The police station building is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and will be the first LEED Platinum project for a community college in San Diego County.

The $24.3 million project is part of the San Diego Community College District’s $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction program, providing for new facilities and campus-wide infrastructure projects at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges, and six continuing education campuses.

“The McCarthy team brought a cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, efficient parking structure concept and innovative approaches to achieving LEED Platinum certification on the police substation in a highly competitive selection process,” said David Umstot, vice chancellor of the San Diego Community College District.

The four-story, above-grade parking structure will be constructed with poured-in-place reinforced concrete, and will encompass 14 interior police parking stalls and 12 adjoining surface lot stalls. The scope of work includes related site work, including drought-tolerant landscaping and high-efficiency irrigation systems using reclaimed water.

The single-story police substation will provide a central hub for campus security, wayfinding and parking permitting. Key to its sustainable design is a green roof grid system, which will cover the majority of the roof deck. The grid system uses modular panels for ease of installation, roof access and maintenance. The green screen will cover the west elevation of the parking structure and provide the aesthetic of a vertical garden. These living plants will contribute to a microclimate central to the facility’s passive thermal and natural ventilation design.

The xeriscape plants to be used on the roof system will significantly reduce the need for stormwater infrastructure conveyance and retention systems. They also will help remove impurities from stormwater runoff while reducing maintenance costs for filtration systems.

Additionally, the green roof and wall systems will reduce the heat island effect and complement the benefits of the pervious pavement to be 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.

An array of other sustainable design features factor into the building’s LEED Platinum level sustainable design, including 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; ceilings in the office and work areas that open to the concrete slab and optimize the radiant properties of the building’s thermal mass; and suspended ceiling “clouds” that enhance acoustical performance while serving as reflectors for daylight.

Additional 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 will feature a recessed, interactive flat screen panel that informs visitors of the building’s sustainable features, and reinforces Miramar College’s sustainability goals.

“Managing the incorporation of the required items to obtain LEED Platinum status is a welcome challenge for the McCarthy team,” said Bob Betz, project director of McCarthy Building Companies. “Based on our firm’s accumulated LEED experience and our established working relationship with the San Diego Community College District, we’re confident this goal can be achieved.”

Harley Ellis Devereaux is the design architect, with International Parking Design as the architect of record. Jessen Wright Structural Engineers is the structural engineer, Randall Lamb Associates is the electrical engineer, SC Engineers is the mechanical engineer, and Burkett & Wong Engineers is the civil engineer. Schmidt Design Group is serving as the landscape architect.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and has been one of the leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s. The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone. The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy, one of the nation’s leading parking structure builders, has topped out the exterior concrete frame for the new 402,503-square-foot, three-level parking structure and adjacent 3,200-square-foot Public Safety Office at Grossmont College located at 8800 Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon, Calif.
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District is the developer of the $24.5 million construction project. Ken Emmons of Gafcon is serving as project manager and Jim Davies is leading the Gafcon effort on site as the program/senior project manager on behalf of the District. International Parking Design is the project architect.

A topping out luncheon, catered by the Barbecue Pit of El Cajon, was hosted by McCarthy March 6th for consultants, subcontractors, District representatives and McCarthy project team members to commemorate the construction milestone. Approximately 100 guests were in attendance, including Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Chancellor Dr. Cindy Miles, Vice Chancellor Sue Rearic, Vice President John Colson, and Director of Facilities Planning Development and Maintenance Tim Flood.  Also representing the District was Dale Switzer, senior director of facilities planning and development.

The parking structure, which will accommodate 1,431 vehicles, features sections of metal trellises, stucco, and brick veneer on the external façade. Two pedestrian bridges will connect Grossmont College’s main campus to the parking structure.

According to McCarthy Project Manager Lee Sudhoff, the project team has faced some obstacles, such as encountering unknown obstructions during the excavation work, which resulted in delays to the start of the foundation work.  The team also had to overcome weather delays because the rain impacted several critical deck pours.

