“One of Soka University’s guiding principals is to foster leaders for the creative coexistence of nature and humanity, and the Soka Performing Arts Center project demonstrates this socially responsible ideal to our students,” said Arch Asawa, Soka University’s Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO. “We deeply appreciate the project team for helping us meet our objective to create a world-class LEED Gold Certified facility.”

McCarthy served as general contractor and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca was the architect for the $73 million project, which included construction of a three-level, 47,836-square-foot Soka Performing Arts Center housing a reception lobby, various support spaces and a 1,000-seat auditorium. McCarthy also built a 48,974-square-footAcademicBuildingwhich is located next to and provides support for the Soka Performing Arts Center. The new four-level academic building houses 11 classrooms, 29 faculty offices, a 150-seat black box theater, four dressing rooms, a rehearsal/dance studio, musician warm-up spaces and other support areas.

To successfully address the LEED aspects of the project, the design and construction team employed 15 LEED accredited professionals, and McCarthy used sustainable construction methods throughout the project. These included: recycling approximately 75 percent of construction waste; maintaining proper indoor air quality; utilizing local labor and ensuring that the subcontractors install the specified “green” materials.

Likewise, the design of these structures incorporates numerous sustainable and energy efficiency solutions. TheSokaPerformingArtsCenterand theAcademicBuildingboth have a green roof and solar panels. The green roof holds three to four inches of soil filled with succulent plants providing sound insulation as well as insulation for heating and cooling. It also absorbs rain water to filter it before it goes into theWoodCanyonwatershed, and it converts carbon dioxide to oxygen. Additionally, a bioswale was built to help manage storm water runoff. 

In order to create a space large enough for the green roof with a combination of vegetation and photovoltaic panels arrays as part of the sunshades, the project’s electrical contractor utilized design/build delivery to meet the project’s complex electrical needs. BIM 3D modeling was implemented to successfully coordinate paths and spacing requirements and to improved collaboration with all of the MEP trades. Furthermore, energy modeling simulations were performed, which showed an overall energy cost savings of about 25% over the baseline. To that end, the 140 kW photovoltaic system generates an estimated 15% of the energy needed.

Further energy efficiency solutions included operable windows for climate control in the academic building as well as sensor-controlled lights that turn themselves off in unused rooms. Automatic daylight responsive dimmable lighting controls were installed in all classrooms and both black-box and the Center’s lobbies. A displacement ventilation system was utilized to supply cooler air near the floor, pushing warmer air away from occupants in academic and performance hall spaces.

The Soka Performing Arts Center’s exterior features a glass sunshade structure with 570 panes of laminated safety glass to permit visibility, yet diffuse light and reduce solar heat-gain in the large, all glass lobby. The performance hall also features adjustable floor diffusers below most seats, allowing audience members to adjust airflow. Water-saving features employed include low-flow water fixtures and high-efficiency instantaneous gas water heaters.

Other project team members included Program Manager R.W. Buck and Associates of Rancho Santa Margarita; JAMA of Los Angeles, structural engineer; RBF of Irvine, civil engineer; Syska of Los Angeles, electrical and mechanical engineer; and SWA of Laguna Beach, landscape architect.

“TheSokaUniversityproject team was focused on sustainability from day one and worked hard to make this goal a reality,” explained McCarthy Executive Vice President Mark Mardock. “McCarthy continues to position ourselves as a leader in green construction, and this project is an outstanding example. With this latest certification, McCarthy now has 10 LEED Gold projects on our resume, with more than 20 in the works. In total, McCarthy has completed or underway more than $7 billion in sustainable projects overall.”

About McCarthy
McCarthy is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held commercial construction companies. More than a decade ago, McCarthy formalized a national in-house green knowledge network to capture and build upon the best green practices across the country. Today, the McCarthy Green Team is comprised of approximately 400 USGBC LEED Accredited Professionals (ranking the company in the top 10 for LEED AP’s by Building Design and Construction and among the nation’s Top 20 Green Construction Companies in America by Engineering News-Record). McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information is available online at http://www.mccarthy.com/.

The new passageway will cross under Wellborn Road and the Union Pacific Railroad line at the Old Main Drive intersection on the Texas A&M University College Station campus. McCarthy’s construction of the new underpass will allow pedestrian, bicycle, automobile and bus traffic between the East and West Campus, enabling students to safely avoid the railroad tracks and vehicle traffic at Wellborn Road.

