As the new school year gets back in session, volunteers from local construction firm McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (www.mccarthy.com) joined with Bayless School District representatives, parents and students to celebrate the installation of a brand new playground for the students of Bayless Intermediate School in South St. Louis. Total cost for the project was approximately $30,000. The children and teachers themselves raised $7,000 over the last three years trying to obtain new playground equipment. McCarthy volunteers, through the company’s Heart Hats community outreach program, with assistance from Collins and Hermann Inc. and Metro Materials, donated approximately $25,000 and all labor necessary to complete the project.

“In these economic times, it is harder than ever to fund necessary school improvements to ensure our students have a well-rounded experience,” commented Kim Stallons, principal of Bayless Intermediate School. “We have all heard the pleas for school supplies and backpacks, but educators also know that providing students with a safe environment to expend extra energy is just as important for overall success. When numerous grant requests and a call into Oprah didn’t pan out, we knew we would have to find a different way. Community partners like McCarthy are critical to making projects like this one happen across our region.”

Prior to this new construction, the 450 students enrolled at Bayless Intermediate School shared five swings from the 1960s, one tetherball pole and a few beat up nerf footballs. McCarthy’s work included:  installation of new commercial playground equipment and swings, 21 tons of shock-absorbing rubber play area surfacing; and 290 lineal feet of play area surfacing containment. In addition, volunteers will complete maintenance of existing facilities including demolition of outdated equipment, play field re-seeding, painting of existing basketball goals/tether ball poles and soccer goal net installation.

“As a St. Louis builder, making a difference for the children here at home is a top priority,” explained McCarthy Central Division President Scott Wittkop. “I know I speak for all McCarthy employees when I express the joy we feel being able to put our skills to task to help make an impact. We hope the children of Bayless will be able to let loose and ‘be kids’ in a safe environment for years to come.”

About Bayless Intermediate School
Bayless Intermediate School is a school for children in grades 3–6 in St. Louis County.  With approximately 450 students enrolled representing 18 countries, Bayless is one of the poorest school districts in the County. Over 64% of the students receive either free or reduced lunches and 45% of the students speak English as a second language. More information is available on line at www.baylessk12.org.

About McCarthy Heart Hats|
Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest privately held construction firms in the nation.  The McCarthy Heart Hats community outreach 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.  A 100 percent employee-owned company, McCarthy employees are as passionate about building better communities as they are about construction. With national headquarters in St. Louis, the company has additional offices in Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Newport Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento.  More information is available on line at www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (www.mccarthy.com), the largest builder in St. Louis, recently hosted its 14th Annual Architect/Engineer Charity Softball Tournament.  Under the McCarthy Heart Hats community outreach program, all proceeds from the event are donated to a St. Louis charity of the tournament winner’s choosing.  In these challenging economic times, these dollars are more needed than ever. Since its inception, the event has generated more than $75,000 for area charities.

This year, the co-ed tournament held at the Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Complex attracted participants from 14 local architectural and engineering firms. The team of Oates Associates captured first place, donating their winnings of $3,500 to the SIUE Foundation.  The second place team of Jacobs Engineering elected to donate the $1,500 prize to the United Way. In addition to the softball competition, a grilling competition rounded out the event with 11 grilling teams competing for the Master Griller title. This prize ultimately went to Ross & Baruzzini who elected to split their $1,500 between the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Association.

For 14 years, the Architect/Engineer Charity Softball Tournament has generated much needed funds for St. Louis community organizations. In 2009, the combined team of Simms Building Group, Inc. and Trivers Associates celebrated as tournament champion, donating winnings to two local charities, Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center and the Salvation Army. Other past recipient organizations have included:  Kids in the Middle, Camp Wartburg, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ranken Jordan, Loyola Academy of St. Louis, St. Patrick Center, Downtown YMCA, St. Louis Shriners Hospital, Alzheimer Association, Studio STL, Life Skills, and Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

“When we started this event more than a decade ago, we saw it as a fun way to bring the local building professionals together to help make a difference in our community,” said Scott Wittkop, president of McCarthy’s Central Division.  “It is an inspiration to see the impact the tournament continues to have on those participating and the organizations it assists, especially in today’s challenging economic times.”

In addition to McCarthy, the teams participating in this year’s softball tournament represented the following companies:  Burns & McDonnell, Cannon Design, CH2M-Hill, EDM Inc., Horner & Shifrin, HOK, Jacobs Engineering, KPFF, Lawrence Group, McClure Engineering, Oates Associates, PGAV, and Ross & Baruzzini, Inc.

