Best Of 2006 - McGraw Hill Construction

California 

December 2006 

California 

Construction 

Best of 

2006 

California Award Winners

www.california.construction.com 

Northern California Winners 10 

General Contractor of the Year 37 

Architect of the Year 37 

Owners of the Year 38 

Judges 

Tim Culvahouse, AIACC 

Kate Diamond, RNL Design 

Larry Hollis, Rosendin Electric 

Charlie Merrick, gkkworks 

Paulette Salisbury, 

CSI San Francisco 

Ross Schaefer, Cahill Contractors 

Best of 

California 2006 

Project Manager of the Year 39 

Specialty Contractor of the Year 39 

Southern California Winners 40 

Russell Snyder, AGC California 

Randy Ruby, EUCA 

Andrew Wiktorowicz, WCCC 

Roger O. Williams, 

McCarthy Building Cos. 

Robert York, JCM Group 

9 California Construction 12/2006 

A panel of 11 architecture, engineering, 

contractor, association 

and developer professionals 

selected 27 projects as the best 

in California during the past year. 

Additionally, we are honoring a 

host of other firms and individuals 

that have contributed greatly to 

the construction industry in the 

state in 2006. 

This year’s impressive lineup of 

projects includes cathedrals, 

schools, museums, affordable 

housing and hotels. In short, 

they’re the results of outstanding 

teams of professionals overcoming 

daunting challenges to 

achieve a successful project.

Best of 2006 Northern California 

The 2006 Best of California judges 

unanimously picked the de Young 

Museum as this year’s top overall construction 

project, and outstanding 

architectural design winner. The key 

word to describe this project is “innovative,” 

both in the design and construction 

materials and techniques. 

From the dramatic copper exterior to 

the twisting tower reaching nine stories 

above Golden Gate Park, the de Young 

Museum boasts numerous firsts in 

both materials and techniques. New 

materials and specialized techniques 

for their design and construction 

include the signature copper-clad exteri- 


De Young Museum, 

San Francisco 

Best Overall 

Outstanding Architectural Design 

Winner 

or, the nine-story vertical post-tension 

tower, an amalgamation of state-of-theart 

seismic engineering, and a custom 

underfloor mechanical system—all 

were designed to withstand major seismic 

loads and to showcase and protect 

one of the finest art collections in the 

world.

General contractor Swinerton 

Builders worked collaboratively with 

Pritzker Prize-winning architects 

Herzog & de Meuron of Basel, 

Switzerland, local architects Fong & 

Chan of San Francisco, and the client, 

The Corporation of Fine Arts Museums 

of San Francisco. 

With the architect’s bold design calling 

for such never before seen items as 

the twisting tower and the copper skin, 

it was apparent that preconstruction, 

engineering and constructability were 

going to be key to its success. 

“A lot of innovation came during pre- 

Judges’ Comments 

construction in constructability analysis 

and cost issues to make the design 

work,” said Swinerton’s Project 

Executive Mike Strong. “Everything was 

special, so it was new and state of the 

art and it took extensive attention to 

detail and above normal communication 

within the team.” 

The de Young Museum is a 293,000sq.-ft. 

building with a three-level main 

structure and a twisting nine-story 

tower featuring panoramic views of the 

city, ocean and bay. The main building 

features world-class exhibit spaces, a 

café, two-level store, theater, conservation 

labs and administrative offices. The 

tower houses educational classroom 

spaces, a library and an observation 

level. 

“Stellar design destined to be an international treasure.” 

This steel and concrete structure features 

a base isolation system, vertically 

post-tensioned tower and roof trusses 

cantilevered over 50 ft.; a custom cop- 


Northern California—Best of 2006 

Project Team 

Owner 

The Corporation of Fine Arts Museums 

of San Francisco 

Architects 

Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, 

Switzerland, and Fong & Chan, San 

Francisco 

General Contractor 

Swinerton Builders, San Francisco 

Key subcontractors 

The Herrick Corp. (structural steel), 

Pleasanton; Critchfield Mechanical 

(HVAC & controls), Menlo Park; Harris 

Salinas Rebar (foundation reinforcing 

steel), Livermore; Cupertino Electric, 

San Francisco; Dolan Concrete 

Construction (place and finish concrete/site 

concrete), San Jose; Condon 

Johnson & Associates (shoring & underpinning), 

Oakland; Consolidated 

Engineering Laboratories (testing & 

inspection), Pleasanton; Bode Gravel 

Co. (concrete ready-mix), San 

Francisco; Architectural Glass & 

Aluminum, Oakland; BDL Mill (millwork), 

San Francisco; A&B Construction 

Inc. (site utilities), San Francisco 

per exterior comprised of more than 

7,000 embossed and perforated panels; 

and is surrounding by several acres of 

lavish gardens, some of which sit over a 

below-grade underground parking 

garage, also built by Swinerton. 

The de Young Museum has welcomed 

thousands of visitors since its 

October 2005 opening and it has firmly 

established itself as one of the premier 

art museums in the world. The building, 

as it fades to green, will blend in 

with its environment. 

The complexities of this project and 

how Swinerton managed some of these 

specialized processes, which are not 

typically done on one single building, 

were truly extraordinary.


The $38 million Sonoma County 

Juvenile Justice Center was designed 

to replace the existing Los Guiliucos 

Juvenile Detention Center. 

The project is located on a 60-acre 

parcel just off Highway 12 between 

Sonoma and Santa Rosa, and consisted 

of 12 buildings on 11 different elevations, 

which created a challenging task 

for both the design team and for the 

contractors building the project. 

The buildings within the project 

included Housing Units 1-7, which 

includes seven 20-bed podular direct 

supervision units. Each unit includes 

school and activity spaces to support a 

decentralized operational program. 

Unit designs vary according to classifications. 

Single bedrooms are used for 

high security, mixed single/double 

rooms for general population groups 

Sonoma County Juvenile Justice Center, 

Santa Rosa 

and a dormitory unit is used for youth 

awaiting placement. 

The center also includes a Medical 

Building for attending to the populations’ 

healthcare, three enclosed recreation 

yards and a sports field for recreational 

activities. 

A new two-story, 32,000-sq.-ft. courthouse 

includes two courtrooms, court 

offices, secure court holding area, juve- 


nile probation office for more than 50 

staff, district attorney office suite, public 

defender office suite, staff support 

areas and public lobby. 


Project Team 

Institutional 

Winner 

Owner 

County of Sonoma, General Services 

Department, Santa Rosa 

Architect 

The Design Partnership, San Francisco 


Lathrop Construction Associates, Inc., 

Benicia 


Peterson Mechanical, Sonoma; Great 

Salt Lake Electric Inc., Las Vegas; 

Bratton Masonry Inc., Fresno; Kern 

Steel Fabrication (structural steel), 

Bakersfield; North Bay Construction 

(sitework), Petaluma; North Counties 

Drywall Inc., Sonoma 

The innovative design of the project 

was to create a friendly, more open 

environment that is more conducive to 

the rehabilitation of the juvenile population. 

This was achieved by creating 

“The buildings reflect the complexity of its program 

while developing a consistent sense of calm.” 

open spaces with extensive windows 

and skylights for natural lighting and 

the use of wood, colored glass and 

stainless steel in the interiors.


The $64-million Heritage High 

School campus encompasses approximately 

60 acres of hillside, and by virtue 

of the terrain, the project included 

unusual difficulties for construction as 

well as benefits for a unique high school 

campus design, said the builder, Lathrop 

Construction Associates. 


The development of this land included 

public infrastructure for access (a new 

four-lane roadway), education facilities 

made up of classroom buildings, a multistory 

library building, a multi-use building, 

a theater building, an administration 

building, as well as PE facilities made up 

of a football stadium, four baseball/soft- 

ball diamonds, a multi-story gymnasium, 

tennis courts, hard courts and a 

swimming complex. 

Building design, techniques and products 

varied with many of the buildings. 

The multi-story library and gymnasium 

structures as well as the single story 

swimming complex locker room buildings 

are comprised of structural steel, 

metal deck and metal studs. The administration, 

multi-use and classroom buildings 

are comprised of structural steel 

and wood studs. The multi-story theater 

building is comprised of structural steel, 

metal decking and wood studs. And the 

technology classroom building combines 

both structural steel and wood studs with 

a rammed earth structural wall and recycled 

redwood siding. 

Though the campus includes all basic 

necessities of a modern high school, 

many of the finished buildings exceed 

the standards. The theater building and 

“Kudos to Heritage for an interesting and functional 

design in a hilly location.” 

its capabilities rivals private venues and 

even includes a sound studio. The swimming 

complex includes an Olympic-sized 

pool and two locker room buildings, one 

for the school’s use and one for city use. 

The football stadium includes the most 

advanced synthetic football surface as 

well as the most advanced track surface. 


Heritage High School, 

Brentwood 

Project Team 

K-12 

Winner 

Owner 

Liberty Union High School District, 

Brentwood 

Architect 

Quattrocchi Kwok Architects, 

Santa Rosa 


Lathrop Construction Associates, Inc., 

Benicia 


Bay Cities Paving & Grading, Concord 

Wayne E. Swisher Cement Contractor, 

Inc., Antioch 

Kwan Wo Ironworks, Inc. 