“This underpass is a much-needed addition to ensure the safety of students, faculty and visitors whom regularly commute around campus,” said McCarthy Texas Division President Mike McWay. “We are thrilled to begin what we expect to be a longstanding, collaborative relationship with The Texas A&M University System.”

The grade separation will primarily consist of constructing 80-foot bridge structures to carry Wellborn Road and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks over the roadways and pedestrian walkways. During construction, half of Wellborn Road will be accessible, and a temporary track (sho-fly) will be constructed to divert rail traffic, allowing for the construction of the railroad bridge structure.

The phased project will require close coordination with multiple stakeholders including Texas A&M University, City of College Station, Union Pacific Railroad, Texas Department of Transportation and private utilities. McCarthy’s extensive experience working with road, bridge and railway construction will contribute to the successful completion of this project. McCarthy is currently working on many projects with the Texas Department of Transportation, including widening a section of State Highway 5 in Melissa, Texas, and a railroad grade separation structure for farm-to-market road 1960 near Houston.

The $24.9-million project started in November, with completion expected in August 2013. Klotz Associates of Houston, Texas, is the design engineering firm for the project.

To take a virtual drive on the new road, visit: http://transport.tamu.edu/video/WellbornUnderpass.mpg.

About McCarthy
Celebrating 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial building companies. A 100 percent employee-owned firm, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design-build services for the following project types: bridges and highways, educational, water/wastewater, parking structures, healthcare, office buildings, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic and industrial facilities, tenant interiors and mixed-use. In addition to Houston, McCarthy has offices in Dallas, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta. For more information, please visit www.mccarthy.com.

 FEATURE ARTICLES in this edition include:

Preconstruction in Today’s Collaborative Environment
by Paul Kinsley, McCarthy Vice President, Estimating

Today, a new era of collaboration among owners, designers and builders is creating higher quality structures within budget and schedule constraints. Learn about how new advancements in technology have evolved preconstruction planning and are making a real impact on today’s projects.

Safety First: Are you overlooking the most important part of the builder selection process?
by Gary Amsinger, McCarthy Vice President, Safety

When you begin looking for a construction company for your next project, there’s a crucial qualification that can be overlooked: the company’s safety record. Here’s how it affects nearly every other aspect of a construction job and why you can’t afford to take safety for granted.

Does Your Facility Have a Boiler? Then the EPA’s New Industrial Boiler MACT Rule May Impact You
by Ryan G. Miner, Director of Business Development, MC Industrial and Don Wolf, PE, Principal, Burns & McDonnell

Owners of institutional or industrial boilers will soon be required to comply with new, stricter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air emissions requirements. To determine if these requirements apply to your facility and what steps you need to take to ensure compliance, read on.

See the Summer 2011 Edition  now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled View Other Editions. These include Central, Nevada/Utah, Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Southeast, Texas and MC Industrial.

San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) officials, Miramar College faculty, and project team members celebrated the completion of the project today with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by guided tours of the new facilities. Program speakers included Charlie Hogquist, police chief, San Diego Community College District; Patricia Hsieh, Ed.D., president, San Diego Miramar College; Rich Grosch, president, SDCCD Board of Trustees; and Michael Bulander, LEED AP.

The police substation portion of the project is on track to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It will be the first higher education institution in San Diego County to achieve such LEED status. The police substation is one of 10 LEED certified projects built or planned at Miramar College and among 30 across the SDCCD.

The $17.9 million project is part of the District’s $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction program, which is providing for new instructional and career training facilities, major renovations, campus-wide infrastructure projects, and parking and public safety enhancements at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges, plus six Continuing Education campuses.

“The McCarthy team succeeded in completing this cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, highly efficient parking structure ahead of schedule, while incorporating innovative design elements to pursue LEED Platinum Certification of the adjacent police substation,” said David Umstot, vice chancellor of facilities management for the District. “Both serve to set new standards for performance and sustainability of educational facilities in southern California.”

The San Diego Community College District had previously tapped McCarthy to build its new $28.9 million, 50,000-square-foot Allied Health Education and Training Facility at San Diego Mesa College in the Clairemont area of San Diego. Also funded by the Propositions S and N construction bond program, the Allied Health building successfully achieved LEED Gold Certification last year.

