skills resulted in an extremely happy the subcontractors. Breen organized a sys- more efficient and gain productivity. An client and a positive impact on the local tem with a four-week look-ahead schedule example is his innovative idea for a tempo- community, completing the project 2 1/2 that was reviewed with the participating rary bridge across the excavation site that months ahead of schedule.” << subcontractors every morning. allowed access from two sides instead of Breen made it a point to know everyone one.

Best of 2007 Project Manager of the Year Don Fischbeck Bluefin Construction Honorable Mention

As president of a small, 10-employee flowed onto the the project completed, even at one point Capistrano Beach general contractor, Don property from a pipe getting into a serious car accident in his Fischbeck was selected in 2004 to oversee installed when the Quad and ending up with a collapsed lung the construction of the J Serra Catholic High state built the I-5 and a bruised back. He was back on the job School in San Juan Capistrano by Pueblo freeway created a the next day. Serra Worship Holdings Group, the school’s “wetlands,” which Corporate officer Monica Nelson says board. meant protection of Fischbeck “oversaw the entire project; he From the beginning, this project was to the local habitat. was not only the project manager, but also be a tremendous undertaking. Don Fischbeck Then there was a the general superintendent, tradesman, First there was issue of a Native American small vocal opposi- operator, laborer and designer.” << burial site on a portion of the project’s 39 tion to the school, which made every city acres. Then the Army Corp of Engineers meeting an ongoing argument. claimed that a small trickle of water that Fischbeck was instrumental in getting

24 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Architect of the Year Anshen + Allen

Anshen + Allen’s healthcare work – of SB 1953 has on how to put these things together,” critical in booming California – combined allowed Anshen + Swanson says. with its continued revenue growth and Allen to pick up One of Anshen + Allen’s successes in expansion in the U.S. and the world has some additional 2007 was the completion of the Kaiser earned it the designation as the Architect of healthcare work this Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. the Year from the staff at California year, says Roger The project, which originally began 12 Construction. Swanson, chairman years ago, was a series of buildings on a As California hospitals rush to meet the and CEO of the firm. medical campus; the last building was com- requirements of SB 1953, San Francisco- Roger Swanson “Getting those pleted this year. based Anshen + Allen has assembled a staff projects under the “It’s gotten a lot of positive reaction in of nearly 400 employees to help design crit- deadline is straining everybody, including the community,” Swanson says. ically needed medical facilities. OSHPA,” Swanson says. Future plans for Anshen + Allen include The design firm, which designs both aca- One of the advantages Anshen + Allen the design of the UC San Francisco Mission demic and healthcare projects, assigns offers is its healthcare expertise does give its Bay Hospital and office expansion. The about 20 architects to a typical project, with staff something of an edge when designing design firm plans to open an office in Ohio larger projects requiring more. hospitals, Swanson adds. early in 2008. << Hospitals’ need to meet the requirements “You do pick up skills and a sixth sense

Best of 2007 General Contractor of the Year DPR Construction, Inc.

DPR Construction’s waste management days ahead of schedule despite having to diversion program, its technically complex come up to speed on the project very quick- projects and a strong safety record are ly. among the factors that earned the Redwood “It was absolutely a huge success,” Pfeffer City-based company General Contractor of says. the Year honors from the staff of California “We’ve overcome industry changes,” DPR has also begun a waste diversion pro- Construction. Pfeffer says. “We have worked harder to gram that seeks to better track the amount DPR also reported strong revenue become better builders.” of waste recycled and/or sent to a landfill on growth in 2006 compared with 2005 and Pfeffer cited a recently completed project project sites. In an era where sustainable the company has continued to refine its vir- for biotech company Genentech as one of building practices are becoming more tual building programs to keep up with the the company’s successes in 2007. DPR took accepted, DPR is reporting increased diver- construction industry’s growing reliance on over the project, which involved the building sion of waste from landfills. For example, a building information modeling. of highly sensitive clean labs and other facili- corporate office completed in South San In 2007, DPR is having one of its ties that presented technical challenges, Francisco in September 2006 reported that strongest years ever, says George Pfeffer, about halfway through the construction 93% of its jobsite waste was recycled or regional manager. process. The contractor finished the job 13 diverted. <<

25 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, Los Angeles Top Overall Project Outstanding Architectural Design Winner K-12 Winner

The Los Angeles Unified School flow students from nearby Belmont and Because the school was also built to han- District’s Miguel Contreras Learning Marshall high schools. dle crowds from other high schools, it has Complex was built to handle overcrowd- The 72-classroom, eight-building school expanded athletic facilities, including two ing from nearby high schools. But this $106 was built on 19 redeveloped acres west of large gyms, an Olympic-sized swimming million project may have trouble keeping downtown Los Angeles. The campus pool and a full-feature stadium. crowds away, judging by the community includes two classroom wings, cafeteria, Despite various construction challenges response to the school. library, parking facility and an administra- and change orders, the school opened on The 213,000-sq-ft high school can handle tion building. Each building varies in height time for its first students in September more than 1,700 students, including over- from two to four stories. 2007.