The teams competing in the grilling competition were:  Coreslab Structures, Indox, Industrial Sheet Metal Erectors, Johnny on the Spot, Kirchner Block, Midwest Machinery, Missouri Terrazzo, Negwer Door Systems, Rock Hill Mechanical, Ross & Baruzzini, Inc., and TJ Wies.

About McCarthy Heart Hats
Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest privately held construction firms in the nation.  The McCarthy Heart Hats community outreach 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.  A 100 percent employee-owned company, McCarthy employees are as passionate about building better communities as they are about construction. With national headquarters in St. Louis, the company has additional offices in Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Newport Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento.  More information is available on line at www.mccarthy.com.

In this Spring edition, articles include:

Time to Build: Today, owners are getting the best value in a generation.
by Mike Bolen, Chairman & CEO, McCarthy
Many owners are beginning to take advantage of a welcome side-effect of the current recession: an unprecedented drop in the cost of building materials and labor.

Why Building the Community is Just as Important as Building the Project.
by Angeles Garcia, McCarthy Project Manager, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
When a construction project is in full swing in a neighborhood, next door to a business, or along a heavily traveled highway, it can be a nuisance. Find out how to turn this project challenge into a win-win for everyone.

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.

The $75 million wastewater treatment plant, constructed for the city of Chandler, is located near McQueen and Queen Creek roads and received the award in the Environment category for construction projects costing between $25 million and $75 million. The APWA presented the award to the project team at the association’s statewide conference held in Phoenix last week.
The award recognizes public infrastructure projects that exemplify excellence in management and administration, including safety performance, construction techniques, community relations and environmental stewardship.

“We’re honored that this project has been named ‘Project of the Year’ by the American Public Works Association, the oldest and largest organization of its kind in the world,” said Robert Knochenhauer, vice president and business unit leader of McCarthy’s Water Services team. “Our project team was able to stay focused on keeping the facility running throughout the entire expansion process and never once caused the plant to be out of compliance.”

The construction expanded the AWRF’s treatment capacity from 10 million gallons per day (mgd) to 15 mgd and included the installation of new treatment processes, equipment and reservoirs. In addition to increased capacity, the plant also boasts enhanced reclaimed water capabilities, which support the use of recycled/reused water for irrigation purposes.

The project team logged more than 650,000 man-hours over the 29-month-long project without a single lost time incident, a remarkable safety record.

Planning and pre-construction for the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility began in March 2007 and the project was completed in November 2009.

About McCarthy
Ranked among the “Best Places to Work” by The Business Journal in Phoenix, McCarthy has helped define the Arizona landscape for more than 30 years. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the nation. The Water Services team in the Southwest offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design-build services for wastewater and water treatment projects in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The team also covers construction projects in the mining, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels industries. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., (www.mccarthy.com), Orange County’s largest construction firm, along with 33 subcontractors and suppliers, recently completed construction of a new 25,000-square-foot athletic facility for GOALS (Growth Opportunities through Athletics, Learning and Service) youth program.  Called “The GOALS Dreamscape,” the athletic facility is located in north central Anaheim adjacent to GOALS existing headquarters on La Palma Parkway. McCarthy has been involved with GOALS for over 14 years since the firm donated labor and rallied subcontractor support for the construction of the Disney GOALS Roller Hockey Skating Rink and headquarters facility in Anaheim. 

“Almost half-a-million dollars of in-kind technical services, labor, equipment and building materials were contributed in order to bring this new venue from a dream to a reality,” said GOALS Executive Director Dave Wilk.  “The outpouring of generosity combined with the quality of construction especially in these tough economic times has been an amazing experience for our staff, volunteers, and of course, the children.”

Donated entirely by local businesses and the city of Anaheim who provided the land along with support and guidance from the United States Tennis Association and Southern California Tennis Association, the athletic facility features two full-size, lit tennis courts; a 6,000-square-foot artificial turf arena for multiple sports; 100 meter warm-up walking/jogging track surrounding arena; 440 meter circumferential walking/jogging fitness track; a fruit and vegetable “GOALS Garden” which will be planted and tended by GOALS children; an adjoining indoor work-out center for aerobic and anaerobic fitness and a 1,500-square-foot “mini court” for additional sports play.  Like all of the GOALS not for profit efforts, all program activities, equipment, uniforms, transportation access and coaching at The GOALS Dreamscape will be made available free to the low income youth participating.

