The builders of the 46,000-sq-ft University of California, San Diego Conrad Prebys Music Center had a difficult challenge. How would they build a music center that would allow for concerts, but also minimize the noise in classrooms and offices throughout the building? Related Links: Best of California 2009 Constructed of architectural cast-in-place concrete and an exterior curtain wall system, the $46-million music center contains offices, classrooms, student recording suites, computer music labs, practice rooms, a flexible black box theatre, 150-seat lecture/recital hall, ensemble hall and a 400-seat concert hall. Because of the complexity of the project, the team decided early
The project team building the Fourth District Court of Appeal overcame a funding freeze from the state of California to build a well-regarded project in downtown Santa Ana. Related Links: Best of California 2009 The $25.6-million courthouse was built to unify two separate court buildings and provide additional court services within its three stories. The project team – Heery International and Carrier Johnson + CULTURE – used a number of devices to eliminate problems before they occurred. Chief among these was the use of BIM. All spaces above the ceilings were modeled three dimensionally for the coordination of all MEP
Trying to balance the needs of the environment with active pedestrians resulted in the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge. Related Links: Best of California 2009 The stress ribbon bridge provides a link to the north side of Lake Hodges from the south side and serves pedestrians and bicyclists. One of the keys that shaped the project was the need to limit the bridge’s impact on the lake. The project team used the stress ribbon design method to limit the number of supports in the lake to two. The use of precast panels eliminated the need for falsework within
The goals of this $56-million project in the heart of San Rafael were to elevate and widen the northbound and southbound Highway 101 lanes for the addition of HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes and to construct a new southbound 101/eastbound Interstate 580 connector. Related Links: Best of California 2009 One of the more innovative aspects of the project’s design was the use of both lightweight aggregates and EPS block (expanded polystyrene). The project is located immediately adjacent to the San Francisco Bay, so much of the native material underneath the site is what is referred to as “bay mud.” This
This $9.2 million seismic retrofit and complete interior renovation of a historic building on Pacific Ave. became the four-story headquarters of the San Francisco law firm Keesal, Young & Logan. It includes office space, a private bar and dining room, fitness room, shower, kitchen and several conference/meeting spaces. Related Links: Best of California 2009 The project team says that meeting the client’s specific move-in date was one of the most critical goals for the project. The team implemented weekly meetings with the owner and architect, as well as weekly schedule updates. The thoughtful restoration and renovation of a historic building
Needing a new home for its headquarters, the Aerospace Corp. sought a project team to transform an existing office building into a high-tech headquarters for the 21st century. Related Links: Best of California 2009 The Aerospace Corp.’s A9 corporate headquarters is a four-story, 177,000-sq-ft office building. One of the significant aspects of the project is the amount of advanced technology incorporated throughout the building. The lower level basement houses the Stars Lab, the data control center for satellite launches and features a raised floor, a server room and conference room. The main entry level features a viewing platform with stadium
Arterra is a luxury condominium building in the Mission Bay area which became San Francisco’s first LEED-NC silver-certified highrise residential project earlier this year. Related Links: Best of California 2009 Arterra consists of three interconnected buildings: a 16-level high-rise tower, a nine-level building with a landscaped terrace area and barbecue deck, and a six-level grass-roofed building featuring three tiers of two-level town homes. The $89-million project features 269 one- to three-bedroom units, concierge service, a fitness/wellness center, community lounge, rooftop sundeck, furnished suite for guests and an enclosed garage on and around a four-level podium structure. On Arterra, Bovis, the
The value of new construction starts climbed 12% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $447.6 billion, it was reported by McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. The upward push came from double-digit gains for nonresidential building and nonbuilding construction (public works and electric utilities). At the same time, residential building in October was unchanged from its September pace. Through the first ten months of 2009, total construction on an unadjusted basis came in at $350.1 billion, down 29% from the same period a year ago. The October statistics lifted the Dodge Index to 95 (2000=100), up
Every one of California�s 28 largest metropolitan areas saw a decrease in construction employment between October 2008 and October 2009, according to a new analysis of metropolitan area employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association says that state regulators need to rethink plans to force contractors to replace existing equipment as shrinking demand for construction wiped out 136,000 construction jobs statewide. “Collapsing demand for construction services throughout the state is devastating workers and forcing contractors to idle billions of dollars worth of equipment,” says the association’s chief economist Ken Simonson. “Requiring contractors to spend
The Richmond Civic Center Revitalization project recently opened with a media tour and speeches by local officials. Y.K. Cheung Photography The Richmond Civic Center Revitalization project recently opened with a media tour and speeches by local officials. The project also recently won the Best of California’s Top Overall Project for 2009 in the Northern California region. It also took home the Best of California award in the Government/Public category. The awards program is hosted by McGraw-Hill Construction and California Construction Magazine. After almost six years of design and construction, approximately 300 city of Richmond employees recently returned to work at
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