26 California Construction 12/2007 Southern California—Best of 2007

One of the challenges the project team encountered when building the school was Project Team MEP Engineer working with various grade differentials. Owner William Yang & Associates, Burbank The project team worked with the school Los Angeles Unified School District Civil Engineer district to value engineer the site retaining General Contractor wall system and opted to change some final RBA Partners, Los Angeles grading plans to suit site conditions. Clark Construction, Costa Mesa On-Site Civil Engineer Another challenge the building team Architect John M. Cruikshank Consultants, faced was working with the various struc- Johnson Fain, Los Angeles San Pedro tural systems across the project. Some of Structural Engineer Landscape Architect these structural systems included cast-in- Nabih Youssef & Associates, Los Mia Lehrer & Associates, Los Angeles place post-tensioned concrete parking decks, Angeles slanted reinforced masonry gymnasium Electrical Engineer walls and structural steel frame roofs. The Silver Roth & Associates, Los Angeles project team created a plan to handle the site logistics of bringing certain materials on site

Judges’ Comments “Very clever design.” “Great architecture.” “Here’s a project that actually improves the community.” and staging. For example, the school’s pedestrian bridge was shipped in parts and weld- ed and pieced together on the school’s athletic field area. The bridge was then move into place using cranes, lifts and trucks from one side of the school to the other. Another project challenge was changes made by the district throughout the process. The school district issued more than 950 construction directives throughout the process as well as 15 major bulletins. The school was designed to feel more Butterfly-shaped beams rise above the cen- The changes requested added $13 million to open and color schemes avoided staid col- tral circulation spine of the buildings and the original contract value of $81 million. ors such as green. Instead, exterior plaster provide protection from the elements. The general contractor worked seven days walls were painted in bright colors to enliv- The courtyard between the classroom a week – sometimes 12 to 16 hour days – in en the campus. Exposed shear walls were wings was designed to enhance the learning order to complete the original contract. shaped to give them character. experience of the nearby classrooms. For On the design side, the project team also Classroom wings were made to look instance, an outdoor music garden was created a school meant to stand out and more distinct by including open-air verti- placed next to the instrumental classroom seem less like a school and more like an cal circulation stairs and open-air corri- while an outdoor stage platform was built urban village. dors with corrugated steel roof elements. next to the school’s dance classroom. << Best of 2007 Southern California Archstone Apartments Mixed-Use Winner

Project Team Owner Archstone-Smith Operating Trust, Colorado General Contractor Benchmark Contractors, Inc., Santa Monica Design Architect Howard Laks Architects, Santa Monica Architect of Record Alan S. Boivin, AIA Structural Engineer Masoud Dejban, Inc., Encino Mechanical Engineer Airplus Engineering Consultants Electrical Engineer Archstone Santa Monica was designed give the housing styles within the develop- Hanzlik & Associates to accommodate residents who don’t want ment their own unique appearance. More Civil Engineer to drive to the store to get what they need. than 40 different styles of townhome units The mixed-use development was built to were built in the development. KHR Associates, Irvine encourage pedestrian traffic and de-empha- The retail area was built using steel-fram- Geotechnical Engineer size vehicular traffic in a busy corridor of ing, the residential built using wood-fram- Geotechnologies, Inc., Colorado Santa Monica. ing and the parking garage was built using The two-building project consists of 133 cast-in-place concrete. residential units, 15,700 sq ft of retail space The residential units also received roof and a three-level parking garage with 396 terraces, large patios/open spaces and a spaces. common rooftop pool. were minimal floor-to-ceiling heights in the The architect and builders used a variety Green building techniques were also parking garage, but it required intense MEP of architectural features to blend the project used during the building’s construction. A coordination with the ducted ventilation in with the existing Santa Monica neighbor- photovoltaic system was installed and system. The project’s close location to the hood. major building materials used recycled ocean required temporary dewatering to Rather than use a cookie cutter approach material. A waste management program areas such as the below-slab foundations to the development, the project team used diverted nearly 170 tons of waste from and structure. Construction of the parking different materials, varied roof heights and landfills. garage required extensive shoring with a setbacks and other architectural details to Some of the challenges builders faced combination of tie-backs and rakers. <<

28 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California LAX Runway 25L Relocation Transportation/Bridges Winner

Project Team Owner Los Angeles World Airports, Los Angeles Construction Manager CH2M Hill, Los Angeles Architect/Engineer HNTB, Los Angeles General Contractor Tutor-Saliba, O&G Industries, Sylmar Sub-Consultants: Pinnacle One, Los Angeles; KDG Consultants, Pasadena; Lee Andrews Group, Los Angeles; Parsons Brinckerhoff, Los Angeles