“The project began in 2008 when the City of Anaheim agreed to give GOALS the chance to attract development support for a vacant parcel of nearby land,” explained Wilk. GOALS board member Tom Tait from Tait and Associates provided more than $65,000 of engineering and architectural support to propel the project. McCarthy donated more than $120,000 to the project and formed the subcontracting team that provided another $150,000 in goods and services. The team went on to complete the facility within eight months. The U.S. Tennis Association worked with AmeriCorps Vista volunteers to create the design of the tennis courts.

“This project represents a tremendous example of coordination and partnership between the private, public and not-for-profit sectors,” commented Tom Tait.  “The GOALS program was conceived with one act of kindness by Disneyland over 17 years ago, and this initial benevolence has become contagious among the GOALS staff and volunteers as well as through the longtime support of companies like McCarthy and the subcontractors who have helped make this project a reality.”

The project’s contributors, dubbed “The Dream Team” by GOALS, included: McCarthy Building Companies, The City of Anaheim, Tait & Associates, United States Tennis Association, Southern California Tennis Association, SOCALGEO Soil Engineering, The Murray Company, Ahern, J.B. Lumber, Anaheim Disposal, Bapko, Berg Electric, Premiere Engineering, United Rentals, Nolan’s Equipment Rentals, Crown Fence, Conco Pumping, Cal Portland, GPS Painting, J&M, CEMEX, Catalina Pacific/Cal Portland, Rebar Engineering, Western Paving, White Cap, Shaw & Sons, Athletica, Preferred Paving, H&E Rentals, NJP Sports, Zaino Tennis Courts, PlexiPave, LA Steelcraft, Precision Surfacing, Schmitz Foam Products, DOMO Turf and FlexSand.

The GOALS Dreamscape project was completed in part by McCarthy Heart Hats, a volunteer community outreach group led by the employees of McCarthy Building Companies.  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.  McCarthy Vice President, Operations Tracy MacDonald; MIS Engineer Ray LaTour; Project Superintendent Ray Stiffler and Engineer Aaron Rosenhaus led The GOALS Dreamscape project for McCarthy and several other McCarthy employees donated labor and technical services for the project.

About GOALS:
GOALS, headquartered in Anaheim, Calif. is a long-standing not for profit program that involves thousands of low-income youth annually through a combination of athletics, afterschool educational enrichment and community service where its youngsters help others. More than 15,000 youth have participated in GOALS’ programs since 1994 when it was started by Walt Disney Co. The organization’s services are concentrated in Anaheim, but some programs are also available in the City of Placentia and San Diego. GOALS headquarters and other major facilities are concentrated in a ¼ mile complex known as the GOALS “Youth Opportunity Zone” (YOZ). Within this area lie GOALS Anaheim ICE arena, the GOALS Gardens indoor arena (primarily used for roller hockey), facility headquarters and the “Dreamscape” project.  Disney GOALS links its neighborhood outreach to the YOZ through a “GOALSFleet” of busses owned by the organization that transport hundreds of youngsters to and from their communities so they can access the free equipment, coaching and facilities operated by GOALS.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest construction firms. In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., a Texas builder since 1980, was recently awarded a 2010 Distinguished Project Award for its work on the AT&T Performing Arts Center (AT&T PAC) Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. TEXO selected the Wyly Theatre as the winner in the category of commercial/educational projects totaling $30 to $75 million.

Judges based the selection of winning projects on construction techniques involved, special obstacles, personnel management, scheduling, quality control and safety programs. Each judge individually reviewed each of the 79 projects nominated. McCarthy and other winning firms were honored in April at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

“It is an honor to be selected as a winner among so many incredible projects,” said Mike McWay, president of McCarthy’s Texas Division. “The Wyly Theatre is a new standard for McCarthy’s future construction projects. We are thrilled TEXO recognizes the insistence on quality and dedication to hard work McCarthy contributes to all of its projects.”

Designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus (partner in charge) and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas, the Wyly Theatre is the world’s first and only high-rise theatre and is one of two new venues in the AT&T PAC in the heart of downtown Dallas.  The 12-level, 80,300-square-foot multi-form theatre completely rethinks the traditional arrangement of a theatre’s parts. This vertically-stacked theatre houses unique materials from across the globe and boasts the capability to transform in to three different seating configurations –  thrust, proscenium and flat floor – made possible by a series of lift platforms that raise and lower. The Wyly Theatre officially opened in October 2009.

