Best Of 2006 - McGraw Hill Construction

Best of 2006 Southern California
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.
Judges’ Comments
“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
43 California Construction 12/2006
Caltrans District 11 HQ,
San Diego
Project Team
Office
Winner
Owner
State of California
Architect
Carrier Johnson, San Diego
General Contractor
Clark Construction, Costa Mesa
Structural Engineer
John A. Martin & Associates,
Los Angeles
Mechanical Engineer
MA Engineers, San Diego
Electrical Engineer
Michael Wall Engineering, San Diego
Civil Engineer
Winzler & Kelly Consulting, San Diego
Landscape Architect
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.