Los Angeles International Airport is 276,000 sq yds of Portland cement concrete process to confirm testing requirements, job the fifth-busiest airport in the world. pavement. The project team installed a memos and noncompliance notices. The Eliminating a runway for the airport could crusher on site to process the demolished construction manager prepared monthly have a significant impact on operations at an material to be used as a processed miscella- reports that outlined cost and schedule sta- airport with 1,800 flights per day. neous base for the new runway. The ability tus. Work was done seven days a week on an However, the project team that completed to recycle material on site drastically reduced around-the-clock schedule to meet the proj- the runway 25L relocation finished the job in truck traffic at the job and minimized con- ect deadline. One of the challenges the project faced Judges’ Comments was the discovery during construction of a 1,300-ft-long, 100-ft-wide and 12-in-thick “An extremely complicated, challenging project.” existing runway buried underneath the run- “Lots of activity around this project.” way that was being demolished. The old runway did not appear on any construction doc- eight months, minimizing disruptions to air- struction impacts on the surrounding com- uments and also needed to be demolished. port traffic throughout the construction munity. The demolition of the new runway caused schedule. After the demolition, a new 11,095-ft- a 23-calendar-day delay. The project team Runway 25L was demolished and moved long, 200-ft-wide runway was built. The new created a recovery schedule to mitigate the 25 ft south in an effort to minimize runway runway required excavation, grading, storm delay. That schedule allowed the project incursions. drain system and runway lighting, as well as team to finish the project eight days late, The $181.6 million project required the some other steps. Quality control meetings rather than much later and allowing all four demolition of 316,000 sq yds of asphalt and were held each week during the construction of LAX’s runways to resume operating. <<

29 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Los Angeles North Central Animal Services Center Green Building Winner

built in addition to 170 outdoor dog ken- nels. A behavior assessment room was created to monitor animals and new Project Team training yards were also built. Owner The expansion has allowed the center City of Los Angeles to move from a simple warehouse-style General Contractor operation to a facility that can focus on Sinanian Development Inc., Tarzana adoptions more. But one of the key features of the build- Architects ing was its sustainable design. Choy Associates, South Pasadena; Photovoltaic panels provide shade above Tracy A. Stone Architects, Los Angeles kennel aisles. The nearly 800 panels pro- Structural Engineer vide enough energy to power the entire Kanda & Tso Associates, South facility. Pasadena The center also maximized the use of Civil Engineer recycled construction waste, used steel Ashba Engineers Ltd., Signal Hill with 25% recycled content and its front Mechanical and Electrical Engineer wall is made from 100% recycled wood. The project team built the facility using Gotama Building Engineers Inc., Marina del Rey sustainable building practices in an effort to win Gold level certification from the Landscape Architect The four-footed residents who wait U.S. Green Building Council. Cornerstone Studios, Inc., Los Angeles to be adopted at the Los Angeles North The center was also designed to attract Central Animal Services Center home more visitors by becoming more visitor

Judges’ Comments mals. Benches were built near puppy ken- nels to allow young children to view the “Nice design. dogs at a better level. A series of art-glass “Creative use for an unusual service.” enclosures with animal images was creat- “Very natural to combine green with animals.” ed to also improve the facility’s appeal. Kennel runs were designed to draw visitors throughout the facility, allowing now have a much greener place to call friendly. For instance, the western end of them to see all of the animals. home. the building contains an illuminated Additionally, each aisle is distin- The $7.9 million project consists of a glass tower that serves as a landmark. guished by a color, animal subject and 74,200-sq-ft expansion of the existing Water fountains were built for appear- landscape palette in order to ensure that animal shelter.Various small animal, ance and to provide a pleasing audible potential adopters can find their way bird, and reptile holding facilities were background for when visitors look at ani- back to certain animals. <<

30 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California St. Joseph Hospital Patient Care Center Healthcare Winner

Project Team Owner St. Joseph Health System, La Palma General Contractor McCarthy Building Cos., Newport Beach Architect NBBJ, Seattle Engineers KPFF Consulting Engineers, Los The St. Joseph Hospital Patient The general contractor developed a site- Angeles; Syska Hennessy Group, Inc., Care Center in Orange was built to logistics plan for traffic. The project team Los Angeles accommodate growth at the nearly 80-year- created re-routed roads, off-site staging Landscape Architect old hospital, but to also provide a new areas for construction materials and sched- Site Workshop Landscape Architect, entrance and public face for the existing St. uled construction deliveries at opportune Seattle Joseph Hospital. times. The $130 million project also needed Key subcontractors: Berger Brothers, The 248,000-sq-ft, four-story care center to be built on a tight site, surrounded by Inc. (interior and exterior work), Azusa; includes a basement and an underground two operational hospitals. Briggs Electric Inc., Tustin; Control Air, connection to the adjacent Children’s The Patient Care center is clad in alu- Anaheim; The Herrick Co. (steel), Hospital of Orange County. The Patient minum, plaster and a fretted glass curtain Pleasanton; Pan Pacific Plumbing, Care Center has 150 patient rooms, 14 wall that wraps around three sides of the Irvine operating sites and a central sterile and building. One of the challenges of installing supply suite. the curtain wall was the etchings on the 247 A 13,000-sq-ft remote central plant was panels. Because the etchings needed to spell including a sustainable wood breezeway in the courtyard entry, an energy-efficient Judges’ Comments PVC roof and energy-efficient windows. One of the reasons for the project’s suc- “A complicated project.” cess was the project team developed numer- “A very tight site with difficult working conditions.” ous mock-ups of the facility’s exterior, interior and MEP systems. The general contrac- built to power the Patient Care Center and a out a message, the builders had to ensure tor also implemented an overhead coordi- garden was installed on the second floor of that every piece fit in perfectly. nation/construction verification program. the hospital The facility was built using a steel, Safety was a priority on the project, as One of the significant challenges of the braced-frame and was designed for zone well. The project totaled more than 700,000 project was coordinating with the sur- four seismic considerations. The project man hours and had a zero recordable safety rounding hospitals about the construction. also featured several “green” features incident rate and a zero lost-time rate. <<

