Condos have staged a comeback. The multifamily and hospitality sector achieved a major turnaround in 2012, placing 10 projects, totaling nearly $2.4 billion, on ENR California's Top Starts list. In 2011, only two $100-million-plus projects in that segment got under way. In 2010, there were none. Related Links: View the Ranking of the Top 35 Construction Starts of 2012 in California ENR California The $800-million Graton Resort and Casino was the largest hospitality project to break ground last year. Located about 50 miles north of San Francisco, the project's total cost includes a multistory hotel in a planned later phase.

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the owner of Los Angeles International Airport, is in the middle of a $4.1-billion capital improvement plan—one of the largest public works programs in California. A key element of the capital plan is a $438-million replacement for the airport's central utilities plant (CUP). The massive new facility has the complexity, scale and scope to present plenty of challenges for the project team. Related Links: Los Angeles World Airports Named ENR California Owner of the Year (4/19/2012) ENR California "There is something for every discipline: major operating systems, four electrical substations, miles of underground pipe and

By Scott Blair Related Article: Condo, Transit Projects Dominate California's 2012 Top Project Starts 2012 Top Starts In california Rank Project Location Project Cost ($ mil.) Start Date/ End Date Owner/Contractor/Designer 1 New Santa Clara Stadium Santa Clara $1,000 June 2012 March 2016 Owner: Santa Clara Stadium Authority GC: Turner/Devcon, Joint Venture Design: HNTB Corp. 2 The Carlsbad Desalination Project Carlsbad $901 Dec. 2012 June 2014 Owner: Poseidon Resources Inc. GC: Kiewit Shea Desalination (Kiewit Infrastructure West and J.F. Shea Co. JV) Design: IDE Technologies; ARCADIS; Tetra Tech 3 Graton Resort & Casino Rohnert Park $800 June 2012 Late 2013

The new $34-million Eleve Lofts & Skydeck is big on ideas and luxury, yet compact and efficient. When opened next month, the 170,000-sq-ft mixed-use project will feature one of the country's largest active roof and six levels of unique "micro-apartments" targeted at the emerging 20 to 34-yr-old Generation Y crowd of young professionals. Image courtesy American Multifamily inc. The massive roof deck includes all the project's open space, from barbeques to a full dog park. Photo by Greg Aragon The project uses wood framing 65 ft above the podium, which is the maximum allowable height for bearing wood shear wall

In 1913 the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened the doors to its now-iconic Beaux Arts main building. One hundred years later, the museum is about to unveil the latest part of a seven-year, $173-million physical transformation—one that preserves the past, fortifies its existing structures and creates new spaces. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record The museum's exhibits are dedicated to preserving the past, but the team that designed and constructed the museum's original 1913 facility didn't follow such exacting standards when it came to creating as-built drawings. During the planning phase of the recent seismic upgrade

Spanning two blocks in the heart of downtown Sunnyvale, the Carmel Loft House project is designed to bring new life into the city by the San Francisco Bay. Image courtesy of Carmel Partners Carmel Loft House will consist of two buildings with 133 loft-style apartment homes and more than 6,000 sq ft of ground floor retail space. "Carmel Loft House will play an important role in completing the revitalization of downtown Sunnyvale by activating the Plaza del Sol and bringing new residents and visitors to the downtown area," says Mark D. Garrell, vice president of development for San Francisco-based Carmel

Redwood City is celebrating the New Year with a bang—and a boom of new construction projects underway in and around its downtown.  By Greg Aragon There are currently 958 new units planned or under construction in downtown and another 1,100 near downtown Redwood City. "We’re seeing a remarkable level of developer interest in our downtown, and over the next couple of years much of this is going to come to fruition,” says Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre. "It’s very positive for our community; we’re going to double the housing downtown, see new offices and new parking, and really enhance economic

C.W. Driver is making the grade with California colleges, recently taking on construction manager duties at two Northern California college projects. The Pasadena, Calif.-based firm is working on a $25-million education center for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in Sunnyvale and the $53.3-million Student Recreation and Wellness Center at San Francisco State University. Image Courtesy of C.W. Driver The Student Recreation and Wellness Center project, which is presently in schematic design, is scheduled to complete in early 2016. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center will be a very highly visible project, says Dana Roberts, president/CEO. “We are building it on

After years of legal challenges and pipe dreams, a major $984-million water desalination plant has been green-lighted for construction near San Diego. Image courtesy of Poseidon Resources The plant will be the nations largest seawater desalination plant. “This project has been a longtime coming,” says Peter MacLaggan, senior VP of development for Poseidon Resources of Carlsbad, Calif., the developer. “It’s something that the vast majority of the residents in the area have tremendous support for.”The plant, which will be the nation’s largest seawater desalination plant, was approved November 29 by the San Diego County Water Authority’s (SDCWA) Board of Directors.