Winning TEXO’s local Distinguished Project Award now qualifies McCarthy to enter the Wyly Theatre and compete for the national Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Excellence in Construction Awards, the construction industry’s premier annual awards program. Winning projects will be announced February 2011.

McCarthy is currently working on the Dallas City Performance Hall, a 124,000-square-foot multi-phase theatre facility, and its accompanying garage in the Dallas Arts District adjacent to the AT&T PAC. Another striking arts project, the City Performance Hall is on track to be the first LEED Silver rated performing arts facility in Texas under the United States Green Building Council and will provide a new state-of-the-art home for small and medium arts groups, reflecting the diverse communities of the city.

McCarthy’s Texas Division also was recently selected as an Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)/Aon Build America Award 2010 winner in the New Building category for the Wyly Theatre. The division adds these awards to a growing list of other business and industry-based awards the firm has received, including being honored with the number three spot on the 2009 Top 100 Workplaces by The Dallas Morning News and the 2009 Contractor of the Year award from the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

NOTE: A photo of the completed AT&T Performing Arts Center Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is available at:
http://www.mccarthy.com/ftp-at-and-t-performing-arts-center

About McCarthy
Celebrating nearly 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is the nation’s 10th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2010) and one of the nation’s oldest privately held construction firms.  An employee-owned company, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design/build services for the following project types: parking structures, healthcare, educational, office buildings, bridges and highways, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic, and industrial facilities, tenant interiors, mixed-use and multifamily residential.  In addition to Dallas, McCarthy has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta.  For more information please visit www.mccarthy.com.

About TEXO
TEXO is the construction association representing commercial contractors in North and East Texas.  It has a membership of more than 1,900 commercial contractors.  TEXO was formed from the consolidation of the North/East Texas Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (QUOIN) and the Associated Builders and Contractors North Texas (ABCNT).  TEXO is one of the largest organizations affiliated, on the national and state level, with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Associated General Contractors (AGC).

McCarthy served as the project’s construction manager at risk (CM at Risk) and general contractor while TMCS was the construction manager and inspector of record. Hornberger + Worstell served as the architect with Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company, as the associate architect for health services. The WELL is seeking LEED Silver certification and will be open for the fall 2010 term after a grand opening event on Sept. 2.

The WELL’s opening is part of the University’s Destination 2010 celebration, a year-long observance of the initiative that has enhanced Sacramento State’s academic programs, student support services and facilities since its launch in 2004 by Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez.

“This is the only facility within the California State University system that has combined recreation and wellness under one roof, which will provide interrelated services offered by these programs to further enhance the quality of life for its users. It embraces green building principles and materials and was constructed to offer students, faculty and staff everything you would want out of a recreation and wellness facility,” said Mark Radell, project director for McCarthy.

“We were pleased to have pursued this large-scale project using the CM at Risk delivery method, which allowed collaboration between all project partners during planning and construction to deliver a vast program of services in a complex building with a cohesive and thoughtful approach. I would like to thank the team’s perseverance and hard work in making Sacramento State’s dream a reality,” said Tony Moayed, president of TMCS.

In addition to the largest rock climbing wall in the California State University system, The WELL features a fitness center, indoor track, gym courts, racquetball courts, and a student health center that includes primary and urgent care clinics, a retail pharmacy, vision care center, x-ray services, counseling services, a nutrition center and wellness promotion programs. There is also space for Peak Adventures, a student-run outdoor program.

Seeking LEED Silver certification, the project incorporates a number of sustainable features, including Foiltec skylight systems to improve 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 station.

“We are very pleased with how the project team pursued the plan, listened to the stakeholders and executed what is one of our most ambitious projects in the history of the university,” said Mario Ruiz, interim associate vice president of facilities services at Sacramento State.  “The grand opening celebration will signify many years of work to make the vision for The WELL a reality for the students, faculty and staff.”

The WELL is part of the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex, which includes Hornet Stadium and the 26,235-square-foot Eli and Edythe L. Broad Fieldhouse located at the south end of the stadium.That facility houses the football and track and field programs.