(structural steel), San Francisco 

Richard Hancock, Inc. (wood framing), 

Sonoma 

Mike Nelson Co., Inc. (lath, plaster, 

drywall), Fresno 

W.L. Hickey Sons, Inc. (plumbing), 

Sunnyvale 

Trahan Mechanical, Inc., San Rafael 

Con J. Franke Electric, Inc., Stockton 

Western Water Features, Inc. (pool), 

El Dorado Hills 

Lathrop said that with these high standards, 

complexity of function and diversity 

of products as well as design, the 

construction of the project required 

more than 70 subcontractors plus suppliers 

and was made even more demanding 

because of the short 20-month construction 

schedule.


An ambitious waterfront redevelopment 

has resulted in a revitalization of 

downtown Stockton. The Stockton 

Event Center includes a multi-use 

arena and the new Stockton Ports ballpark, 

home to an affiliate of the 

Oakland A’s. 


On Feb. 3, 2005, Swinerton 

Builders, the general contractor on 

both projects, watched the erection of 

the 343,000-lb. roof truss system for 

the four-level, multi-purpose arena. 

Besides trusses, the arena is also com- 

posed of concrete shear walls, composite 

columns, trusses, structural steel 

and pre-cast elements. 

The 244,000-sq.-ft. facility features 

20 luxury suites, concessions, meeting 

rooms, administrative offices, team 

store and locker rooms. At a capacity 

of 10,134 seats, the guests can visit for 

hockey, soccer, volleyball, arena football 

and basketball games, exhibitions 

and concerts. It also includes 4,000 

sq. ft. of meeting space. 

The arena is currently the home of 

the Stockton Thunder hockey team, 

the California Cougars indoor soccer 

team, and the Stockton Lightning 

arena football team. 

The Stockton Ports ballpark features 

seating for 5,200, administration 

offices, press box, four luxury suites, 

an electronic scoreboard with video 

“Truly a civic structure that has a positive impact on the 

entire community.” 

“Makes a large impact on the revitalization efforts for 

downtown Stockton.” 

screen, batting cage, locker rooms, 

concessions, beer garden, children’s 

play area and barbecue pavilion, plus a 

concourse surrounding the entire 

field. It comprises two towers reaching 

35 ft. high and 10 CMU structures 


Stockton Event Center, 

Stockton 

Project Team 

Civic 

Winner 

Owner 

City of Stockton 

Developer 

Regent Development, Sacramento 


Swinerton Builders, Santa Clara 

Architects 

Arena: 360 Architects, 

San Francisco 

Ballpark: HKS Architects, San Francisco 

with cast stone facades. The field 

opens up to the water channel right 

next to it and has a good view of downtown 

Stockton.


This new 90,000-sq.-ft. library for 

the city of San Mateo is the result of six 

years of work and more than 50 public 

meetings. 

The new main library is 54,000 sq. ft. 

larger than the previous library, there is 

five times more space for children, teens 

now have their own 'Teen Lounge' and 

there are also 13 individual and group 

study rooms. 

Initial public meetings took place during 

the rolling blackouts in early 2001 in 

California and prompted a mandate from 

the city to build a library that incorporated 

as many sustainable strategies as possible. 

EHDD Architects designed a LEED Silver 

(anticipated) building for the 21st century. 

A series of three open and interconnected 

spaces—the lobby, the redwood mezzanine 

and the main reading room—allow 

visitors to guide themselves through the 

library without assistance. These spaces 

also bring daylight to all floors and allow 

air to ventilate out through clerestory windows 

at the top of the building. 

Redwood trees were preserved on the 

west side, filtering the harsh west sun 

and creating dappled daylight throughout 

the building. A limestone and wood 

palette creates a warm, inviting and 

“home-like” environment to this new 

community center. Public courtyards off 

a meeting room suite are open to the 

community during library hours and 

after hours. A public plaza with a modern 

sculptured water fountain creates a formal 

civic entrance to the building. 

An automated book sorting system, 

self check-out machines, and mobile staff 

information kiosks are some of the retail 

strategies used to keep staff increases and 


operational costs to a minimum—a key 

consideration in new civic facilities. The 

automated systems also allow staff to 

focus on providing services to patrons. 


San Mateo Main Library, 

San Mateo 

Civic Award of Merit 

Green Building Award of Merit 

Project Team 

Owner 

City of San Mateo 

Architect 

EHDD Architecture, San Francisco 


Pankow Builders, Oakland 

Structural Engineer 

Ove Arup & Partners, San Francisco 

Civil Engineer 

Moffatt & Nichols, Walnut Creek 

Underground Parking Garage 

Watry Design, Redwood City 


Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey 

(landscaping), San Francisco; Simpson 

Gumpertz & Heger Inc. 

(waterproofing, roofing), San Francisco; 

Page & Moris (furniture design), 

San Francisco 

Under-floor air distribution throughout 

the library will ensure energy use reductions 

of 30 percent over Title 24; use of 

sustainable harvested woods and the inte- 

“A great example of green building at its finest.” 

grated use of daylight and natural ventilation 

are the key strategies that are expected 

to earn this building a LEED Silver (or 

Gold) rating.


A living roof, vegetated swales, 

solar panels and strawbale walls 

were just a few of the sustainable elements 

of the Presentation Center, a 

welcome center and dining room for an 

interfaith retreat and conference center 

sponsored by the Sisters of 

Presentation, a Catholic religious community. 

Swinerton Builders used a host of 


green building materials and equipment 

on the project, which received a 

LEED Gold certification from the U.S. 

Green Building Council. 

The 10,000-sq.-ft. center features a 

bookstore, reception area, environmen- 

tal education area and a kitchen and 

dining room that can serve 200 people. 

Energy saving design features 

include a southern orientation, which 

allows for the building to use sun for 

heating and light; plastered 24-in. 

strawbale walls, which provide high 

mass for thermal stability; an earthsheltered 

basement, which is used as 

intake for the evaporative cooler for the 

“Outstanding use of the latest and best green building 

design and techniques.” 

dining areas; and the living roof and 

Energy Star roofing used throughout 

for lighter color roofing, which prevents 

heat island effect and lowers cooling 

demands in the summer. 

Swinerton also used low-emitting 


Presentation Center, 

Los Gatos 

Project Team 

Green Building 

Winner 

Owner 

Sisters of the Presentation, Los Gatos 


Swinerton Builders, San Francisco 

Architect 

Dan Smith and Associates, Berkeley 

Construction Manager 

Cole Project Management, San 

Francisco 


Rosendin Electric, San Jose 

J.J. Albanese (cast-in-place concrete), 

Santa Clara 

Santa Cruz Concrete (concrete finishes), 

Santa Cruz 

AGC Inc. (mechanical and plumbing), 

Campbell 

Urfer Engineering (photovoltaic system, 

solar water heating), San Jose 

Alliance Roofing, San Jose 

Glazier Iron Works, Hayward 

Hollis Glass, San Jose 

Douglas Landscape, San Jose 

(low VOC) paints and interior sealants, 

used recycled content in building materials 

(countertops, ceramic tile, signage), 

utilized a construction waste 

diversion plan, and used FSC-certified 

lumber and furnishings.


This four-story, 122,000-sq.-ft. 

teaching and student services building 

will allow the School of Medicine to 

address several long-standing space deficiencies 

that are making it increasingly 

difficult for the School of Medicine to fulfill 

its core education mission. 

It provides space for expanded library 

and teaching facilities, including classrooms, 

lecture halls, clinical skills training 

and assessment facilities, computer 

labs, and small- and medium-sized multipurpose 

conference/teaching rooms. 

It also provides office space for the 

Dean of the School of Medicine and a 

variety of student support services 

(admissions, records, financial aid, lockers, 

lounge space and a small food service). 

The fourth floor is shelled for the 

present and will later accommodate other 

educational and research programs. 

Due to funding and other issues at the 

university level, the preconstruction 

phase took several months longer than 

anticipated yet the end date and the need 

for the school to open in fall 2006 could 

not be moved out. Although a building of 

UC Davis Health System 

Education Building, Davis 

this detail and complexity should be an 

18-month project, Sundt Construction, 

the general contractor, is on track for a 15month 

completion. 

To compress the schedule, Sundt staggered 

the bidding. Sundt phased the 

structural steel and precast panel bidding 

three months prior to the completion of 

the design in order to get these two very 

long lead items under contract as soon as 

possible. This enabled the structural steel 

to arrive on time and finish only five 

months after construction began. 

Through re-sequencing and stacking 

some of the trades, with the permission 

of the university, Sundt even absorbed 

other schedule impacts during that fivemonth 

period, including unforeseen leaded 

soil conditions and heavier than normal 

rains in May of 2005. 

Though the project is not seeking 

LEED certification, green design elements 

include a reflective roof, auto sensor 

water controls, energy efficient glazing, 

low-emitting interior materials and a 

large amount of daylighting.


The Golden 1 Credit Union’s new corporate 

headquarters is an approximately 

200,000-sq.-ft., six-story, Class A office 

building located on a 13-acre site adjacent 

to Highway 50 and Watt Avenue. The 

Golden 1 Credit Union is California’s 

largest financial cooperative and the 

fourth largest credit union in the U.S. 

