Best Of 2006 - McGraw Hill Construction

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Best of 2006 Northern California 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 Judges’ Comments 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 35 California Construction 12/2006 Palo Alto Transit Center, Palo Alto Project Team Owner Transportation Winner Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose Architect VBN Architects, Oakland General Contractor Robert A. Bothman Inc., San Jose Structural Engineer Biggs Cardosa Associates, San Jose Civil Engineer 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 37 California Construction 12/2006 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.”
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Best Of 2006 - McGraw Hill Construction

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