“The delays due to the earthwork and weather have posed some challenges, but thanks to some dedicated crews and a little ingenuity on the part of the entire project team, we’re actually topping out ahead of schedule,” explained Sudhoff. “The project is on target for completion the end of July 2009.”

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and has been one of the leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s.  The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone.   The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

“This ceremony marks our progress toward the successful completion of one of the area’s largest development projects,” said McCarthy Texas Division President, Mike McWay.  “We are excited to surpass this construction milestone as we top out the headquarters for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which will have a lasting impact on the region.”

“Job site safety has always been a priority at KDC,” said Steve Van Amburgh, CEO of KDC.  “The celebration is to not only recognize this key time in the construction process, but to also honor the individuals who have safely constructed and achieved success during this initial phase of construction.”

Today’s top out ceremony marks the completion of the highest point of construction on the job site.  Attendees watched as a ceremonial evergreen was lifted in to place to commemorate this accomplishment.

Located on 34 acres of land in the Galatyn Park area of Richardson, and comprised of architectural precast, glazed aluminum wall systems and natural stone, this facility will help consolidate multiple Dallas-area locations into one convenient campus.  The campus will serve as the headquarters for BCBSTX and will include office space, a full-service kitchen and servery, as well as indoor and outdoor dining areas. The new headquarters will provide space for roughly 4,000 BCBSTX employees, about 1,500 more than at its current location.

McCarthy is one of the most experienced commercial builders in Texas.  In addition to the new headquarters for BCBSTX, McCarthy’s roster of commercial projects includes work for Sally Beauty, Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems.

Construction on the headquarters for BCBSTX began in January 2008 and is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2009. Corgan Associates, Inc. of Dallas is the project architect.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held construction firms.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

PARKING

“McCarthy’s collaborative approach truly paid off for the city of Glendale. McCarthy returned more than $600,000 to the city from the construction contract, which enabled us to complete additional downtown beautification projects.”

— Bill Passmore, principal engineer, city of Glendale

Parking in downtown Glendale, Ariz., is now easier than ever. McCarthy recently completed the $16.2 million, 262,670-square-foot, four-story Palmaire Parking Garage with ground-floor retail.

Visitors to the spectacular Glendale Glitters holiday event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year, experienced the complete garage firsthand this year. Last year, they got a preview, because the garage was constructed on a fast-track schedule that allowed the first three parking levels to be delivered prior to the holiday season. This was accomplished by seamless preconstruction planning that enabled the foundation to be built while the remainder of the garage design was being completed. In addition, the McCarthy team self-performed the concrete work, which allowed greater control over quality and scheduling. The caissons utilized more than 1,000 cubic yards of concrete – enough to pour more than 170 driveways. Architect: Dick & Fritsche Design Group, Phoenix, Ariz.

PARKING

“McCarthy’s team focus on safety and quality, together with the experience they bring to the project, has greatly contributed to our joint success.”

— Stephen Bennett, Bechtel construction manager, Riverside County Transportation Commission

Construction is underway on a 1,100-car parking structure at one of the busiest Metrolink stations in Riverside County.

The 375,000-square-foot structure will provide much needed parking space to Southern California rail commuters and travelers when it opens in summer 2009. The 6-level, cast-in-place concrete structure’s design features a moment frame and four repeating colors of architectural concrete precast panels along its façade. The structure will include two elevators, two entrances and exits as well as a 101-foot long pedestrian bridge on the fourth level, which will connect to an existing pedestrian bridge to the station. Project challenges include building adjacent to an operational train station and rail lines, working with multiple agencies and relocating major utilities. McCarthy has recycled over 13,000 tons of construction waste to date during this project. Architect/Engineer: Stantec Architecture, San Francisco/Walker Parking, San Francisco.

The five-level structure provides 532 parking stalls for hospital employees, while an adjoining surface lot comprises an additional 80 spaces.  Designed by Parkitects, the parking structure mimics the California Mission architecture of nearby medical office buildings with plaster and clay tile roofing.