McCarthy Building Cos. broke ground 

on the project in October 2004 and completed 

construction in February 2006. 

Ware Malcomb, in collaboration with 

Myamoto International, designed the 

The Golden 1 Credit Union Corporate 

Headquarters, Sacramento 

simple and efficient steel-frame structural 

system. 

The new headquarters supports the 


credit union’s administrative, back 

office and operations staff, including 

training facilities, call center, employee 

lunch room and 900 parking spaces. 


Project Team 

Owner 

Office 

Winner 

The Golden 1 Credit Union, Sacramento 

Developer/Construction Manager 

Opus West Construction Corp., 

Sacramento 


McCarthy Building Cos., Sacramento 

Architect 

Ware Malcomb, West Sacramento 

Engineer 

Miyamoto International, Sacramento 


ACCO Engineered Systems, 

San Leandro; Clark Pacific, Sacramento; 

Bergelectric Corp., Sacramento 

Architectural features of the headquarters, 

while economical, but reflective of 

the credit union’s stature, include two 

“Innovative use of value engineering to improve the 

construction process.” 

main entrances with full height curtain 

walls. The project was designed to have 

floor plate sizes of approximately 

33,000 sq. ft. per floor, to maxi- 

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mize the economy of the steel structure. 

In addition, the facility’s design 

will provide the ability to create a multitenant 

building, ensuring future marketability 

and long-term real estate 

value. 

To complete the project within the 

specified timeline, the project team 

developed an aggressive schedule. 

In offering value engineering service, 

McCarthy was able to recommend alternative 

building materials and services 

that reduced the project’s overall cost, 

but not the quality. For example, 

McCarthy researched and advocated an 

alternate lighting system that reduced 

energy costs. The general contractor 

also instituted a number of other proposals 

regarding construction, landscaping 

and mechanical system details. 

In order to meet the aggressive 

schedule and to avoid obstacles created 

by the rainy season, McCarthy made the 

necessary precautions to assist in the 

winterization of the foundation. 

McCarthy also procured the necessary 

steel prior to the groundbreaking 

and developed a plan for critical path 

management to ensure the project 

remained on schedule. Since the foundation 

could not be completed until the 

steel was erected, McCarthy communicated 

daily with the steel manufacturer 

to receive updates on the sequence of 

erection.


Stanford University’s Center for 

Computer Research in Music and 

Acoustics (CCRMA) is housed in the 

Knoll Building, a prominent three- 


story mansion overlooking the campus 

core. 

The Knoll was originally built in 

The Knoll, Stanford University, 

Palo Alto 

1913 as the residence of Stanford 

President Ray Lyman Wilbur. 

The architect, Louis Christian 

Mullgardt, envisioned a monumental 

“A landmark building, lovingly restored.” 

“An outstanding reuse of a historically significant structure.” 

Spanish Gothic fortress, with wings 

extending at wide angles, as if 

embracing the hilltop. 

>> 


Project Team 

Owner 

Stanford University 

Architect 

Restoration 

Winner 

SMWM Architects, San Francisco 


Hathaway Dinwiddie, San Francisco 


Anza Engineering Group, Automated 

Services & Products, Blue’s Roofing Co., 

Continental Building Specialty, D&R 

Paquette Drywall, De Anza Tile, Dees 

Hennessey Inc., Enterprise Roofing 

Service, Fabco Supply Co., Ferma, 

Harris Salinas Rebar, Hart Flooring Co. 

Inc., Jerry Thomson & Sons, Kirkegaard 

and Associates Acoustical Consultants, 

Kone Inc., Kreysler & Associates, 

Landavazo Bros. Inc., Manclas Steel 

Co., Mason West, Minton Door Co., 

Nichols Concrete Cutting, O’Reilly & 

Falna, Peninsulators, Performance 

Contracting Inc., Safway Services Inc., 

Sullivan Masonry & Restoration, 

Superior Auto. Sprinkler Corp., TDN 

Electric, Therma, Union Planning Mill, 

Welker Brothers, Western Window 

Tinting Inc.



In 1946, the building became home 

to the Stanford University Music 

Department and in 1986, CCRMA 

took over residence in this unique 

building. 

The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake 

damaged much of the building, to such 

an extent that the third floor was 

deemed unsafe for occupants. For 

nearly 15 years, the third floor 

remained condemned. 

Hathaway Dinwiddie began a major 

renovation and seismic strengthening 

project of the Knoll in the summer of 

2004, completing work in August of 

2005. 

The renovated Knoll features a 100seat 

performance stage, a museum of 

computer instruments, state-of-the-art 

audio and recording equipment— 

including a listening room with fullspherical 

sound—and flexible teaching 

space, all of which reflect the 

needs of CCRMA and the facility’s 

other resident, the Center for 

Computer-Assisted Research in the 

Humanities. 

Historical aspects of the building 

were retained and revived through a 

plan that located research and studio 

facilities where they work best and 

interfere least.


The 469,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use 

project at San Francisco’s booming 

Mission Bay neighborhood consists of 

a 17-story high-rise residential tower 

containing 174 units (the phase II of 

the project) and an eight-story mid-rise 

residential tower with 139 units. 

Avalon at Mission Bay has four levels 

of parking, including one below 

grade, as well as 12,000 sq. ft. of 

retail space on the ground floor of 

both towers. 

Avalon at Mission Bay Phase II, 

San Francisco 

Amenities include floor-to-ceiling 

windows, private balconies, a landscaped 

area with BBQ and hot tub, and 

a two-level, 5,276-sq.-ft. fitness center 

with a rock climbing wall, indoor basketball 

court, cardio and weight train- 


“Difficult project was 

delivered ahead of 

schedule… Project team 

exploited the latest 

technology to keep 

operations as efficient as 

possible.” 

ing facilities, locker rooms and dry 

saunas. 

Webcor Builders, Webcor Concrete, 

and Webcor’s Interior Construction 

Group combined to deliver the project 

five months ahead of schedule. 

Webcor said it was able to establish 

and maintain a one-floor-per-week construction 

pace for the 17-story concrete 

structure. Due to the predictable pace of 

the work, Webcor said it was very efficient 

with inspection scheduling, further 

expediting the process. 

Webcor added that its centralized data 

network and use of PDAs in the field 

allowed its stringent quality control program 

to be tracked in real time.


Plaza Apartments opened its doors to 

tenants in January 2006, becoming the 

first new construction for supportive 

housing in the South of Market neighborhood. 

A nine-story building on the 

northeast corner of Howard and Sixth 

streets, Plaza offers 106 single resident 

occupancy (SRO) units. 

The first LEED-certified building constructed 

by general contractor Nibbi 

Brothers, Plaza Apartments became the 

first affordable housing development 

with a LEED silver certification for both 

the city and county of San Francisco. It 

was also the first project developed by 

the Public Initiatives Development 

Corp., a nonprofit development corporation 

of the San Francisco 

Redevelopment Agency formed in 

2001. 

Project challenges were many, 

including being located in a high-volume 

traffic corridor that also has a continuous 

volume of pedestrian traffic. 

And from Thanksgiving through the 

New Year, there is a holiday moratorium 

that prohibits any construction 

work on the street or deliveries; no lane 

of Sixth St., for example, could be 

obstructed. 

In addition to a tight site, materials 

and logistics issues, the tenant type was 

changed in early 2005. Plaza 

Apartments was originally slated for 

low income residents, but in 2005 the 

project was brought under the wing of 

the mayor’s 10-year plan on homelessness 

included in the Direct Access to 

Housing program. DAH is run by the 

Department of Health; the tenants are 

formerly homeless people with disabilities 

that are currently being seen by 

department case workers. The goal of 


the program is to shift the burden of 

care off of facilities like SF General and 

Laguna Honda and shift them toward 

supportive housing developments. 


Plaza Apartments, 

San Francisco 

Project Team 

Redevelopment 

Winner 

Owner 

Public Initiatives Development Corp. 

Architect 

Leddy Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects 

and Paulett Taggart Architects, in association 


Nibbi Brothers Construction 

Engineering Team 

OLMM (structural), C&B Consulting 

Engineers (mechanical/plumbing), 

Pete O. Lapid & Associates (electrical), 

Talamon Engineers (civil), 

GLS Architects (landscape) 


Webcor (concrete), Western 

Waterproofing, FW Spencer (plumbing/HVAC), 

Thyssen Elevator, Scott 

Electric, Peak Engineering (building 

demo/grading and paving) 

The program change necessitated an 

extensive redesign of the public spaces. 

The ground floor multi-purpose room 

was turned into the case workers’ 

office. On the second floor, the existing 

“Highly integrated synthesis of social programs, 

sustainable construction and urban scale-making.” 

office space was reconfigured to add 

more staff. The laundry room and 

lounge became the nurse’s office, exam 

room and psychiatrist’s office.


This major restoration project overcame 

many obstacles to seismically upgrade a 

circa-1889 building and return the interior 

to its original grandeur and to serve the 

community for the next 100 years. 

The 45,000-sq.-ft., two-level structure is 

an unreinforced masonry building with 

wood framed floor and partitions and 

heavy timber roof trusses. The lower level 

is partially below grade and contains various 

community spaces. The main level is 

approximately six ft. above grade and contains 

the worship space. 