31 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California New Music and Performing Arts Center- Santa Monica Higher Education Winner

Project Team Owner Santa Monica Community College District General Contractor FTR International Inc., Irvine Architect Renzo Zecchetto Architects, Santa Monica Structural Steel Palmer Steel Supplies, Texas Plumbing/HVAC Integrated Mechanical Systems Inc., Irwindale Soil and Drilling Anderson Drilling, Chino Grading/Framing/Drywall/Concrete/ The New Music and Performing number of advanced construction tech- Electrical at Santa Monica College was Arts Center niques. FTR International Inc., Irvine designed to serve not only the campus but One of the tools the project team used to serve as a centerpiece for the greater was a 3-D radius track installation system. Santa Monica community. This process was used to construct the heating and cooling system attached to The $32.5 million project was a chal- unorthodox-shaped metal stud framing each seat, allowing cool and warm air to lenge to build because of the unique patterns of the reflector walls in the main be circulated to each theater patron. design of the 550-seat theater. theater hall. The process was also used to The building’s design incorporates a The 52,000-sq-ft building includes more place the sheathing and wood paneling number of exterior materials including than 2,000 ft of rehearsal rooms, four special woods, specialized concrete, dressing rooms and a class and perform- Judges’ Comments smooth-coat colored plasters and exposed ance practice rooms. An orchestra lift, two “Good use of forms.” steel. lighting bridges and a full-fly space with One of the construction challenges that 37 lines of counterweight rigging were also covering the specialized metal framing sys- occurred was the location of a major sewer installed. tem. line that served the Santa Monica area. The The building’s multi-tiered non-orthog- The installation system will allow the sewer line was located on the north side of onal structure and the various construc- project to install state-of-the-art acoustic the construction site. The project team tion changes were challenging. The project and lighting systems in the theater. installed major shoring around the sewer team had to convert the design plan into a One of the other innovative techniques line so construction could continue structurally sound building and use a the project team developed was a localized unabated. <<

32 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Ivy Hotel Hospitality Winner

Project Team Owner/Developer Kelly Capital, San Diego General Contractor Krump Construction, San Diego Architect SB Architects, San Francisco Interior Designer Powerstrip Studio, Hollywood Civil Engineer Nasland Engineering, San Diego Structural Engineer DCI Engineers, San Diego MEP Engineer Glumac International, Irvine Fire Protection Engineers Schirmer Engineering Corp., San Diego Exterior Lighting Consultant While the Ivy Hotel may look new, don’t be The renovations transformed the 120,000-sq-ft, six-story building into a Francis Krahe & Associates, Los Angeles fooled. The $75 million project in San Diego was modern-looking hotel that fits in with the originally the site of the Maryland Hotel, bustling vibe of the Gaslamp. built in 1913. The owners took the old The architect and contractor worked to building and transformed it into a high-end upgrade the existing structure base of the glassed-in baths and strategic lighting to boutique hotel in the heart of San Diego’s original hotel. For example, structural make the rooms seem larger. Modern fur- columns in the lobby were refurbished with niture and amenities, including flat-screen Judges’ Comments braided leather. Steel crossbraces that pro- televisions were also placed in rooms. vide earthquake support were painted sil- A number of details were added to make “Great design, ver and are used to hang silver drapes. Two the hotel look ultra-chic. A spiral staircase beautiful design.” lightwells inside the building were used to was added to take visitors to the basement create outdoor lounges. nightclub. Mezzanines were added in the thriving Gaslamp Quarter. The hotel makeover added a nightclub, lounges, restaurant and nightclub. The While the inside of the building was ballroom and meeting space in the base- hotel’s interior designers have worked on a remodeled, little was done to the outside, ment. number of upscale hotels throughout the leaving the original brick structure intact. The 17,000,000-sq-ft roof was redone to U.S. But because the original brick structure was include a pool with a private cabana area, The hotel’s site, located on a busy corner, in place, the hotel’s architects and contrac- rooftop bar and 225-seat outdoor restau- allows many hotel guests to peer out their tor had to figure out a way to create a brand rant. windows to the street or onto the two new hotel inside limited space. The 159 guestrooms were redone to add open-air lounges in the hotel. <<

33 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Pasadena City Hall Renovation Restoration Winner

