CCIP vs. OCIP: Which Comprehensive Insurance Program is Right for You?
by Bill Sharp, Vice President, Risk Management
With the size and scope of projects becoming larger every day, program sponsors (owners and contractors) are seeking alternative ways to address insurance needs, both from a coverage standpoint and a cost standpoint.

When the Hospital Board Says, “Build it Green!”
by John Kreidich AIA, LEED AP, Manager, Healthcare Services
Building green in the healthcare environment is here to stay. Well-chosen green building investments will yield benefits with either no additional cost or with a return on investment well within a hospital’s internal rate of return over the life of the improvements.

5 Questions to Ask Your Contractor About SAFETY
An Interview with Gary Amsinger, CSP, Corporate Vice President, Safety
In addition to simply keeping workers healthy and productive, strong safety execution reduces exposure for owners. Amsinger suggests that owners should ask, at the very least, these basic five questions of their prospective contractor.

See the National 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 editions.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has introduced its new ‘green’ client newsletter, Insights That Build^SM.  It’s all part of the company’s goal of Leaving Green Footprints^®, a 10-year old program aimed at reducing McCarthy’s carbon footprint.  The first electronic edition includes valuable thought-leading content including:

How to get the best final cost on your next project
by Mike Bolen, Chairman and CEO
‘Conventional wisdom’ says that owners can’t have it all. In fact-by taking the right approach-you can turn an old saying into a smarter strategy: ‘Good, fast and cheap: pick all three.’

Design management – why owners get a better result
by Jim Mynott, Director of Design Management
In this economic climate, execution time from proposal to start of construction can be a deciding factor for project funding. A design management approach can help—and it maximizes other owner advantages.

Five things you should ask your contractor about quality
by Chad Dorgan, Vice President, Quality
There are few words in construction that are more used – or more misused – than the word “quality.”  To understand what it means to YOUR construction project, you and your contractor need to talk.

See the National Edition now.

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

LIBRARY

“Throughout the construction of this finely detailed project, I was impressed by McCarthy’s dedication to the craft of building.”

— Alyosha Verzhbinsky, AIA, associate principal,Tom Eliot Fisch Architecture and Interior Design

The C.V. Starr East Asian Library, one of UC Berkeley’s most celebrated new facilities, recently opened its doors.

This cornerstone facility houses one of the most comprehensive and rare collections of East Asian books in the world. The library was built utilizing unique construction methods and many of the materials used for the facility were imported from around the globe. Due to the 90-degree angles of the interior concrete walls, McCarthy developed a special concrete pouring process, which took more than a year to perfect. To ensure the preservation of the rare book collection, a stainless steel duct work system was installed to control air and humidity levels. The 60-square-foot reception desk is made of claro walnut, a rare and luxurious wood typically used to make violins. The exterior bronze grills were meticulously crafted and imported by boat in 60 pieces. The combination of techniques and exquisite materials utilized by McCarthy are reflected throughout this state-of-the-art facility. Design Architect: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, New York. Associate Architect: Tom Eliot Fisch, San Francisco. Landscape Architect: CMG Landscape Architecture, San Francisco.

The Tel-Hi Neighborhood Center, founded in 1890, provides opportunities for individuals and families in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood.  Focusing on low- to moderate-income, children, youth, families and seniors, the center creates and strengthens community bonds, provides health and wellness programs and broadens education and cultural experience.  Tel-Hi’s programs serve more than 600 children, youth, seniors and community members daily.

A huge thank you to all of the McCarthy employee owners who came out and help make a very successful afternoon. It was a fun day that left a lasting impression not only on the Center but also on all of the volunteers involved.

About Heart Hats
The McCarthy Heart Hats community involvement program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing McCarthy employees’ volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play.  The company-wide volunteer program allows McCarthy employees across the country to take at least one (paid) full-day off from work annually to utilize their building skills and other talents to aid local organizations in need.

For those of you new to the Sandcastle Classic, this annual sandcastle-building contest benefts LEAP…imagination in learning. Leap was established in response to severe budget cuts in arts programs in California schools. These cuts began in 1978.

Leap serves over 5,000 children in 25 Bay Area schools, providing educational programs focused on architecture, arts, music, dance and the art of story telling. These programs augment and enhance our children’s standard K-6 curriculum, improving their connection to the learning experience, the community, and themselves.

