It may not appear so from the outside, but inside the five-story concrete shell of the old B.F. Sisk Courthouse in Fresno, a new $70-million ($56 million in construction costs) Superior Courthouse is taking shape. One of the B.F. Sisk courtrooms, as envisioned by SmithGroup. Related Links: Top Design Firms “We are completely transforming the interior of this 1960s federal court building into a modern courthouse,” says David Moore, lead architect for the San Francisco office of SmithGroup Architecture. “It’s a complete gut and renovation.” The 192,000-sq-ft make-over broke ground in July 2008 and is scheduled for completion in late
Lowe Enterprises leads massive, $500-million project that will consolidate, upgrade existing facilities The three-phase project will create nearly 1 million sq ft of office space for San Diego County. The first phase of the project includes a central plant to serve the complex. Related Links: Top Design Firms Central Valley Market Report “We’re looking for something that will be timeless,” says RJC Architects principal James Robbins of the $500-million San Diego County Operations Center, a massive development under way in the county’s Kearny Mesa district. “The center’s existing buildings have been there for close to 50 years. We’re expecting these
Ledcor Construction Inc. has completed construction for San Elijo Hills Town Center, a new zero-lot-line commercial/residential mixed-use project located within the masterplanned community of San Elijo Hills in San Marcos in northern San Diego County. The residential and retail project consists of three separate three-story buildings. Related Links: Swinerton Breaks Ground on NASA Project at Ames Research Center KMA Architecture, Straub Construction Begin Design-Build Project at Camp Pendleton McCarthy Completes Parking Garage for Grossmont College Jacobs Receives Hospital Contract from City and County of San Francisco Bernards Starts Construction on Harley Ellis Devereaux-designed Child Development Center Skanska USA Completes Central
The Associated General Contractors of California has put out an alert to its members to hold off retrofitting their equipment with CARB-compliant diesel emission reduction filters (retrofit filters). Related Links: 13 Architectural Firms Awarded Courthouse Projects by the AOC Ellerbe Becket Joins AECOM “There are regulation revisions and studies in process that will affect the types of compliant filters, the pieces of equipment they are approved for and where they are installed on the equipment,” the AGC reports. “Before you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars retrofitting equipment that may be in violation of Cal/OSHA regulations, Cal/OSHA and CARB must
According to a report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, about $16 billion worth of inefficiency and waste in the U.S. construction industry is due to lack of interoperability – people planning, bidding or building off the wrong information. Related Links: Swinerton Breaks Ground on NASA Project at Ames Research Center KMA Architecture, Straub Construction Begin Design-Build Project at Camp Pendleton McCarthy Completes Parking Garage for Grossmont College Jacobs Receives Hospital Contract from City and County of San Francisco Bernards Starts Construction on Harley Ellis Devereaux-designed Child Development Center Skanska USA Completes Central Utility Plant to Power State
Plans are already well under way for AGC of California’s 2009 Fall Conference, to be held Oct. 29-30, at the Hyatt Grand Champions, Indian Wells. This year’s conference will offer affordable prices for registration and hotel accommodations. Hyatt Grand Champions AGC’s Fall Conference Committee has planned several special events around this year’s theme, “Oktoberfest 2009.” A special guest speaker for the Thursday keynote luncheon is planned, followed by two different professional development/education ses-sions. Both professional development sessions will offer current and relevant information that can affect a company’s bottom line. One seminar will address legal issues, covering mechanics liens, stop
Minneapolis-based architectural/engineering firm Ellerbe Becket was acquired by AECOM. Related Links: 13 Architectural Firms Awarded Courthouse Projects by the AOC AGC of California Tells Members to Stop Retrofitting Diesel Fleets Ellerbe Becket, which also has offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Kansas City and Washington, D.C., as well as Doha, Qatar, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will be called AECOM Ellerbe Becket. “We’re bringing together top-notch professionals committed to building the next generation integrated design practice,” says Joe Brown, FASLA, chief executive of Planning, Design + Development for AECOM. “Together, we have an opportunity to forge new responses to better serve
California’s Administrative Office of the Courts last week unveiled the winning architectural firms for 13 new courthouse projects. Legislation signed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized $5 billion in lease-revenue bonds to support the construction or renovation of 41 courthouses statewide, including the 13 courthouses awarded last week. The lease-revenue bonds are to be repaid through increased fines, penalties and court fees. The AOC received over 300 qualification submissions from more than 100 firms for just thirteen design commissions. These were evaluated and narrowed to 44 firms, who were interviewed by panels of AOC personnel and representatives of the
Designing �value� into plans has become the prime product development strategy for builders, regardless of price point. The consumers coming back into the market are requiring builders to provide product that is BOTH cost effective and have a high level of appeal. The success of this effort depends on how well cost controls are integrated throughout the design process and followed through to actual contract executions. It takes the early involvement of experts in the estimating/purchasing fi elds to make this a reality. At BSB Design we see the need for a better integration of these cost control experts throughout
HKS Inc., in partnership with Architectural Resources Group, won a $7.9 million design contract from the U.S. General Services Administration for the renovation/green upgrade of the historic 50 United Nations Plaza Federal Building in San Francisco. The 50 United Nations Plaza Federal Building has a long history in the city. Related Links: Swinerton Breaks Ground on NASA Project at Ames Research Center KMA Architecture, Straub Construction Begin Design-Build Project at Camp Pendleton McCarthy Completes Parking Garage for Grossmont College Jacobs Receives Hospital Contract from City and County of San Francisco Bernards Starts Construction on Harley Ellis Devereaux-designed Child Development Center