Project Team Owner City of Pasadena General Contractor Clark Construction Group, Costa Mesa Architect Architectural Resource Group, Pasadena Structural Engineer Forell/Elsesser Engineers Inc., San Francisco Construction Manager DMJM Management, Los Angeles An $80 million renovation has ceilings. Some exterior renovations were returned Pasadena City Hall to its former also done. glory. The seismic retrofit used a base isola- Built in 1927, Pasadena City Hall was tion system – a construction technique work so they created a third access point showing signs of age inside. The building, that removed the original basement floor to transport construction materials. listed on the National Register of Historic slab and required the excavation and Creating a third access point allowed the Places, had a large number of deep cracks installation of new foundations and the project team to shave months off the con- and two stair towers and the lantern in the installation of 240 double concave friction struction schedule. building’s dome were damaged. The build- pendulum isolators between the founda- Installing a new seismic system also ing also had water damage and several tions and basement floor framing. meant the project team had to limit the architectural elements had to be improved The base isolation system permits build- intrusion of the seismic upgrade into the building’s historic elements. Judges’ Comments The project team also had to integrate new MEP and sprinkler systems into the “Had to preserve an existing, seismically unfit building.” building without affecting the building’s “State-of-the-art techniques used under the building.” historic elements. To accomplish this the team used a number of innovative tech- to comply with the Americans with ing movement during a major earthquake niques, including using a significant Disabilities Act. The building also needed while minimizing damage. New shear amount of coring through concrete and a seismic upgrade. walls were installed as part of the seismic steel to run utility lines where needed. The project team completely rehabilitat- retrofit as well as a “moat” to isolate the The project began in spring of 2005 and ed the interior of the building, installing perimeter. was finished a little more than two years new MEP and sprinkler systems and did Working in the basement, the project later. << major renovations to the building’s plaster team found they had limited access to

34 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California The Market at Ninth and Flower Residential Winner

Project Team Owner The Lee Group/CIM Group, Los Angeles General Contractor PCL Construction Services, Los Angeles Architect KTGY Group Inc., Irvine Civil Engineer Kimley-Horn & Associates, Woodland Hills Structural Engineer Nabih Youssef & Associates, Los Angeles Acoustical VSA n Associates, Whittier Landscape Architect Like many developments in California, such amenities as private residential ah’be landscape architects, Culver City Market Lofts was designed to keep people out entrances, access to Internet and modern of their cars and on their feet. kitchens and bathrooms. The six-story condominium project is situ- The project faced some unusual challenges ated directly above a number of retail shops, throughout the construction process. One of including a Ralph’s supermarket. the first was the changing of the architect dur- partial design and late changes in the design process. The architect and contractor had to Judges’ Comments remain in constant communication throughout the construction process; at some points, “A historic project for downtown L.A.” the two worked on site to build without complete drawings. One of the more unique aspects of the proj- The $70 million project contains 270 lofts ing the preconstruction phase. Because of this ect is that the Lofts pool is located directly on the corner of Ninth and Flower streets. But architect change, the contractor was unable above the Ralph’s supermarket. The project besides offering retail on the bottom floor, finalize its work scope with its subcontractors. team had to work carefully to ensure that a Market Lofts was also built with a fitness cen- The contractor and new architect had to work barrier between the pool and the supermarket ter, social meeting area and community the- more closely with the subcontractors to was safe and secure. ater. The one- to two-bedroom lofts have understand the scope of the project in order Despite the construction challenges, the nearly 10-ft-high ceilings and are between 700 to minimize costs and avoid delays. project was able to open in July, a few days and 1,600 sq ft in size. The units also feature The project team also had to work with before the Ralph’s supermarket opened. <<

35 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Eastern Columbia Lofts Redevelopment Winner

including Eastern Columbia Outfitting Co., and later as an office building until its reno- Project Team vation. The office space was transformed into 147- Owner loft-style condominiums; the top stories and The Kor Group, Los Angeles clock tower serve as five penthouse units. General Contractor Transforming the building into living units Charles Pankow Builders, Pasadena required many interior improvements, including seismically retrofitting the founda- Interior Design tions, widening and adding footings and Kelly Wearstler Interior Design, building a new concrete shear wall from the Los Angeles basement to the roof. Landscape Architect The building was gutted with the excep- Mia Lehrer & Associates, Los Angeles tion of the art deco passenger elevators and the lobby floor. Façade Restoration Where Los Angeles once shopped, it now New windows were added to bring light CK Arts, Inc., Los Angeles and Bielski lives. into the units and two freight elevators Services, Anaheim Eastern Columbia Lofts, once a shopping were eliminated to add more living space Structural Engineer destination for Angelenos, now serves as a using structural steel and concrete. Nabih Youssef & Associates, redeveloped home in busy downtown Los Most of the new additions to the lofts Los Angeles Angeles. were to the roof where a swimming pool, Built in 1929, Eastern Columbia Lofts is a exercise room and sun deck were added. Civil Egineer registered Los Angeles Cultural Monument Incorporating those amenities meant Kimley-Horn and Associates, Woodland Hills Judges’ Comments Key design-build subcontractors: RLH Fire Protection, Bakersfield; “They maintained the beauty and integrity of the original Environmental Comfort Systems, San design.” Clemente (mechanical); DK Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Anaheim (plumbing); “Retained the flavor of the era.” Journey Electrical Technologies, Orange County (electrical) and was one of the tallest buildings in Los builders had to raise the roof deck by six Angeles before World War II. The building is feet. one of the city’s best surviving examples of Redeveloping the project also entailed was not left out of the redevelopment either Zig-Zag Moderne, an architectural style that restoring one of the building’s most striking – the “Eastern” and clock features now light is identified by such styles as sunburst pat- features – its turquoise and gold exterior. up at night for this long-time L.A. land- terns, geometric shapes, zigzags and The project team worked to restore the mark. chevrons. building’s glazed terra cotta façade, steel- The project earned a “Certificate of The 13-story building originally served as framed windows and a decorative terrazzo Recognition” from the city of Los Angeles the home for two L.A. department stores, floor in the main lobby. The clock tower for the building’s redevelopment. <<