The scope of the project addressed four 

basic areas of need: 1) water intrusion 

problems, 2) seismic and structural defi- 

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, 

Sacramento 

ciencies, 3) liturgical issues, and 4) antiquated 

systems. 

All wall and ceiling surfaces were decoratively 

repainted or restored to reflect the 

original Trompe-L’Oeil painting. All liturgical 

elements, such as the altar, tabernacle 

and baptismal font were made of 

hand-carved marble and the ambo, cathedra, 

were made of a combination of 

mahogany and gilded iron. 

Vanir Construction Management Inc. 

and its designers, contractors and subcontractors 

utilized computer generated 3D 

models to illustrate detailed elements in 

addition to the architect’s large-scale 

model of the interior of the cathedral. 

Many full-sized field mock-ups provided 

the means of testing and acceptance of 

interior finishes. 

Since drawings of the original construction 

were long gone, Vanir prepared a set 

of as-built drawings of the building— 

nearly 300 of them—during the condition 

assessment. 

Another challenge was access to the 

exterior building repairs, which was 

assumed to require scaffolding the entire 

façade. However, the cathedral’s dome 

and three towers were so tall that installation 

of scaffolding was not only extremely 

expensive but also caused increased safety 


Project Team 

Restoration 

Award of Merit 

Owner 

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament & 

Rectory, Sacramento 

Architect 

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & 

Planners, New York 


Harbison Mahony Higgins Builders Inc., 

Sacramento 


Vanir Construction Management Inc., 

Sacramento 

Major subcontractors 

Armour Steel, Rio Linda; Artisan Glass 

Works, Sacramento; Capitol 

Architectural Products Co., Sacramento; 

Cleveland Marble, Orange; 

Quarryhouse, San Anselmo; Teichert 

Construction, Davis. 

concerns. So the contractor employed 

steeplejacks, high-wire artisans and trades 

people (most of whom are also mountainand 

rock-climbing enthusiasts) to complete 

the required scope of work. 

Vanir said the project was a model of 


“An outstanding historic project, the cathedral kept the 

grandeur of its structure while being consistent in its 

use and contribution to the community.” 

teamwork and collaboration. The result 

was on schedule delivery of a very complex 

restoration of a very fragile historic 

building.


Located adjacent to the historic Palo 

Alto Caltrain Station and across from 

Stanford University, the $7 million, 

high-tech Palo Alto Transit Center is one 

of the key and busiest inter-modal transfer 

facilities in the Bay Area, currently 

accommodating approximately 800 

buses and 3,500 passengers per day. 

The facility serves the San Mateo 

County Transit (SamTrans) buses from 


the Peninsula, Dunbarton Express 

buses from the East Bay and Santa Clara 

Valley Transportation (VTA) buses from 

the South Bay, interfacing with Caltrain 

commuter rail and marguerite shuttle 

buses from Stanford University. 

Limited by the elongated property 

and minimal square footage, the 

design of the center incorporated a linear 

bus island with sawtooth bus bays 

that maximizes the transit center 

capacity for simultaneously accommodating 

six 60-ft. buses and four 40-ft. 

buses, while providing a layover area 

for six additional buses. 

The facility is designed to be fully 

ADA accessible, complemented by the 

pedestrian guide strips on the passenger 

plaza (an enhancement not 

required by the ADA or state building 

codes) and tactile signage at bus stops, 

which will safely and efficiently guide 

the visually impaired passengers to and 

from the stops. In addition, all pedestrian 

crosswalks are enhanced with inpavement 

flashing light emitting diode 

lights (LEDs), activated by pavement 

sensors. 

The center features a suspended 

translucent roof system supported by 

the rhythmic cadence of gateway 

shaped high-tech structural steel 

“Unusual design and creative use of lighting enhance 

this exceptional project.” 

frames. The project’s toughest technical 

challenge and also the greatest engineering 

achievement was attaining the 

optimum architectural elegance while 

striking a balance between minimizing 

the bulk of the steel frames supporting 


Palo Alto Transit Center, 

Palo Alto 

Project Team 

Owner 

Transportation 

Winner 

Santa Clara Valley Transportation 

Authority, San Jose 

Architect 

VBN Architects, Oakland 


Robert A. Bothman Inc., San Jose 


Biggs Cardosa Associates, San Jose 


Korve Engineering, San Jose 

Lighting Design 

Advance Design Consultants Inc., 

San Jose 

Landscape Architect 

Merrill Morris Partners Inc., 

San Francisco 

the roof system and maintaining the 

structural integrity to withstand wind 

and seismic stresses. 

Primary lighting for the shelter is 

provided by a highly efficient LED system 

that is the first large-scale application 

of this cutting-edge technology for 

a public transit facility in the Bay Area. 

The computer programmed LED lights 

produce multi-colored light shows that 

enhance the visual experience of waiting 

passengers.

Best of 2006 Architect of the Year 

As reported in the October issue of 

California Construction, Gensler won 

the top spot in the annual Top 

Architecture Firm rankings, earning 

$435 million in 2005. 

Andrew Cohen, 

FAIA, executive 

director, said he 

expects the firm to 

do even better in 

2006 based on an 

impressive lineup 

of high-profile 

projects, includ- 

Andrew Cohen 

ing the Hotel & 

Residences at L.A. Live!, a component 

of the larger $1 billion, six-block, mixeduse 

entertainment development in 

Watsonville-based Granite Construction 

was once again atop the annual rankings 

of the largest general contractors in 

California, as reported in the April 2006 

edition of California 

Construction 

Magazine, bringing 

with it the designation 

of the General 

Contractor of the 

Year. 

The firm finished 

2005 with 

William Dorey total revenue of 

$2.641 billion. 

Despite California's budget problems in 

the last year, which led to a temporary 

postponement of many highway improve- 

downtown Los Angeles. The project 

includes a 60-story hotel with an 876room 

Marriott Marquis on the bottom 

floors, a 124-room Ritz-Carlton boutique 

hotel above, and 216 residential condominiums 

developed by KB Urban at the 

very top. 

Other Gensler projects boosting the 

bottom line include 2000 Avenue of the 

Stars, a new 750,000-sq.-ft. office building 

just completed on the site where the 

ABC Entertainment Center used to sit, at 

the corner of Avenue of the Stars and 

Constellation in Century City; and the 

Port of Long Beach’s new administration 

building, a 250,000-sq.-ft. office building 

that will bring together administrative 

and maintenance personnel and is 

Best of 2006 General Contractor of the Year 

ment projects in the state, Granite still 

stayed in the fast lane. 

“Thanks to mild weather conditions in 

the West, many of our branches were able 

to work late into the season and capitalize 

on what I would characterize as one of the 

healthiest transportation markets in many 

years,” said William G. Dorey, president 

and CEO of Granite. Besides California, 

Granite has highway projects either just 

completed or under way in 20 other 

states. 

Dorey said one of the keys to Granite’s 

success is treating its employees right. 

“What you hear, and this is relevant to the 

fact that for three years running we’ve 

been included in Fortune Magazine’s Top 

100 Companies to work for, is that we 


Gensler 

seeking a LEED Gold certification. 

Cohen said the firm’s success is its 

diverse practices coupled with an expansion 

on a global scale. “When U.S. firms 

want to develop internationally, they 

know about us,” he said. 

Gensler has six offices in California, 

including Los Angeles, San Francisco, 

Newport Beach, San Ramon, San Diego 

and San Jose. The firm employs 621 people 

in the state. 

Next year, Gensler’s business will be 

“off the charts, our best year ever,” said 

Cohen. “All our offices are extremely 

busy and will continue due to all the 

backlogged projects whose designs are 

now being completed.”

Best of 2006 Public Owner of the Year 

With more than $9.5 billion in 

projects invested in current transportation 

projects and 600 contracts 

underway, the California Department 

of Transportation—Caltrans—is 

California Construction’s Public 

Owner of the Year, 

based on McGraw- 

Hill Construction 

Dodge revenue data. 

For more than 

100 years, Caltrans 

has been active in 

moving the people 

and commerce of 

Will Kempton 

California, from a 

loosely connected web of footpaths and 

rutted wagon wheels to the sophisticated 

system that today serves the trans- 

portation needs of more than 30 million 

residents. Caltrans manages more 

than 45,000 mi. of California’s highway 

and freeway lanes, provides intercity 

rail services, permits more than 

400 public-use airports and special-use 

hospital heliports, and works with local 

agencies. Caltrans carries out its mission 

of improving mobility across 

California with six primary programs: 

Aeronautics, Highway Transportation, 

Mass Transportation, Transportation 

Planning, Administration and the 

Equipment Service Center. 

“Caltrans has worked with the construction 

industry to ensure that 

builders have the resources to meet an 

expected upturn in transportation 

building,” said Caltrans Director Will 


Caltrans, Sacramento 

Kempton. “We have conducted construction 

industry workshops and 

taken action to ensure that builders are 

growing their ability to take on and 

complete the expected increased workload, 

and that the necessary skilled 

labor force and required construction 

materials are available.” 