Located adjacent to a medical office building of the same name, the Knapp Building Parking Structure is also bordered on its three other sides by apartment buildings, a rehabilitation center and a parking lot.  These constraints created logistical challenges for McCarthy’s team that required close coordination with the hospital staff, visitors and local residents.  

McCarthy constructed the project with post-tensioned beams and long-span concrete floors for maximum load support.   In addition, the construction of the Mission-style structure included a uniquely formed, saw-toothed feature at the perimeter concrete parapets.

The Knapp Building Parking Structure is the second parking facility that McCarthy has built on the campus as part of the hospital’s $550 million rebuilding campaign.  The Pueblo Parking Structure, which opened in 2007, comprises four levels and 633 parking spaces for hospital visitors, volunteers, physicians and employees. 

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and has been one of the leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s.  The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone.   The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

The first of the two structures is being built on the West Los Angeles College campus in Culver City and is scheduled to complete in late fall of this year.  The estimated cost is just over $23.5 million for a four-level, 302,689-square-foot structure holding 998 parking spaces.  Designed by Choate Parking Consultants of Irvine, Calif. in conjunction with AC Martin Partners of Los Angeles, the structure’s façade will have a decorative, cast-in-place concrete wall with colored cement tiles and stainless steel perforated panel fins.  The facility will include a framed elevator shaft with a glass curtain wall. The rooftop of the parking structure supports over 2,000 photovoltaic panels to help support the campus electricity needs.

McCarthy has also started construction on a 1,881-car parking structure for the East Los Angeles College campus in Monterey Park.  Set for completion in May 2009, this $25.1 million structure will provide 553,725 square feet of parking across six above-grade levels.  The facility, which was designed by International Parking Design of Sherman Oaks, Calif., will include a precast concrete façade with embedded brick veneer, a galvanized steel entrance canopy, galvanized steel screens, and brick veneer elevator shafts with glass curtain walls.  Two bridges will connect the structure to the campus’ walkways; one will be on the east side at the second level, with the second on the third level of the north side.

After construction began at East Los Angeles College, a production crew visited the project site to film a ramp pour for a new children’s television show tentatively titled, “Bob the Builder on Location.”  A spin-off of the animated “Bob the Builder” series, the show will demonstrate how actual projects are constructed.

Safety during construction is a top priority, since McCarthy will be working in close proximity to students and staff of the two colleges.  Well-fenced perimeters will keep outsiders from entering the construction sites, and special haul routes will utilize additional flag men as materials are moved in and out of the sites.

The two new parking structures will help resolve the congestion of the surface parking lots and help to eliminate the impact of street parking on the surrounding neighborhoods.  Each campus also has an additional parking structure planned for bid this year.

Both of the structures are part of the Los Angeles Community College District’s master expansion plan, which is funded through the Proposition A/AA construction bond. 

About McCarthy
 McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and has been one of the leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s.  The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone.  The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

Since the 336,180-square-foot facility is situated on a hillside to the east, construction required custom formwork to support the placement of concrete on the hill.  The result is a structure where vehicles can enter from the hillside 

directly onto the first four floors.  On the opposite side from the incline, the northwest corner has a pedestrian bridge to a standalone elevator tower that services each level of the structure.

The structure was constructed with a ductile moment frame to resist lateral forces during an earthquake.  McCarthy also reinforced the concrete structure by post tensioning it so that it may offset external loads from daily vehicle usage.

During construction, McCarthy had to maintain open access between the campus and a large parking lot on the other side of the construction site.   To do this, McCarthy installed a temporary, 70-foot stairway that allowed construction crews to work unhampered and limited the inconvenience for those parking in the upper lot.  In addition, the college created off-site parking for students and staff for the duration of construction.

Designed by International Parking Design of Sherman Oaks, Calif., the project features a $2.8 million solar panel system on the fourth and sixth levels.  A joint venture between the school and Glendale Water and Power, the panels are expected to generate 580,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is 10 percent of the school’s energy usage. 