The four-story, above-grade Miramar College parking structure is constructed with poured-in-place, reinforced concrete. The scope of work for McCarthy included all related site work, including installation of drought-tolerant landscaping and high-efficiency irrigation systems that use reclaimed water.

The adjacent single-story police substation will provide a central hub for campus safety and security, wayfinding and parking permitting. The facility encompasses a reception area, conference room, office areas, and a secure suspect processing area. These spaces are organized along the building’s perimeter to provide a welcoming, well-lit area that maximizes natural daylight. The terra cotta façade helps tie the new facility to the look and feel of the existing buildings on campus.

Key to its sustainable design is a green roof grid system, which covers the majority of the roof deck. The grid system uses modular panels for ease of installation, roof access and maintenance. A green screen, designed to achieve the look of a vertical garden, covers the west elevation of the parking structure. The vegetation used will contribute to a microclimate that is central to the facility’s passive thermal and natural ventilation design.

The xeriscape plants incorporated into the roof system significantly reduced the need for stormwater infrastructure conveyance and retention systems. They also will help remove impurities from storm-water runoff, while reducing maintenance costs for filtration systems.

Additionally, the green roof and wall systems will help reduce the heat island effect and complement the benefits of the pervious pavement used in the parking area. The green screen on the west elevation of the parking structure will further contribute to lower ambient heat gain, both within the police substation and the new parking structure.

The tower element serves as a solar chimney – a passive solar strategy used to create a flow of natural ventilation. The top of the tower will heat up, and louvers will provide for air exhaust at the high point. Inside the building, exposed concrete walls and ceiling will create a thermal mass that can store heat during the day, and release it during the night to keep the building comfortable during operating hours. 

An array of other sustainable design features factor into the building’s LEED Platinum level of sustainable design, including the terra cotta rain screens that create a vented facade and increase building envelope energy efficiency; curtain walls that have horizontal exterior siding on the south, vertical fins on the east, and a large glazed area facing north; operable windows that provide natural ventilation; Solatube skylights that capture natural light and enhance occupants’ work conditions; use of reclaimed water for flushing toilets; and suspended ceiling “clouds” that enhance acoustical performance while serving as reflectors for daylight.

Still more green features include “cradle to cradle” certified finish materials, renewable and recycled flooring, and low-emitting casework materials.  The reception area of the police substation showcases a recessed, interactive flat screen panel that informs visitors of the building’s sustainable features, and reinforces Miramar College’s sustainability goals.

Working collaboratively with the District and the Campus Police Department was paramount to the success of the project, explained McCarthy Project Director Bob Betz.

“Numerous coordination meetings were held throughout the design phase of the project to ensure that the requirements of the District and the users were integrated into the design, all while retaining the sustainable features needed to achieve LEED Platinum Certification,” said Betz. “The McCarthy team is very proud to have completed the parking structure and the police station ahead of schedule, and to have played a role in the design and construction of one of the most sustainable projects on any of SDCCD’s campuses.”

One of the District’s early design-build projects, Harley Ellis Devereaux, served as the architect for the police substation, and International Parking Design provided architectural services on the parking structure component. Jessen Wright Structural Engineers was the structural engineer; Randall Lamb Associates, electrical engineer; SC Engineers, mechanical engineer; and Burkett & Wong Engineers, civil engineer.  Schmidt Design Group served as the landscape architect. 

Gafcon, Inc. serves as the program manager for the Propositions S and N construction bond program.

About McCarthy

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and the largest educational facilities builder in California. The firm has been building in the education market for the last 50 years. In addition to San Diego, McCarthy has offices in Newport Beach, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis; Dallas; Houston; and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned. More information about the company is available online at http://www.mccarthy.com/.

Builder’s Innovative Approach Garners National Recognition from Associated General Contractors of America

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately-held construction companies and a 100 percent employee-owned business, was honored last week with a 2011 Education Excellence Award from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Presented during the AGC Training, Education & Development Conference in Kansas City, the Education Excellence Awards recognize the most innovative and collaborative training and development programs in the construction industry. McCarthy was honored in the category of Supervisor-Executive Management for the firm’s Foundations of Leadership Training Program. This AGC award comes on the heels of McCarthy’s placement on the prestigious 2011 Training Magazine Top 125 list and recognition by Corporate University Xchange for training excellence and innovation earlier this year.