Currently, Caltrans’ top projects 

include the $1.43-billion San Francisco- 

Oakland Bay Bridge, the $635 million 

South Bay Expressway Project in San 

Diego (SR-125 South), the $176 million 

Interstate 5/Interstate 805 widening 

project in San Diego, and the $68 million 

Highway 99 interchange at Mission 

Avenue in Merced project.

Best of 2006 Project Manager of the Year 

FTR Interntional’s Subhi Murad 

Nominated by his employer, FTR 

International, for the Best of 

California’s Project 

Manager of the 

Year award, Subhi 

Murad oversaw the 

recently-opened 

Crozier Middle 

School project in 

Inglewood, a project 

that encoun- 

Subhi Murad tered many challenges 

and obstacles, 

including having the completion 

date pushed back five months, heavy 

rains and poor soil conditions. 

The $30 million project, located on a 

seven-acre site in downtown Inglewood, 

consisted of six two-story buildings con- 

taining 44 classrooms, science and art 

labs, gymnasium with locker and weight 

rooms, a multi-media library center, a 

new administration building, a cafeteriastyle 

kitchen that opens to a covered 

lunch shelter, and an outdoor amphitheater. 

The 104,324-sq.-ft. middle school is 

the home to 1,400 students. 

According to FTR, unforeseen conditions 

were numerous, which under normal 

construction scheduling could have 

added months to the completion time, 

including poor soil conditions with 

excessive moisture requiring an additional 

2 ft. of excavation under the more 

than 40,000-sq.-ft. building footprint, 

and the discovery of abandoned well 

shafts, asbestos laden pipes and decades 

old sewer lines. 

Best of 2006 Specialty Contractor of the Year 

A sterling reputation based on 

decades of successful projects combined 

with what Founder, Chairman and 

CEO Burt Sperber 

called “great people” 

earned ValleyCrest 

Cos. of Calabasas 

the number one 

spot on this year’s 

top specialty contractor 

ranking, as 

reported in the 

Burt Sperber 

August 2006 issue 

of California Construction magazine. 

The venerable landscaping firm 

pulled in $777 million in revenue last 

year, according to Sperber. “Passing a 

quarter of a billion dollars in revenues— 

I think you can call that a success,” 

he said. “We’ve been posting 13 percent 

growth annually for a number of 

years.” 

Sperber backs up his people-first 

management style with such activities 

as an annual office tour, where he personally 

visits all of ValleyCrest’s 104 

offices from all divisions, nationwide; 

and rewarding his employees in a variety 

of ways, such as sending a free 

turkey to all 9,000 employees every 

December, a tradition that goes back 57 

years. 

Also, every July during the 

announcement of the company’s safety 

awards, Sperber gives away five trucks 

(this year, Ford F154s) to each of the 


Murad had to deal with the district’s 

decision, one year after groundbreaking 

and anticipating a February 2007 completion, 

to move the schedule up to 

September 2, 2006. Murad and FTR 

took up the challenge and employed up 

to 150 construction personnel, working 

overtime, weekends and holidays. 

FTR made the September deadline 

and Murad saw to it that the project met 

budget. 

“What made this very challenging 

project worth it for me was watching the 

reaction of the children as we progressed 

—they were using portable buildings 

right next to us,” Murad said.

Best of 2006 Southern California 

To prepare for the future and keep up 

with the demanding pace of technology, 

the University of California envisioned 

a network of four buildings to keep 

California at the forefront of technological 

innovation. 

The California Institute for 

Telecommunications and Information 

Technology building developed at 

University of California, San Diego is 

California Construction’s winner for 

not only best higher education project 

in Southern California, but also for 

architectural design. 

The $57 million, 215,000-sq.-ft. facility, 

designed by NBBJ and built by 

Gilbane Builders, represents a major 

Calit2 Building, San Diego 

Best Overall 

Outstanding Architectural Design 

Winner 

Higher Education 

Winner 

investment in telecommunications education 

for not only the university, but 

the nation. 


Called Calit2, the building’s purpose 

is to focus on the context of telecommunications 

and information technology 

as they relate to the evolving Internet, 

nanotechnology, life sciences, informa- 


tion technology and wireless and optical 

telecommunications. 

Each floor of the six-story building is 

“It’s an unbelievably innovative building program.” 

“It’s nicely done, understated. It’s cutting edge in 

multiple layers of thinking.” 

“It’s an amazing project.” 

dedicated to a specific discipline in 

information and telecommunications 

study. You might find researchers 

engaged on the first floor of the building 

trying to research the mysteries of

nanotechnology while a floor above 

researchers are busy unlocking the 

secrets of artificial intelligence. 

The building provides some of the 

most advanced facilities in the nation, 

including clean rooms for nanotechnology 

work, micro-electro-mechanical 

labs, immersive virtual reality and ultrahigh-definition 

digital cinema. 

As many as 900 faculty, staff, graduate 

and undergraduate researchers 

work in the building that has attracted 

some of the nation’s top talent. The 

work they have done and are doing has 

caused both private and public agencies 

to sponsor research and programs. 

Designers and builders, though, were 

faced with unique challenges when 

developing this facility. 

Designers discovered that ordinary 

metal and even glass interfered with 

wireless signals, so a composite material 

called Trespa was used on the exterior 

of the building. The Trespa composite 

minimized blocking electromagnetic 

waves and the building’s steel structural 

system made it easier to map interference 

points. 

Technology also influenced the building’s 

interior design. 

The building’s infrastructure is 

designed to accommodate nearly 2 million 

ft. of Ethernet cable and 150 optical 

fibers linking the building with UCSD 

campus networks. Designers also opted 

not to cover up information infrastructure 

with drop ceilings or steam and 

water pipes. Leaving such spaces open 

allows for easier access to Ethernet 

trays, which is part of the building’s 

purpose. 

Laboratories throughout the building 

were designed as dry labs, meaning 

they are essentially large studios with 

flexible furniture and computing 

arrangements. The design was created 

to encourage collaboration between 

researchers who may come from 

>> 

Project Team 

Owner 

University of California, San Diego 

Architect 

NBBJ, San Francisco 


Gilbane Builders, San Diego 


Rutherford & Chekene, San Francsico 

M/E/P Engineer 

Flack + Kurtz, San Francisco 


Southern California—Best of 2006 

Acoustical Engineer 

Charles M Salter Associates, 

San Francisco 

A/V and Telecom 

The Sextant Group, Phoenix 

Vibration 

Colin Gordon & Associates, 

San Francisco 

Research Facilities Design 

Laboratory Planning and Design 


Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects, 

San Diego


Southern California—Best of 2006 

fields as diverse as the fine arts to those 

studying robotics. 

The building’s physical form was also 

influenced by the technological needs. 

The rectangular form on the courtside 

houses the building’s support systems 

and research laboratories. The curvilinear 

form provides enough room for the 

flexible open plan collaboration spaces. 

One of the main goals of the facility 

is to enable collaborative solutions to 

large-scale societal issues. Since the 

building opened in late 2005, it has 

seen research done into monitoring the 

condition of spinal-injury patients, 

research done on improving the coordination 

and effectiveness of emergency 

response and a laboratory exploring 

ways to make automobiles safer.


Needing to consolidate its San 

Diego operations and move nearly 

1,000 people into a central headquarters, 

architects and builders created a 

massive office complex which met both 

aesthetic and practical needs. 

The Caltrans District 11 

Headquarters, a five-building, 300,000sq.-ft. 

campus, was completed in 

March, three months ahead of schedule. 

The $69 million facility contains 

office space but also features a cafeteria, 

child care center and parking lot. Three 

of the five buildings serve as office 

space with one building dedicated for 

the central plant and the other as a 

maintenance facility. 

A glazed aluminum curtain wall, pre- 

cast concrete, composite metal panels, 

natural limestone and plaster make up 

the façade of each building. 

The five buildings were designed by 

Carrier Johnson around a series of open 

plazas and gardens with bridges to connect 

users. One of the key features of 

the headquarters is a 70-ft. high, 250-ft. 

long trellis which rises above the outdoor 

plaza. 

The trellis is meant to serve as the 

centerpiece for the facility, shading the 

outdoor plaza. But the trellis also uses 

solar panels to generate energy for the 

buildings. 

The trellis is one of the measures 

used to reach the state’s Tier 1 and Tier 

2 energy efficiency and sustainable 

building measures. The construction 

team used high-performance building 

materials and used native drought-tolerant 

plants on the site to help meet those 

requirements. 


“Interior elements gave it a different feel.” 

“The project certainly paid attention to sustainable design.” 

Building the complex was not easy. 

Located in a historical section of San 

Diego meant builders had to work with 

archeologists during the grading and 

excavation process. 

Overhead power lines needed to be 

relocated as well as a section of sewers. 

General contractor Clark Construction 


Caltrans District 11 HQ, 

San Diego 

Project Team 

Office 

Winner 

Owner 

State of California 

Architect 

Carrier Johnson, San Diego 


Clark Construction, Costa Mesa 


John A. Martin & Associates, 

Los Angeles 

Mechanical Engineer 

MA Engineers, San Diego 

Electrical Engineer 

Michael Wall Engineering, San Diego 


Winzler & Kelly Consulting, San Diego 


Wallace Roberts & Todd, San Diego 

faced a nine-month delay at the start of 

the project, but managed to keep prices 

stable before construction started. Clark 

also mitigated escalating costs throughout 

by re-sequencing work. 