This year’s theme was “Freestyle!” McCarthy and WRNS teamed up with Lawton Alternative School for a day of sand, water and flailing shovels to build a sandcastle that ignites a love of our craft in the hearts of these kids.  In addition to the students, the McCarthy team included architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, friends and family.

About Heart Hats
The McCarthy Heart Hats community involvement program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing McCarthy employees’ volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play.  The company-wide volunteer program allows McCarthy employees across the country to take at least one (paid) full-day off from work annually to utilize their building skills and other talents to aid local organizations in need.

HIGHER EDUCATION

“We have had a great working relationship with McCarthy throughout the construction of the New Mission Campus.”

- Dr. Philip R. Day, Jr., former chancellor, City College of San Francisco

McCarthy recently completed the highly anticipated City College of San Francisco’s new Mission Campus project located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District.

Construction of the 198,000-square-foot campus began in July 2005 and included the modernization of an existing 1935 “art nouveau” building and the construction of a new four-story facility with a basement. The buildings are connected by an outdoor courtyard which links to a spectacular entry plaza. The campus houses a graphic communication center, science and computer laboratories and traditional classrooms. The campus also includes facilities such as an underground parking lot, café, bookstore, conference rooms, multipurpose rooms, administrative offices, student services offices, child development center and many more. A stunning 20-foot Aztec calendar mural is featured at the main entrance to the campus along Valencia Street. Energy efficient design elements include overhangs, light fixtures and ballasts, natural ventilation, dual switching in classrooms and an energy management system. Architects: Cervantes Design Associates, San Francisco; Kendall Young Associates, San Francisco; ED-2 International, San Francisco.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

“Stanley Hall represents the new frontier of bioscience. Working side by side with McCarthy from the onset of design helped us achieve efficiencies on this incredibly complex building.”

- Renee Kajimoto, associate partner, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, LLP 

McCarthy recently completed the cornerstone facility for the University of California, Berkeley’s Health Sciences Initiative.

Stanley Hall brings to the university one of the largest and most prestigious educational and research facilities on campus. The $130 million structure is home to the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), and totals 11 stories and 285,000 square feet. Stanley Hall incorporates seven research themes such as structural biology, bioengineering, chemical biology, computation and theoretical biology, and magnetic imaging. The facility houses the West Coast’s only 900-megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a high-powered device allowing scientists to create images that show the structures of proteins. It also includes a Bio-Nano Technology Center and 40 research and teaching laboratories, classrooms and seminar facilities. Architect: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, LLP, Portland, Ore.

HEALTHCARE

“Together, we were able to map out strategies that maximize the impact of sustainable design, while meeting the owner’s goals.”

— Mark Herman, principal, NBBJ

McCarthy recently broke ground on Phase 1 of Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center Replacement project.

 Upon completion in 2009, the 165,000-square-foot Broadway Medical Office Building will house a variety of medical services, state-of-the-art cancer care center, labs and educational classrooms. The design of the medical office building provides a healthy workplace through maximized natural light and a PVC- and mercury-free environment. The site is designed to treat storm water flows and includes the restoration of Glen Echo Creek. During construction, McCarthy is implementing an active recycling program and is working to maximize participation by small, local, diverse and women-owned businesses. The entire replacement of Kaiser Permanente’s flagship medical facility is to be completed in three phases. The second phase will include demolition of the existing medical building center and construction of the replacement hospital, a specialty medical office building and the central utility plant. The demolition of the current hospital and construction of the administrative building will make up the third phase.
ARCHITECT: NBBJ, San Francisco and Seattle.

UNIVERSITY

“McCarthy’s attention to detail, spirit of collaboration, and plain old simple teamwork made a dream come true for residents of San Mateo County.”

— José D. Nuñez, vice chancellor, facilities planning, maintenance & operations, San Mateo County Community College

The College of San Mateo (CSM) Science Building and Planetarium recently celebrated its completion with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

 The first project to be built on the campus in more than 40 years, it is also the first to be constructed pursuant to California Assembly Bill 1000, which provides guidelines for implementing design-build projects for community college districts. The more than 62,000-square-foot, 3-story science building houses lecture halls, faculty offices and laboratories. The facility also features a planetarium and an observatory with a retractable roof for several fixed telescopes. To accommodate CSM’s aggressive completion schedule, McCarthy used a multi-stage, fast-track process. The first stage included mass excavation, earthwork, site pad preparation and the relocation of the main campus utility lines. The second stage was the completion of the science building. The third stage involved the construction of the planetarium. Design/Build Architect:
LPA Inc., Roseville, Calif.