36 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Santa Monica College Theatre Arts Building Performing Arts Winner

Project Team Owner

Santa Monica Community College District

General Contractor

Turner Construction, Los Angeles

Architect

LEO A DALY, Los Angeles

Structural Engineer

Saiful/Bouqet Structural Engineers Inc., Pasadena

Civil Engineer

RT Quinn & Associates, Torrance

M/E/P Engineer

Integrated Engineering Consulting Engineers Inc., Los Angeles

Landscape Architect

DRY Design, Los Angeles

Acoustical Consultant vide the necessary services for the school The Theatre Arts Building at Santa Dohn & Associates, Morro Bay Monica College was designed to not only be and also blend into the existing campus. a teaching tool, but to also provide space The project team used silver-finished for campus events and productions. The metal siding and roofing designed to campus worked with the project team to reflect origami-like folding, concrete walls ple, they added an actor’s garden at the create a building that offered expanded and columns and expansive glass through- back of the site to allow cast and crew to space for faculty as well as create additional out the building. gather. They also added a tree-lined court- space for the theater program. The building’s entry plaza is sheltered yard and outdoor seating around the coral The $17 million project contains a 300- by two large pre-existing coral trees and trees. seat performance theater, box office, class- provides access to the two-story lobby. The building also features a number of rooms and faculty offices. The theater offers Inside, a grand stairway leads to upper- sustainable elements, including fritted fly-loft and rigging, lighting and sound sys- level theater access and outdoor balcony glass and operable windows in the faculty tems a backstage prop and set shop, and gathering place that can be used for offices. The fritted glass window maxi- dressing and costuming areas. patrons during intermissions. mizes energy efficiency while the faculty The project team worked with campus The project team also used natural windows provide for natural ventilation officials to create a building that would pro- details to enhance the building. For exam- and energy savings. <<

37 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California West Basin Water Recycling Facility Public Works Award of Merit

Project Team Owner West Basin Municipal Water District, Carson General Contractor J.R. Filanc Construction Co. Inc., Escondido Architect/Engineer HDR Engineering Inc., Nebraska Electrical Contractor Doty Electrical Inc., Valencia Concrete Tank Contractor DYK Inc., El Cajon Painting Contractor Parada Painting Inc., Poway Structural Engineer Simon Wong Engineering, San Diego Geotechnical Engineering Kleinfelder, San Diego A lack of rainfall in the past two years in sion barrier and changes to the Title 22 Southern California has some cities looking recycled water system. The construction for in-house solutions instead of importing also upgraded such systems as solids han- costly water from elsewhere in the state. dling, chemical facilities, power supply and The recycling facility expansion also The phase 4 expansion of the West Basin distribution facilities. needed 41 tie-ins to the existing facility and Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo is One of the major challenges the contrac- there was a significant amount of under- one of the projects that helps provide an in- tor faced was a change requested by the ground piping and construction. house solution. owner two months into the project. The Some of the innovations of the project The goal of the West Basin Water contractor had to add a clarification system included the use of submerged micro-filtra- Recycling Facility phase 4 expansion was to to improve the filtration process. The new tion membranes – earlier phases used pres- improve the plant to the point where it system increased the contract amount by sure micro-filtration systems. The mem- could continue to provide potable water $5.7 million and added 18 months to the branes allowed for a slight reduction in cap- and manage water resources to encourage construction schedule. ital costs and also lowered the energy need conservation. Some of the other challenges the contrac- of the facility. The $52 million project consisted of a tor faced was a compact construction site as The project is a finalist in the Design- design-build expansion of two parts of the well as the facility’s need to remain opera- Build Institute of America’s Western Pacific recycled water facility – a sea water intru- tional while construction was underway. chapter awards. <<

38 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Liberty Station Marketplace Redevelopment Award of Merit