The general contractor also turned 

about 50 ideas into value engineering 

savings of $500,000. One of the more 

significant savings was using alternative 

limestone, which was more aesthetically 

pleasing and more durable than the 

original product.


When Chapman University needed to 

expand its film school, officials took a different 

route than other universities. 

Rather than expand elsewhere on the 

campus, the university reinvested in its 

existing film school and spent $22 million 

to build the Marion Knott Film Studio, 

keeping all the technological components 

under one roof. 

The 76,000-sq.-ft., two-story film and 

television facility was designed to meet the 

needs of all film students. 


Construction on the school began in 

February 2005 and was completed in June 

2006 with classes beginning in August. 

When construction finished, the film 

studio had two sound stages, three-camera 

high-definition television stage and pre 

and post production facilities. 

Marion Knott Film Studio, 

Orange 

A foley stage for creating sound 

effects, a 500-seat stadium style movie 

theater and classrooms and offices 

were also built for the studio. 

One of the challenges of building 

the studio was the acoustical needs of 

the various rooms. For example, the 

theater could not be located next to 

production rooms or sound stages 

where sensitive recording might take 

place. The studio was designed to separate 

those facilities and acoustical 

“It creates an integrated learning department.” 

“There are technical challenges to film that are 

addressed here.” 

testing was done to ensure goals were 

met. 

Builders also faced several different 

structural system challenges. For 

instance, high bay sound stages needed 

bow-shaped roofs which were framed 

with long span wood trusses, glue-lam 


Project Team 

Owner 



Chapman University, Orange 

Architect 

Bastien and Associates, Inc., Tustin 


Turner Construction Co., Irvine 


Abacus Project Management, Newport 

Beach 


KPFF Consulting Engineers, Irvine 


Fuscoe Engineering, Irvine 

MEP 

Levine Seegel, Santa Monica 

Landscaping 

Wilson Associates Landscaping 

Architecture 

beams and wood sheathing. At the same 

time, builders also needed to construct 

offices and classrooms using steel, metal 

deck and concrete. 

The architecture of the studio varies as 

the needs of each room vary. For 

instance, sound stages were left open 

with exposed construction in the ceiling 

to allow for future technological 

improvements to be made later. 

But the theater was designed with 

high-level finishes to provide a movie 

theater like experience similar to your 

local theater. A marquee-style sign was 

even installed outside the main lobby 

entrance.


Qualcomm, Inc. had not pursued any 

green building developments until it 

began work on Building WT in San 


Diego, but the developer/owner has 

aimed high, seeking a LEED silver certification 

for the office project. 

The project included the demolition 

of a portion of an existing building, 

which left 115,000-sq.-ft. of space that 

was turned into 38,000 sq. ft. of office 

space, 12,000 sq. ft. data center and 

65,000 sq. ft. of lab space. 

A new 12-story, 415,000-sq.-ft. office 

building was also constructed. The 

structural steel building has a number 

of features designed to achieve the silver 

certification. 

Some features included high-efficiency 

lighting using low-wattage fixtures 

while motion light sensors and skylights 

were also installed. The lighting 

was designed to provide natural light to 

all common spaces, including lounges, 

hallways and dining facilities. 

High-performance insulated glazing, 

natural gas turbine cogeneration and 

photovoltaic shade canopies were also 

installed to conserve energy. High-efficiency 

absorption chillers, boilers and 

water heaters were also installed. 

As a result, the project energy model 

“Truly exciting to see a commercial developer-corporate 

owner build green.” 

“Sustainable design makes good business sense.” 

surpasses the California Title 24 standards 

by 15.3 percent. 

On the conservation end, the project 

included a waste diversion plan that 

diverted nearly 75 percent of waste. 


Qualcomm Building WT, 

San Diego 

Project Team 

Owner 

Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego 

Architect 

Green Building 

Winner 

Architects Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues 

Barker, San Diego 


Roel Construction Co., San Diego 


RBF Consulting, San Diego 


Walsh Engineers, San Diego 


ILA + Zammit Engineering, San Diego 

Low-emitting VOC paints, sealants and 

adhesives were also used. The maximum 

amount of fly-ash concrete was 

installed throughout the building. 

To conserve water use, recycled water 

is used in landscaping and dualplumbed 

water closets. The building 

was also “pre-plumbed” to incorporate 

the use of reclaimed water once that 

utility becomes available from the city. 

Noise reduction measures were 

installed in interiors and the building 

shell.


The UC Irvine Natural Sciences Unit 

II research facility joins two science 

schools into one eye-catching design. 

The $40 million, 146,075-sq.-ft. 

building was shaped into an “L” form 

and divided into two wings—one fivestory 

wing dedicated for offices, the 

other four-story wing designed for lab 

and classroom space. Dividing the 

building into two wings allowed the 


university to meet safety requirements 

and created efficient user flow. 

The building was further divided to 

meet the needs of the two science 

schools—the school of physical sciences 

is housed on the first and second 

floors while the school of biological sciences 

uses the top floors. The fifth floor 

also includes an outdoor balcony that 

UC Irvine Natural Sciences Unit II 

can serve to host biological science 

events. 

A single-story High Energy Lab was 

also part of the project. To minimize its 

impact to the design, it was built apart 

from the main research facility. 

The hinge of the building was 

designed to serve as a two-story 

entrance lobby. But besides serving as 

the lobby, the entrance also provides 

“Good job of making meeting spaces, lab types.” 

access to the main stair tower. Each 

landing of the stair tower is oversized, 

designed to allow for meeting space and 

special events. 

Lab space was designed with smaller 

windows to allow a controlled amount 

of light in while offices were designed 

with larger windows. In the lab space, 

blackout curtains were installed for 


Project Team 



Owner 

University of California, Irvine 

Design/Build Architect 

Carrier Johnson, Costa Mesa 

Bridging Design Architect 

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, 

Los Angeles 


Hensel Phelps Construction, Co., Irvine 


GEM Engineering, San Diego 


Korsortum 1, Santa Ana 


BFL Owen and Associates, Irvine 

Laboratory Planner 

Design for Science, San Marcos 

Vibration Consultant 

VSA & Associates, Whittier 

experiments. The labs were also 

designed to be movable and flexible. 

The building exterior is cast-in-place 

concrete and the base of the building 

was set in Rosso Verona stone, a red 

granite. Stainless steel and copper were 

used as accents around the exterior of 

the stair tower and canopy elements. 

The Natural Sciences Building Unit 

II sits at the edge of the university’s 

ring mall and it fits neatly into UCI’s 

master plan.


When University of San Diego High 

School needed to expand, its owner, 

the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, gave 

it a new name, a new location and a 

new look. 

Cathedral Catholic High School, a $52 

million campus, is a 250,000-sq.-ft. educational 

complex to serve 2,000 students. 

Built on 55 acres, the high school is 

comprised of 12 buildings, including a 

multi-story gymnasium, library and 


fine arts building. Classrooms were outfitted 

with smart boards while the fine 

arts building features roll-up doors to 

allow natural light inside. The school’s 

football field features artificial turf, full 

stadium seating and is surrounded by a 

track. 

Cathedral Catholic High School, 

San Diego 

The school’s Catholic identity is 

reflected throughout the campus. A 

statue of Saint Joseph is located at the 

primary entrance, a chapel was built 

and a meditation garden was built 

which features religious sculptures. 

Designed by Architects Mosher Drew 

Watson Ferguson, the high school was 

built by Sundt Construction. Sundt provided 

value engineering recommendations 

that reduced project costs by 5 percent 

during construction. 

The campus was designed to emulate 

Italian hill town architecture; multi-colored 

masonry block and colored concrete 

shapes were used for the buildings. 

The plazas were created in a similar 

manner. 

Using masonry allowed the building’s 

exteriors to be enhanced without 

using stucco or metal paneling. 

The buildings were constructed with 

reinforced masonry bearing walls with 

“The Tuscan features are great; a well-executed 

project.” 

supporting structural steel floors and 

roofs. Clay tile roofing was used for 

sloping roofs. 

The project was scheduled to allow 

subcontractors to work independently 

of one another. For instance, a masonry 

subcontractor would work on one build- 


Project Team 

K-12 

Winner 

Owner 

Catholic Diocese of San Diego 

Architect 

Architects Mosher Drew Watson 

Ferguson, San Diego 


Sundt Construction, San Diego 


Stedman & Dyson Structural Engineers, 

San Diego 


Lintvedt McColl & Associates, San Diego 


ILA + Zammit Engineering Group, 

San Diego 


GEM Engineering 


Wallace Roberts & Todd, San Diego 

ing and move on to the next while the 

steel subcontractor began work on the 

first building. 

The high school was not completely 

finished until December 2005 but 

enough work was completed to allow 

the school to open earlier in the year. 

The project finished on time despite 

a number of challenges, including a 

rainier season than usual and escalating 

building costs.


Building the Performing Arts Center 

and Student Commons at the 

Thacher School, a four-year private 

school in Ojai, meant understanding 

the surrounding landscape and the 

school’s mission. 

The school is surrounded by peaks 

and valleys and emphasizes outdoor 

lifestyles. Academics, horsemanship 

and manual labor are among the skills 

students learn at Thacher. 