“The key to building great projects is building great professionals,” said AGC President Kristine Young. “McCarthy’s leadership training program is an example of how to turn tremendous talent into outstanding professionals.”

Founded as a family-owned business almost 150 years ago, McCarthy is one of the largest 100% employee-owned companies with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan in America today. The firm has long fostered a culture dedicated to continuous improvement, and “Learning” represents one of McCarthy’s six company Core Values. 
 
“McCarthy transitioned from family to employee ownership in 2002,” explained McCarthy Chairman and CEO Mike Bolen. “This significant shift, together with a combination of company growth and retirements of a number of long-time leaders, resulted in our need to more aggressively prepare our high-potential employees for growth. The opportunities at McCarthy are vast and varied, and training these future leaders is an exciting part of our continuing success.”

The McCarthy Foundations of Leadership Program was designed to accelerate the advancement of high performers by challenging them early in their career to take charge of their own development through an orchestrated “peek behind the curtain” at the unique issues faced by the leaders of a multi-billion dollar general contractor. This fast-track approach was also designed to challenge these employees, keep them fully engaged in the company and heighten the overall level of professionalism in the industry.

“Our senior leadership is 100% behind the development of future leaders at McCarthy and actively participate in our Foundations program as instructors,” noted McCarthy Vice President of Human Resources Al Berardi. “We have invested an incredible amount of time to create an active learning experience that is both challenging and meaningful. To be honored by our national association for our efforts is especially meaningful.”

About the Associated General Contractors of America
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the leading association for the construction industry. Operating in partnership with its nationwide network of Chapters, the AGC provides a full range of services satisfying the needs and concerns of its members, thereby improving the quality of construction and protecting the public interest. The AGC represents more than 33,000 leading firms in the industry,  including general contractors, specialty contractors, and service providers and suppliers.

About McCarthy
McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest domestic general contractors. While a formal McCarthy Training Program had been in place for decades, McCarthy formally launched an entirely revamped training program in 2008 under McCarthy Build U. Unusual in the construction industry and among best-in-class training programs outside of the construction industry, the McCarthy Build U framework provides the company with the structure, alignment, centralization and flexibility needed to personalize training to meet both individual and business needs. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work, McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.

“We were committed to building the facility in the most environmentally-friendly way that aligned with the university’s vision for the project,” said Mark Radell, McCarthy’s project director.  “All project partners collaborated on improving its sustainability from design through construction, and we are proud that our steadfast efforts resulted in a LEED Gold rating.”

The McCarthy team advised on ways to improve the facility’s sustainability during the construction process and utilized sophisticated, cutting-edge technology to deliver a long list of green building features. Among The WELL’s sustainable components are skylight systems to boost thermal properties; design elements to increase day lighting, high-efficiency HVAC systems; emphasis on light pollution reductions; enhanced commissioning and sustainably harvested formaldehyde-free wood products; and access to alternative transportation facilities, including bicycle parking and proximity to a nearby light rail system.

“We are very pleased with how The WELL project team pursued our plan, listened to the stakeholders, and executed what is the most ambitious construction projects in Sacramento State history — all while surpassing LEED expectations,” said Mario Ruiz, interim associate vice president of facilities services at Sacramento State. “McCarthy has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading green construction companies, and this project has certainly reaffirmed that.”

In terms of overall environmental footprint, the building is projected to use 23 percent less energy than a typical new building, 43 percent less water than a typical new building, and its construction used 25 percent recycled content materials, and diverted 82 percent of the total waste generated from going to a landfill.  In reference to wood on the project, 70 percent of wood purchased was FSC certified as sustainably harvested, meaning that the forest where the trees were taken from has its ecological health protected during wood harvesting — the wood is not from clear cutting or other destructive forestry practices.

The WELL offers a broad spectrum of programs and facilities, including a 29-foot rock climbing wall and a bouldering wall, an indoor track, four full size basketball courts, a multi-athletic court, four racquetball courts, a student health center, fitness, bike and outdoor adventure shops, and the Fresh Made Café.

About McCarthy
McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held commercial construction companies. More than a decade ago, McCarthy formalized a national in-house green knowledge network to capture and build upon the best green practices across the country. Today, McCarthy is among the top green construction companies in America. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

The new Math and Science Building will occupy the area immediately east of the existing Learning and Resource Building and south of the I-300 Building. Last November, construction crews began disassembling three older buildings on the campus before performing hard demolition and breaking ground for the new facility. Construction is being carefully monitored and managed to minimize disruption to regular campus activities.