About TMCS
Tony Moayed Construction Services, Inc. (TMCS) is a construction management company founded in 2003 to serve the commercial construction industry.  TMCS is the ninth largest construction management company in Sacramento and its four surrounding counties.  Its services include program management, construction management and preconstruction management. More information about the company is available online at www.tmcsco.com.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for resort and entertainment, education, healthcare, 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.

Named “March LifeCare Campus” www.marchlifecare.com the 10-year, $3.3 billion construction project for March Healthcare Development will become a unique “city” encompassing 246 acres, housing some six million square feet of health related structures including: a hospital, medical office buildings, retail, a hotel, a continuing care retirement community, wellness centers and healing gardens as well as facilities for veterans, skilled nursing, spiritual healing and ambulatory care.

Governor Schwarzenegger summed up the significance of the massive project: “This is going to become known as the ‘Mayo Clinic ‘of the West… and during construction, 12,700 construction workers will be employed. After completion, 7,200 permanent healthcare related jobs will be created.”

The March LifeCare Campus project begins at a time when the Inland Empire area suffers some of the worst unemployment in the nation while experiencing a shortage in necessary healthcare. State, county and local support for the project is unprecedented.

“We’re seeing an ongoing state and local community commitment to redevelop an area that is in much need of economic growth and additional healthcare capacity,” said Michael Tuohy, McCarthy’s project director for March LifeCare. 

At the ceremony, two heavy duty Link Belt demolition machines were ordered by the Governor to start taking down the first of over 16 structures to make way for the 1.4 million-square-foot first phase of the three phase project.

McCarthy is the general contractor for the current $4.5 million demolition work and Master Builder for the program’s overall construction. U.S. Demolition Co. of Anaheim began the take-down of the first building at the ceremony.

March Healthcare Development (MHD) led by Managing Director and Project Leader Donald N. Ecker, has spent six years formulating the overall concept of the unique health and wellness venue. “We are pleased to have a firm with McCarthy’s reputation as part of our world-class team,” said Ecker. “At the Demolition Ceremony, the Governor recognized McCarthy as ‘the number one builder of hospitals in California.’”

Internationally renowned architectural firm HOK designed the Master Plan for the March LifeCare Campus.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest construction firms and has been ranked among the top five national healthcare builders by Modern Healthcare since the magazine began its annual ranking more than 30 years ago. In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

Designed by the San Francisco office of Anshen+Allen, the new $260 million Acute Care Pavilion is the first acute care facility in the state to meet the rigorous standards for quality and safety mandated by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), while also achieving the level of occupant health and environmental sustainability required to earn LEED-Certified status. The facility will be equipped and staffed to receive patients on October 10.

“Construction oversight of OSHPD facilities adds a heightened level of complexity to already complicated healthcare construction projects in California, based on the state’s strict criteria for passing project inspections, reviews and approvals,” said Dan Stone of CCQA Inc., inspector-of-record for the project. “McCarthy skillfully managed the many construction details to meet the agency’s high standards.”

OSHPD oversight of California hospitals stems from the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, which caused several hospitals to collapse, endangering the lives of hundreds of patients and hampering the hospitals’ ability to provide emergency care to the injured. In 1973 the state of California passed the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Seismic Safety Act and, ever since, construction of acute care and psychiatric hospitals, as well as multi-story skilled nursing homes and intermediate care facilities, in the state has been governed by this legislation. The standards not only help enforce patient safety during the earthquake, but also ensure that facilities can continue to function and care for the injured following earthquakes.

For the Acute Care Pavilion, Rady Children’s Hospital employed one onsite inspector-of-record and three field inspectors, bound to the letter of the law. McCarthy served the integral role of working through all construction issues, developing proactive solutions, documenting every discussion and construction activity, and communicating with OSHPD inspectors, who visited the site three times a week. Not a single detail of the project could afford to be overlooked, from the drilling operation that involved the installation of individual 60-foot-deep by eight-inch-wide holes to accommodate seismic tie-down rods, to the torque of each bolt. Building Information Modeling (BIM) allowed the construction team to address many of the seismic issues.

Rady Children’s Hospital is the only dedicated child-specific medical center in the San Diego region, and demand for services had outgrown its existing facilities. The new 279,000-square foot Acute Care Pavilion was built on a tight, 148,650-square-foot site at the southeast end of the hospital campus, adjacent to the existing Rose Pavilion. Second- and third-floor bridges and a ground-floor walkway connect the existing facility to the new four-story building.