The Student Commons, the section 

of the school designed for meetings and 


gatherings, was designed to overlook 

the Ojai Valley. The roofline of the 

Performing Arts Center was designed 

to steer the viewers’ eyes toward the 

nearby mountains and the auditorium’s 

big window also has a view of nearby 

Twin Peaks. 

Design architect Barton Phelps and 

Associates aligned the buildings specifi- 

cally with the surrounding mountains 

of Los Padres. Harley Ellis Devereaux 

served as the executive architect while 

Matt Construction was the general contractor. 

An infirmary and assembly hall were 

removed to make way for the two larger 

buildings. 

The two buildings were constructed 

with a stepped courtyard in between; 

that area was created for student gatherings 

and outdoor events. 

The two buildings were also designed 

“Elegant, perfect for Ojai from a design standpoint.” 

to complement each other. For instance, 

the Commons building provides a 

lobby, reception area and restroom facilities 

which can also be used by students 

in the Performing Arts Center. A games 

room, kitchen and student store were 

also installed in the Commons building. 

A 450-seat auditorium in the arts 

building was designed to allow the 


Thacher School, 

Ojai 

Project Team 

K-12 


Owner 

Thacher School 

Design Architect 

Barton Phelps & Associates, 

Los Angeles 

Executive Architect 

Harley Ellis Devereaux, Los Angeles 


Matt Construction, Santa Fe Springs 


Kurily Szymanski Tchirkow, Inc., 

Los Angeles 


Burton & Co., Santa Monica 

Acoustics/Audio-Visual 

McKay Conant Brook, Inc., 

Westlake Village 

Theater Consultant 

Landry & Bogan, Mountain View 

lower 300 seats to be used for daily 

assembly. The arts building was given 

metal siding to complement the rustic 

nature of the campus while the commons 

received red cedar paneling, 

topped with a red brick roof. 

The two buildings were constructed 

as part of an ongoing capital campaign 

for Thacher with a goal of raising $70 

million. The two buildings cost more 

than $17 million to build.


After nine years of design and construction, 

the Getty Villa finally 

reopened to the public in January. And 

judging by the awards it has won, it was 

worth the wait. 

Since its opening, the Getty Villa renovation 

was named project of the year 

by the Los Angeles chapter of AIA, 

earned project of the year honors from 

the Los Angeles Business Council and 

Judgess’ Comments 

also received the Q Award from the 

Alliance for Quality Construction. And 

those are just a handful of the awards 

the project has received. 

The Villa, dedicated to the study of 

Greek, Roman and Etruscan arts and 

cultures, incorporates those influences 

in its design and was part of the challenge 

of renovation. 

Renovating the Getty Villa meant that 

architects and contractors needed to 

retain that classic style but meld more 

modern technology and building practices 

into the facility. 

During the pre-construction phase, 

more than 800 mock-ups were created 

to aid in the construction process. 

Architects, the general contractor and 

subcontractors communicated closely 

during the design process to create a 

final design solution. 

Construction on the Villa was done in 

phases with the central plant—which 

provides power to the rest of the site— 

built first. 

The Museum portion of the Villa presented 

a number of challenges to 

builders. 

Since the Villa was built in the early 

“The difficulty of executing the design raises this project 

above most others.” 

“Smart interpretation, impeccable.” 

1970s many of the buildings needed to 

be structurally strengthened. At the 

same time, new HVAC, security, electrical 

and plumbing systems needed to 

be installed. The modernization of the 

museum will allow heavier pieces of 


Getty Villa, 

Malibu 

Project Team 

Restoration 

Winner 

Owner 

The J. Paul Getty Trust 

Design Architect 

Machado & Silvetti, Boston 

Executive Architect 

SPF Architects, Culver City 


Morley Builders, Santa Monica 


Nabih Youssef Associates, Inc., 

Los Angeles 

M/E/P 

Ove Arup & Partners, Los Angeles 

Civil Engineer/Earthwork 

Psomas, Los Angeles 


Kocher Schirra Gohanizi, Glendale 

artwork to remain stable in the event 

of an earthquake. More than 1,200 

antiquities are on display at the Villa. 

The museum underwent numerous 

changes including adding a new atrium, 

more windows for enhanced lighting 

and a cast-bronze stair to link 

floors. 

A 250-seat indoor auditorium was 

built as well as a 450-seat outdoor 

auditorium. Office and laboratory 

space was created for Getty staff as 

well as a café.


A nearly 100-year-old San Diego 

hotel has been restored and is slated to 

return as one of the city’s most prominent 

and historic attractions. 

Sitting at the edge of San Diego’s 

Gaslamp district, the US Grant Hotel is 

on the National Register of Historic 

Places. But new owners, seeking to create 

a more opulent lodging destination, 

began planning to renovate the hotel 

after taking over ownership in 2003. 

The US Grant Hotel renovation, a 

$52 million project, took nearly two 

years to complete. 

The 11-story, 270-room hotel received 

a number of upgrades from the outside 

sidewalks to the suites at the top of the 

hotel. The renovation also focused on 

three major ballrooms, meeting rooms 

and retail space along the street. 

All together, more than 3,000 construction 

activities were planned. 

Renovations were done in five areas 

of the hotel: in the guest rooms; in the 

suites; in the basement and lobby; 

kitchens; and hotel exterior. 

Much of the work focused on upgrading 

and modernizing hotel rooms. Rooms 

were refurbished with material such as 

high-end carpeting from India. Bathtubs 


“Restored to its glory years.” 

were removed from guest rooms and 

replaced with walk-in showers. Original 

art insured for a total of $5 million was 

placed into bedrooms. 

Many existing materials were refurnished. 

Builders worked from photographs 

and postcards to restore one of 

the ballrooms. Columns in the lobby 

were hand painted, as were metal and 


US Grant Hotel, 

San Diego 

Project Team 

Restoration 


Owner 

US Grant Hotel Ventures, LLC 

Architect 

ASCG of New Mexico, Albuquerque 


Swinerton Builders, San Diego 

Plumbing/Mechanical Engineer 

Pacific Rim Mechanical, San Diego 


Neal Electric, Poway 

Concrete 

TB Penick & Sons, San Diego 

Landscape 

ValleyCrest, San Diego 

stair railings and wood floors in the 

basement. 

While the hotel was renovated, 

builders and designers discovered past 

materials which influenced their design. 

For instance, when the project team 

found white marble on the grand staircase 

in the lobby, they decided to refurbish 

the entire 10,000-sq.-ft. lobby in 

white marble. Among the challenges of 

refurbishing the lobby in marble was 

finding the right period marble with 

gray veins to complement the staircase. 

This is the second major renovation 

to the hotel in the past 25 years. It was 

renovated in the early 1980s.


Metropolitan Lofts is trying to bring 

urban living back into downtown Los 

Angeles. 

Targeted at the young urban professional 

in Los Angeles, Metropolitan Lofts 

features 274 apartments and is near various 

Los Angeles venues, including 

Staples Center and the Los Angeles 

Convention Center. 

The eight-story building was inspired 

by early 20th-century design and is clad 

in concrete and corrugated steel. A large 

amount of glass was included to enhance 

views from all levels of the building. 

One of the main features of the building 

is an electronic LED panel on the outside 

of the building. When residents walk 

into the building, they step on tiles which 

trigger the outside LED display, creating 

“electronic art.” 

Each loft ranges in size from 690 to 

1,400 sq. ft. and includes live/work units, 

a studio apartment and one and two-bedroom 

apartments. 

The apartments were designed to 

emphasize clean lines of classic modernism 

with vibrant color schemes, 

urban architectural finishes and materi- 


“Well-constructed building.” 

“It fits downtown.” 

als and contemporary free-form spaces. 

Large industrial windows, balconies 

and open kitchens were also built in each 

apartment. 

The builders incorporated a lot of area 

for socializing near the ground floor. The 

lobby lounge features mainly glass with 

modern furnishings. The ground floor 


Metropolitan Lofts, 

Los Angeles 

Project Team 

Residential 

Winner 

Developer 

Forest City Residential West, 

Los Angeles 

Architect 

Johnson Fain, Los Angeles 


Swinerton Builders, Los Angeles 


Nabih Youssef & Associates, 

Los Angeles 


Vorgias Consulting, Pasadena 


Psomas, Los Angeles 

open space includes a courtyard which 

includes the pool but also includes a barbeque 

and room for parties. 

A nearby aboveground parking garage 

allows residents to walk from the garage 

to their apartment. 

Metropolitan Lofts also features many 

amenities both in-building and on the 

ground level. The building features a 

pool, fitness center and spa. It also 

includes high-speed Internet service for 

all units, 24-hour business center and a 

screening room. Among the many 

concierge services offered are housekeeping, 

notary services and package delivery 

About 11,000 sq. ft. of the ground-level 

is dedicated to retail.


If a man’s home is his castle, 

Rancho Santa Fe Estate comes nearly 

close to reaching that castle status. 

The mammoth Rancho Santa Fe 

Estate, built by Lang Contracting and 

designed by AIA architect Norm 

Appelbaum, encompasses 27,000 sq. 

ft. and is located on 30 acres in Rancho 

Santa Fe. 