Project Team Master Developer McMillin Cos., San Diego (with the city of San Diego) Developer C.W. Clark, La Jolla Contractor Legacy Building Services, San Diego Architect Nadel Architects, Los Angeles Historic Consultant Heritage Architecture, San Diego Structural Engineer Curry Price Court, San Diego Mechanical/Plumbing Michael Akavan Engineers, San Diego A former naval base has been reborn ignated for residential, office and hotel Electrical as a thriving retail center and has man- space. Michael Wall Engineering, San Diego aged to keep much of its sense of history The development is one of the few areas in Civil Engineering and architectural style. San Diego that gives residents access to the Flores Lund Consultants, San Diego Liberty Station Marketplace was once waterfront. Landscape home to millions of Navy trainees for The project team transformed historic ONA Landscape Architects, San Diego about 70 years as part of the Naval sleeping barracks and a mess hall into 170,000-sq-ft of retail shops, anchor tenants, Judges’ Comments restaurants and office space. Vons, Trader landscaped courtyards along the original his- Joe’s and Starbucks are among the retail toric promenade. Restored chapel bells ring “Still has that naval feel.” establishments that moved into the site. The throughout the promenade and Marketplace. “Hip atmosphere.” base’s chapel was completely renovated and Some of the challenges the project team converted into a commercial wedding chapel. faced was working with older buildings that Training Center in San Diego. Like many The Marketplace was designed to respect needed to be brought up to seismic code. The military bases in the 1990s, the training and reflect the military heritage of the former team also was faced with the task of convert- center was shut down in 1993. base and to blend in with the surrounding ing many of the existing buildings from their About 350 acres of the former naval historic neighborhood. primarily residential and kitchen uses and base was targeted as a place for a mixed- Much of the design and feel of the training making them fit for retail use. use development. Liberty Station center was kept and the NTC symbol can still The retail development is one of the final Marketplace represents the retail aspect of be found in certain areas of the Marketplace. pieces in revitalizing the former Naval base the project; Liberty Station has areas des- A central plaza was kept and connects to into a thriving community. <<

39 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California UCSD Student Academic Services Building Higher Education Award of Merit

Project Team Owner University of California, San Diego General Contractor McCarthy Building Cos., San Diego Architect Rob Wellington Quigley, AIA, San Diego Structural Engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers, San Diego Mechanical and Electrical Engineer Bechard Long & Associates, Poway Civil Engineer Boyle Engineering Corp., San Diego Landscape Architect Wallace, Roberts & Todd, San Diego careful planning as the project went more The University of California San Earthwork Diego Student Academic Services vertical. The ground floor is covered by a building provides a new home for many of tall arcade structure consisting of 114 42-in- Whitlock Contracting Inc., El Cajon the university’s academic administration square, 28-ft high exposed columns. Levels Structural Steel departments. three though five are steel-framed with Myrex Industries, Houston The five-story, 141,000-sq-ft building composite metal decking and concrete Key subcontractors: Progressive Steel, houses multiple departments for the uni- floors, with steel-braced frames providing Spring Valley; La Mesa Glass, Lemon versity including admissions, financial aid lateral resistance. Grove; Standard Drywall Inc., Lakeside; and graduate studies. A 300-seat multipur- The L-shaped building was designed to Bonita Pipeline (plumbing), National pose room, two restaurants and retail space create an open airy feel and integrate with City; University Mechanical (HVAC), Livermore; Bergelectric, Escondido were also added into the $32.2 million the outdoor spaces. The design also incor- building. porates natural, unfinished materials, open The project team used building informa- ceilings with exposed mechanical and elec- tion modeling to detect potential clashes trical systems and residential-quality finish- and modify ducts before they were es. installed; clashes were kept to a minimum The building also has some green fea- man-hours on the project and had zero using this process. tures, including high-performance glazing, recordable safety incident rate and zero One of the most significant challenges of low-emitting materials and high-efficiency lost-time injuries. The project also received the project was the high volume of concrete irrigation systems. Much of the reusable an “Honor Award’ from the San Diego work. McCarthy self-performed the con- construction waste was donated. chapter of the American Institute for crete work, which required delicate and McCarthy worked more than 82,000 Architects. <<

40 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Dos Lagos Heart Sports/Recreation Award of Merit

Project Team Owner SE Corp., Corona General Contractor Consolidated Contracting Services Inc., San Clemente Architect Nardi Associates LLP, Monrovia Civil Engineer Hunsaker & Associates, Irvine Landscape Architect Kammeyer & Associates, Corona The most interesting feature of this project When it came to building Dos Lagos Structural Engineer Heart, the team for this award-winning proj- and the most challenging to develop was the Costa & Associates, West Covina ect came up with a way to mix water bodies bridge that separates the two lakes. with unique architectural design. The bridge is covered by a garden trellis Lake Engineer This 10-acre park is located inside the large consisting of bamboo, concrete and rolled Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering Inc., mixed-use development known as Dos Lagos steel beams. Fountain Valley in Corona. Constructing the trellis was difficult Electrical Engineer The $11.2-million project features two four- because of the different materials used. The OMB Electrical Engineers, Inc. acre manmade lakes with a built-in biological 200 rolled steel beams that provide the base Mechanical and Plumbing Engineers filter to keep the lakes clean. A nine-foot high for the trellis first had to be specially manufac- ATI Architects & Engineers, Costa Mesa waterfall, illuminated by fiber-optic lighting tured and shipped to the project site. The