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and has been one of the nation’s leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s.  The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone.  The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

Totaling over $73 million in construction costs, the new cancer center, MOB and parking structure officially opened in June 2008. Construction began on the new, state-of-the-art Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment in December 2006 and the St. Joseph Medical Tower MOB in January 2007. The parking structure was the last project to start in May 2007. TAYLOR of Newport Beach is the executive architect and Stantec Architecture of San Francisco is the design architect for The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment and St. Joseph Medical Tower building projects. 

“The experience the design/build team from McCarthy and TAYLOR has in constructing cancer centers served us quite well,” said Nancy Harris, administrator cancer services for St. Joseph Hospital. “The team’s expertise made a huge difference in completing the project with exceptional quality and had a positive effect on overall timing of the building completion.”

A St. Joseph Hospital project, the new three-level cancer center was built adjacent to and simultaneously with the new MOB and parking structure. The new facilities are within walking distance from the main hospital facility at St. Joseph Hospital and consolidate cancer patient services for the hospital into a single location.

The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment project features a structural-steel moment frame and an exterior skin composed primarily of glass curtain-wall. The Center, with two-levels above grade and one below, houses leading-edge Imaging Services; advanced Radiation Oncology Services, an Infusion Center; an Education Center and Resource Center/Library; a Science Gallery; a Multi-Disciplinary Center; an Infusion Pharmacy, a Clinical Laboratory; Administration; Clinical Trials; Cancer Genetics Consultation Services and amenities including a Reflection Room and assisted parking. 

“Utilizing a design/build approach for our major projects has become more critical as we try to manage escalating project costs,” said Jim Bostic, Assistant Vice President of Construction for St. Joseph Health Systems. “We were faced with serious budget challenges on this project, and were able to mitigate them with the help of McCarthy, TAYLOR and the major subcontractors working together during the design phase to maximize our use of the budgeted dollars.”

Developed by Pacific Medical Buildings, LLC, the new seven-level St. Joseph Medical Tower MOB and 1,083-car parking structure provides support for the new Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.  The projects included construction of a new MOB with a plaster and glass exterior, as well as a cast-in-place parking structure featuring an architectural concrete exterior skin. Designed by Innovative Design Group of Irvine, the parking structure will encompass 6 ½ levels with ½-level below-grade.

“Coordinating three projects at once with two owners and multiple subcontractors and suppliers was probably the biggest challenge on the cancer facilities and parking structure project,” said McCarthy Project Manager Ross Malik. “In order to deliver these state-of-the-art healthcare facilities on-time and within budget, the project team utilized design/build delivery and the latest innovations in Building Information Modeling (BIM) 3D coordination to plan for and coordinate the complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) design on the Cancer Center and the structural steel system on the MOB. BIM 3D coordination allowed the project team to exchange coordinated and consistent building information on the project through the creation of 3D images that helped to visualize and perfect specific aspects of the project’s design, construction and performance even before we broke ground.”

“Healthcare projects require extensive coordination for the complex MEP systems in the walls and above the ceilings,” said McCarthy Assistant Project Manager Allen Lynn. “Through BIM 3D coordination, we essentially transferred 2D images into 3D drawings to simulate the completed building systems. Reviewing the design in 3D gave us the ability to determine if we had ample interstitial space for MEP systems or if the design needed modification before construction even began. In just five weeks of using BIM 3D Coordination, the design and construction team coordinated approximately 85,000 square feet of MEP work nearly twice as fast as using traditional overlay/light table methods.”

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held commercial construction companies and has been ranked among the top five national hospital construction companies by Modern Healthcare since the magazine began its annual ranking more than 30 years ago.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

The $14.6 million construction contract was awarded to McCarthy by Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. Ken Emmons of Gafcon is serving as project manager and IPD Architects as the project architect.

The parking structure, which will accommodate 1,431 vehicles, will feature sections of metal trellises with stucco and brick veneer attached to the external façade. Two pedestrian bridges will connect Grossmont College’s main campus to the parking structure. The project is slated for completion by end of July 2009.

McCarthy is the nation’s 10th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2008) and has been one of the nation’s leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s. The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone. The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways. 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.