To give you an idea of the size of the 

home, the footprint of the building is 

about the size of a football field. 

The home is functional, though. It 

includes a master bedroom, office, living 

room, workout room as well as 

other residential living space. 

Glass is a major component of the 

estate. Some glass window panels reach 

as high as 30 ft. Steel columns combined 

with the glass work are meant to 

convey the illusion that the roof is floating 

above the home. 

One of the unique features of the 

home is the exposed structural beams 

which run throughout, extending over 

other portions of the home. The cantilevered 

beams jut out throughout the 

home but do not look out of place. 

A person driving into the home 

might drive under one of the beams, 

but the home’s driveway is also 

designed to pass over the estate’s pool. 

And that is just one of numerous 

amenities included in the home. The 

estate also features clay tennis courts, a 

38-space subterranean garage and a 


“Complex project.” 

“Innovative.” 

man-made pond. The builders also 

managed to squeeze in interior and 

exterior reflecting pools, a theater and a 

bar. 

Although the home is vast, the 

builders tried to cut down on its size by 

focusing all the living areas in one section. 

So, the master bedroom, kitchen, 


Rancho Santa Fe Estate, 

Rancho Santa Fe 

Project Team 

Residential 


Owner 

Undisclosed 

Architect 

Norm Appelbaum, AIA 


Lang Contracting, Cardiff 


Stedman & Dyson Structural Engineers, 

San Diego 


TRI-Dimensional Engineering, Poway 

Mechanical Engineering 

Coast Heating and Air Conditioning, San 

Diego 

Electrical Engineering 

ILA + Zammit Engineering Group, 

San Diego 


Kawasaki, Theilacker, Ueno + 

Associates, San Diego 

living room and workout area are all 

located in the same area, intending to 

create “a home within a home” feel. 

Landscape architect Kawasaki, 

Theilacker, Ueno + Associates was 

assigned the task of providing plants 

and shrubbery for the massive estate 

while structural engineer Stedman & 

Dyson Structural Engineers was given 

the task of ensuring that the beams 

support the home.


UCSD Hillcrest Hospital Renovation/Systems 

Upgrade, San Diego 

Swinerton Builders was faced with multiple 

challenges when confronted with the 

task of updating and renovating specific 

systems within San Diego’s UCSD 

Hillcrest Hospital. But one of the toughest 

challenges was working inside the aging 

hospital—the second largest in San 

Diego—as it continued to operate. 

The hospital, built in 1966, needed 

improvements and upgrades to five obso- 


lete and aging systems, a project expected 

to cost about $15 million, according to university 

estimates. 

Beginning in 2003 and finishing in 

December 2005, Swinerton improved and 

upgraded five different sections of the 12story 

hospital’s infrastructure: fire sprinkler 

system retrofit, elevator upgrades, san- 

itary sewer replacement, steam condensate 

return and air handler unit/coil replacement 

upgrades. 

Numerous challenges were discovered 

during the project. 

During the renovation, Swinerton had to 

come up with infection control plans to 

protect hospital staff, patients and construction 

staff from being affected by the construction 

activity. 

“A tough, complex project finished on time and within 

budget.” 

Unknown hazardous conditions also 

posed a problem. For example, during construction 

Swinerton found lead and 

asbestos in the building that required abatement. 

The hospital had numerous tight and 

confined spaces in which workers had to 

work within. Swinerton had to install fire 


Project Team 

Healthcare 

Winner 

Owner 

University of California, San Diego 


Swinerton Builders, San Diego 

Fire System Architect 

Rodriguez Park Architecture and 

Planning, San Diego 

Elevator Modernization Architect 

Austin Veum Robbins Parshalle, 

San Diego 

Condensate Return Line Architect 

James Leary Architect & Planning, 

San Diego 

Air Handler Upgrade Architect 

Schmidt Scanlon Gordon Architects, 

San Diego 

safety systems into areas of the hospital that 

were not designed for new equipment. 

Workers also had to navigate within a 

hospital that had numerous other construction 

projects ongoing. It’s estimated 

that as many as 40 different construction 

projects were operating at some point during 

construction. Swinerton also had to 

juggle 14 different projects concurrently, 

managing many different designers and 

managers from both the construction and 

hospital side. 

Adding to the difficulty of the work was 

the need to do non-stop work to avoid disrupting 

the system. Because the systems 

were critical to the operation of the hospital, 

Swinerton had to remove and then 

quickly install components to ensure the 

hospital continued to run smoothly.


Demand necessitated that the Santa 

Monica Main Library grow. More parking, 

more material and more meeting rooms 

were needed for Santa Monica residents. 

When the new Santa Monica Main 

Library opened in January 2006, Santa 

Monica had found a new community 

resource for the 21st century. 

The 104,000-sq.-ft., two-story library 

included more meeting rooms, more 


parking spaces and was designed not only 

with an eye toward architectural design, 

but sustainability, as well. 

Located in Santa Monica’s downtown, 

the new Main Library sits on the site of 

the former library, demolished in 2003. 

Construction on the new $73.9 million 

library started in 2004. 

Santa Monica Main Library, 

Santa Monica 

The new library includes a number of 

features that set it apart from other civic 

libraries. An inverted roof form, a classic 

Roman-style impluvium, makes the 

highest part of the building at street 

edge, but also serves to move rain water 

toward the building’s central courtyard. 

That 10,000-sq.-ft. courtyard can be 

used for special events or outdoor reading. 

“Commitment to sustainability is exemplary.” 

“Design, functionability—it’s got everything.” 

To alleviate parking woes, a subterranean 

three-level parking garage was 

built. Two entrances were built to 

encourage pedestrian access to the 

library. Daylighting was included for 

both readers and computer users 

throughout the library. Other areas 

included a café, children and teen area 


Project Team 

Civic 

Winner 

Owner 

City of Santa Monica 


Morley Construction Co., Santa Monica 

Architect 

Moore Ruble Yudell Architects, 

Santa Monica 


Nabih Youssef Associates, Inc., Los 

Angeles 


KPFF Consulting Engineers, Los 

Angeles 

M/E/P Engineer 

Syska Hennessy Group, Los Angeles 


Pamela Burton & Co., Santa Monica 

and an auditorium. The library can 

accommodate 400,000 materials and 

the facility can be expanded to hold 

more. 

A storm retention system was 

installed that reduces runoff by 20 percent. 

Waterless urinals, low restroom 

faucets and dual flush toilets were also 

installed to save water use. 

Dual-glazed windows and solar panels 

on the roof were incorporated to reduce 

energy use. No CFC or HCFC-based 

refrigerants were used in the building’s 

heating or cooling systems. 

During demolition, nearly all of the 

existing concrete was recycled.


After more than 70 years of use and 

constant exposure to ocean elements, 

North Torrey Pines Road Bridge needed 

to be rebuilt. 

The 340-ft. North Torrey Pines Road 

bridge was built to replace a structurallydeficient 

and obsolete bridge that ran 

across Los Penasquitos Creek and 

Lagoon. 

The old bridge had 72 pilings that hindered 

the natural flushing of the lagoon. 


“Smooth lanes.” 

“Integrates well with the environment.” 

The new bridge features three spans and 

allows for better natural flushing to the 

sea and a healthier lagoon. Replacing the 

more than 70-year-old bridge cost more 

than $12 million. 

The new bridge is a haunched, threespan, 

cast-in-place box girder which is 

nearly 70-ft. wide. The width allows two 

traffic lanes, shoulders, a median and a 

sidewalk on one side. 

North Torrey Pines Road Bridge, 

San Diego 

The bridge was designed in two phases 

to allow vehicular and pedestrian traffic 

to continue throughout construction. 

The bridge serves as a major traffic 

artery in San Diego County, with 

20,000 vehicles traveling it each day. 

The new bridge was also designed to 

make it standout as an architecturallysignificant 

landmark. Pedestrians who 

pass below the bridge notice that it 

forms a Gothic arch shape. A hand-rail- 

ing was also created along the sidewalk 

portion of the bridge. 

The bridge was designed by Safdie 

Rabines and FCI Constructors built the 

bridge with T.Y. Lin International serving 

as engineer. 

Builders faced numerous difficulties 

when building the bridge, including 

building over water and during rainy 

weather. Measures such as sheet pile 


Project Team 

Transportation 

Winner 

Owner 

City of San Diego 

Architect 

Safdie Rabines, San Diego 


FCI Constructors, Vista 

Engineer 

T.Y. Lin International, San Diego 

Geotechnical Consultant 

AMEC Earth and Environmental, Inc., 

San Diego 

Roadway Approaches Consultant 

Earth Teach, Inc., San Diego 

Traffic Control Consultant 

Lintvedt, McColl & Associates, 

San Diego 

retaining walls were used to protect 

the bridge falsework during construction 

from wave and tidal forces. 

Temporary sheet pile retaining walls 

allowed most of the bridge to be constructed 

in the dry. 

The marine environment also necessitated 

some unusual design measures. 

All bar reinforcement was epoxy 

coated to extend the life of the structure. 

Concrete was densified by using 

high proportions of fly ash which will 

reduce chloride penetration into the 

concrete. Anodized aluminum finish 

on the railings was specified as marine 

grade.

Best Of 2006 - McGraw Hill Construction

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