Judges’ Comments big enough and durable enough for the garden trellis so they went to Vietnam for the “It has a very playful way of creating circulation.” material. However, the bamboo was “The interplay of shade and shadow is welcome in this delayed in customs for three months. When it finally reached the project, the bamboo environment.” had to be hand-oiled to weather the ele- flows on one side of the bridge and under- beams also had to be specially designed using ments before each piece was secured hori- neath the bridge connecting to the other lake. a 3-D model so that they would fit together zontally for the trellis. The bridge also serves as a pathway perfectly over the curving bridge’s walkway – Additionally, the project team had to between the lakes and connects to an outdoor like a puzzle. The steel beams were then install several poured-in-place concrete amphitheater. A variety of flowers, trees and painted to give them the appearance of rust- piles to ensure the structure will remain sta- landscaping was put in place around the proj- ing metal. bilized. The piles were then connected by ect, as well. The project team could not find bamboo steel tubes. <<

41 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California DiamondView Tower Office Award of Merit

penthouse and entertainment area that can be used by tenants of the building if they Project Team want to host events and parties and check out a ball game while they are at it. The devel- Owner opment features nearly 250,000-sq-ft of office Right Field Office Partners, LLC with space. Cisterra Partners, San Diego

The development also has a mixed-use General Contractor aspect and includes an athletic club and Reno Contracting, San Diego restaurant and retail space. The development also features a three-level parking garage. Architect/Interior Designer of Baseball-inspired graphics line the lobby public spaces walls inside the building while the develop- Carrier Johnson, San Diego

ment also includes floor-to-ceiling glass on Civil Engineer every floor. Partners Planning and Engineering, DiamondView Tower is among a number San Diego of projects, including the ballpark itself, which incorporates the existing historic East Landscape Architect Village neighborhood into the development. Michael Peltz and Associates, Project architect Carrier Johnson worked Solana Beach with several groups and the city to develop Structural Engineer master plan studies. Those studies encour- KPFF Consulting Engineers, San Diego aged the development of buildings that creat- Employees in San Diego’s DiamondView ed pedestrian activity and views. Mechanical/Plumbing Engineer Tower may be forgiven if they don’t want to DiamondView Tower is one of only a few McParlane and Associates, San Diego leave work when the clock strikes five. office projects built in San Diego’s downtown Electrical Engineer Built near Petco Park, the 15-story area; it is located closer to the city’s restau- DiamondView Tower was designed with bal- MPE Consulting, San Diego conies that allow tenants to watch the San Key subcontractors: VSA n Associates, Diego Padres play. Judges’ Comments Whittier (acoustical consultant); The 325,000-sq-ft, $53.2-million office “Nice-looking”; Curtainwall Design Consultants (curtain building sits on a corner adjacent to the sta- wall consultant); Construction Testing & dium; it’s estimated that the view from the “Great composition” Engineering, Riverside (soils engineer); building to home plate is about 550 ft – close CA Comfort Systems, San Diego (design build mechanical contractor); enough that a tape measure home run could rant and retail area, the Gaslamp Quarter, Dynalectric, San Diego (design build reach the building. than it is to the city’s more northern office electrical contractor); Paschall The project features three to four stories of developments. The office building was built Mechanical (design build plumbing brick-clad buildings at the bottom of the in part to drive more daytime traffic to San contractor); Schmidt Fire Protection; structure while the top stories more closely Diego’s East Village area, a portion of the city San Diego (design build fire protection resemble offices, being clad in glass and that does not receive as much foot traffic dur- contractor) metal. The top floor is an indoor/outdoor ing non-game days. <<

42 California Construction 12/2007 Best of 2007 Southern California Kelly Residence Residential Award of Merit

Project Team Owner Undisclosed General Contractor Eric Engheben, Topanga Architect Abramson Teiger Architects, Culver City Landscape Architect Steve Silva, Los Angeles Panel Walls Trespa North America, Poway

heat/cooling loss and a zoned heating and air conditioning system. Some of the construction challenges the project team dealt with was the structural steel framing of the house, custom-designed steel rails, fences and gates, and the exterior concrete that required specific design specifi- The project team that built the Kelly resi- “boxes” that had to be designed and put in cations. dence in Los Angeles had to incorporate place to maximize views and allow sunlight. Installing some of the interior pieces was many factors, including green design and The home also features a number of green also difficult. Glass doors and windows were construction, when constructing the home. elements, including photovoltaic cells on generally large panes that required specific The two-story home was divided into two the roof, an artificial lawn and a grey-water installation and had to be anchored to the areas – the bottom floor is designed for pub- structural supports of the building. Some of lic space, to be used for parties, guests and Judges’ Comments the green-building elements also posed includes a family room. The second floor is problems, such as coordinating times for the designed for the private side of family life “I want to live there.” electrician, utility company and solar and includes the bedrooms. Furthermore, “A beautiful house.” provider to meet to discuss the photovoltaic the house has two sides – one designated for system. The grey-water reclamation system children – and the noise they bring – and reclamation drip irrigation system. Other also had to be coordinated with the land- one for adults – and the quiet they seek. green features included: a reflecting pond at scape irrigation system. An additional elements of the design was the face of a glass wall to allow cool air circu- Despite these construction challenges, the that the house was built as a series of lation, coating on skylights to reduce home was built on time and on budget. <<

43 California Construction 12/2007