The new $92 million instructional building is being funded by the $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction bond program, which is providing for new teaching and learning facilities, major renovations and campus infrastructure projects at Mesa, City and Miramar colleges, and six continuing education campuses. Completion is slated for March 2013.

This is the second major project McCarthy has worked on at San Diego Mesa College on behalf of the San Diego Community College District. The company also built the new three-story, 50,000-square-foot Allied Health Building, which was completed in August of 2009.

“Both students and faculty members can look forward to this being a wonderful new addition to the San Diego Mesa College campus,” said David Umstot, vice chancellor of facilities management for the San Diego Community College District. “The Math and Science Building is more technically complex than most construction projects, and we believe McCarthy is best suited to build it based on their extensive experience with laboratories and higher education construction projects, not to mention their excellent performance on the Allied Health Building.”

Designed by Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, the new San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Building will house four floors of classrooms, laboratory space and offices for the departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physical sciences.  Additionally, several faculty/student interaction areas have been incorporated into the building’s design. The new Math and Science Building will be constructed of structural steel with concrete shear walls and an exterior curtain wall.

The building’s design incorporates numerous sustainable features, with the project team targeting LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.  All classrooms, teaching laboratories, and the majority of the staff offices will optimize the use of natural daylight. The windows will utilize high-performance, low “E” glazing that will allow natural daylight to enter the building, while rejecting unwanted ultraviolet and infrared light waves. This, in turn, will help reduce the amount of energy required to condition the building. The roofing construction will consist of a cool-roof material, which also will reflect unwanted energy and reduce the amount of energy consumed.

Consistent with sustainable design practices, many of the interior finishes at the new San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Building will be made from recycled material or rapidly renewable sources, such as bamboo. Construction waste also will be recycled.

According to McCarthy Project Director Robert Betz, one of the biggest challenges facing the construction team is the project’s location on a compact 200,000-square-foot site, right in the middle of the campus.

“Project access is a major issue that will pose ingress/egress as well as subcontractor scheduling challenges throughout the two-year build-out,” said Betz. “We have worked with the District to devise a plan that will allow us to work within the site constraints while causing the least amount of disruption possible to traffic and ongoing activities.”

Project team consultants for the new San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Building include Hope Engineering for structural engineering, and X-nth for mechanical and electrical engineering. The program manager for the Propositions S and N construction program for the San Diego Community College District is Gafcon.

About McCarthy  
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial builders. The firm has been building in the education market for the last 50 years. In addition to San Diego, McCarthy has offices in Newport Beach, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis; Dallas and Atlanta.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

Over the next two years, all McCarthy LEED AP’s will complete the required 30 hours of training through the McCarthy Green Curriculum to maintain the new credential. Existing green training programs typically focus on design issues. The McCarthy Green Curriculum is unique, presented from the builder’s perspective. This curriculum focuses on what McCarthy and the building team can do during design, construction and operations to have a positive impact on the sustainability of the project.

In addition to employee training, McCarthy’s commitment to sustainability requires continual review of day-to-day operations affecting the environment to look for different ways to do the same or more, while reducing the environmental impact. McCarthy has also implemented the following:

Policies—McCarthy has established office, field, wellness and transportation policies to track and reduce the firm’s impact on the environment. These include use of recycled materials and improving fleet efficiency every year.

Carbon Footprint—McCarthy has adopted a carbon footprint methodology, established a company baseline and is working towards a 5% reduction over the next five years.

Leadership—In addition to sustainable leadership at the national level, each McCarthy project has an identified sustainability leader and champion.

“Green building techniques and materials are being incorporated into every one of our projects today, and clients and partners need a builder they can count on,” explained McCarthy Vice President, Quality and Sustainability Chad Dorgan. “The GBCI program provides a consistent framework for our industry and at the same time provides owners with a green standard they can trust. By upgrading all of our employees, we are providing this same level of consistency for all clients nationwide.”

About McCarthy
McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held commercial construction companies. More than a decade ago, McCarthy formalized a national in-house green knowledge network to capture and build upon the best green practices across the country. Today, the McCarthy Green Team is comprised of approximately 400 USGBC LEED Accredited Professionals (ranking the company in the top 10 for LEED AP’s by Building Design and Construction and among the nation’s Top 20 Green Construction Companies in America by Engineering News-Record). The firm’s resumé of sustainable projects is valued at over $6 billion. Nationally recognized on the Training 125 list for the firm’s outstanding employee training and development programs, McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information is available online at www.mccarthy.com/about/green.

The 200,000-square-foot facility will be housed on a 2.42-acre site located on the university’s main campus and is the first phase of a multi-building university complex. The $62.7 million facility will include classrooms, moot courtrooms, a public law library, legal clinics and office space. With a contemporary exterior design planned to connect to the campus, as well as a collaborative and interactive interior, the Humanities-Law Building anticipates student body expansion to approximately 800.

“We are honored to have been chosen for this project and look forward to working again with the team at Georgia State University,” said McCarthy Southeast Division President Kevin Kuntz. “The selection on behalf of GSU affirms we’re living up to our mission of being a trusted and respected partner, and that we’re creating long-term and meaningful relationships in our region.”

Local Atlanta firm Stevens & Wilkinson and SmithGroup out of Washington, DC are the architects for this project.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the one of the nation’s leading higher education builders. With nearly 150 years of experience, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest, privately held construction firms. Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design/build services for healthcare, education, parking structure, entertainment, commercial, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, civil and industrial facilities. In addition to Atlanta, McCarthy has offices in Newport Beach, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston and St. Louis. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information is available at www.mccarthy.com.

Located at the geographic heart of the San Mateo, Calif. campus, the 140,000-square-foot College Center is the centerpiece of the revitalized campus. It is the hub of college life and serves as a central location for student services, including Admissions, Career Services, Counseling, Transfer Services, Financial Aid, Disabled Students Programs & Services and Equal Opportunity Programs & Services. The building also houses a learning resource center, laboratories for the Digital Media Program, large 120-plus seat classrooms, bookstore, dining rooms, a large full-scale commercial kitchen, conference rooms and faculty and administrative offices. The College Center features outdoor terraces and stunning views of the San Francisco Bay.

The facility is part of the San Mateo County Community College District’s (SMCCCD) overall $285 million construction program at CSM funded by San Mateo County voter-approved Measure A. The McCarthy-led $220 million design-build initiative consisted of more than 60 acres of major site improvements (various infrastructure, landscaping, hardscaping upgrades and ADA accessibility) and the construction of two facilities. The first building, the Allied Health and Wellness Building and Aquatics Center, is an 88,000-square-foot, LEED-Gold certified facility, which was designed by Kwan Henmi and reached completion in April 2010.  The second building, College Center, has already exceeded the district’s LEED-Silver goal and is currently being reviewed to meet the high performance and sustainability standards of LEED-Gold certification.  A number of other contractors utilized the remaining $65 million to renovate eight existing buildings on the CSM campus.

“Through an innovative and successfully collaborative design-build program spanning multiple projects, College of San Mateo was able to open its doors to both buildings months ahead of their respective schedules and present our students, faculty and the greater community with two exceptional facilities,” said Rick Bennett, SMCCCD’s executive director of construction planning.

The McCarthy team applied a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to managing both jobs as a single design-build project, which ensured minimal campus impact and created a consistent and integrated connection between the two buildings. Focused on design quality and assurance, the design-build project team instituted a “front end” process to address and resolve issues between disciplines in the preparation of construction documents. Every team member actively participated in a systematic approach for continuous quality improvement, which included regular reviews emphasizing prevention rather than correction and close, consistent coordination with the district, SMCCCD Board of Trustees, and the design team throughout the design and documentation stages.

“At McCarthy, we embraced the challenge of constructing and managing SMCCCD’s construction program with the vigor and tenacity that have come to be our hallmarks,” said Bill Niemann, McCarthy project executive. “The exceptional creativity and forward-thinking demonstrated by the project team, coupled with a perfect safety record despite our accelerated building schedule, all attest to McCarthy’s unwavering commitment to excellence. The design-build initiative at CSM, while large and complex, could not have gone any smoother.”

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest domestic general contractors and one of California’s premier commercial builders. Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for industrial, educational, healthcare, commercial, parking structures, science and technology facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; bridges; and highways. In addition to Sacramento and San Francisco, McCarthy has offices in Newport Beach and San Diego, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; Houston; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.