When equipped, the Acute Care Pavilion will house a much-needed surgical center, 84 medical-surgical beds, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and a cancer center. It also will provide 16 operating rooms with associated support departments, a 28-bed hematology and oncology unit, and a 10-bed bone marrow transplant intensive care unit.

The facility’s exterior features a glass-fiber reinforced, precast concrete exterior; integral-colored plaster; storefront and curtain wall glass systems with colored accents; metal panels and railings; and a billowing steel front entry canopy carrying the hospital’s “kite” insignia.

“Rady Children’s Hospital has been committed to incorporating green practices throughout its operations for many years, so when it came time for us to expand, we set on a mission to become the largest children’s hospital in the state with a world-class LEED Certified facility,” said Tim Jacoby, vice president of facilities for Rady Children’s Hospital, who led the successful team collaboration.  “Due to the degree of difficulty in meeting OSHPD and LEED requirements simultaneously, we knew the McCarthy team would be up against a huge challenge. Meeting our goal was not only a significant achievement for the hospital, but a milestone for the state of California.”

To knowledgeably address the LEED aspects of the project and carry through the facility’s sustainable design in a thoughtful, practical manner, McCarthy employed a dedicated LEED accredited professional and, since the project began in early 2008, 10 of the construction team’s members have become LEED APs.

“Construction execution required rigorous tracking and monitoring, along with a great deal of creative solution-finding, to keep the project on course toward LEED Certification,” said Steve Van Dyke, project director for McCarthy. “The construction team took extra measures and precautions at every turn to ensure compliance with the LEED credits.”

Working in accordance with LEED 2.1, the project team is on track to receive 31 of the 25 points needed to become LEED Certified. Eric Lum, LEED AP, has served as LEED project coordinator for Anshen+Allen, spearheading the design application review, and Don Sadler, AIA, LEED AP, served as principal-in-charge for the design firm. McCarthy is in the process of submitting the construction documentation needed for official certification.

Since beginning the LEED application process for this project, the U.S. Green Building Council has rolled out the LEED 3.0 for Healthcare Green Building Rating System, which is likely to make it more enticing for hospitals to seek LEED certification. LEED 3.0 for Healthcare is more applicable, addressing such specific issues as increased sensitivity to chemicals and pollutants, traveling distances from parking facilities, and access to natural spaces.

The new Rady Children’s Hospital Acute Care Pavilion has earned an “Innovation in Design” credit for the introduction of a series of healing gardens that utilize sustainable design principles and embrace the hospital’s healing arts program, which originally was developed in 1993 in conjunction with the Rose Pavilion construction. The program seeks to enrich the experience of patients, families and staff via visual and performing arts, and through the creation of healing gardens that draw on artists’ talents to transform normally lackluster courtyards into whimsical, outdoor retreats.

 In conjunction with the hospital’s healing arts program, the new Acute Care Pavilion provides an environment focused on the needs and imaginations of children — one that is also intended to help relieve the stress of families with sick or injured children. Central to the theme of the building is the “River of Life”, manifested through an immense, four-story mineral panel that incorporates a kinetic lighting system, which radiates a rainbow of vibrant colors through the front entry curtain wall. A mosaic tile version of the “River of Life” flows from the mineral lobby wall, out the front door and into the first-floor courtyard, which serves as one of several healing gardens.

Named “Carley’s Magical Gardens”, these playful, landscaped areas were designed through the collaboration of local artists T.J. Dixon, Kim Emerson, Albert De Matteis, and James Nelson. The first floor garden off the main entry, intended for use by parents and siblings, sets the stage for the whimsical themes experienced throughout the facility.

Located on the second floor off the hematology and oncology unit, the primary healing garden features a giant, tiled bird with a place for patients to deposit their wishes, which staff will later collect in order to better understand the children’s wants and needs. A life-size bronze figure of a young girl sitting at an eight-foot-long table is the centerpiece of the second-floor healing garden, and provides a place for organized activities and family gatherings. Other fanciful objects include a mosaic tile and concrete tree playhouse, complete with Hot Wheels tracks; a privacy bench; performance stage; and interactive garden screens and gates. A divided basketball playing area accommodates both regular and immune-deficient patients.

On the third floor is a landscaped bamboo garden with a rubber-surfaced playing area for patients and a retreat area for staff members. A vast ground-floor outdoor terrace, strictly for staff use, features Jacaranda trees, white light posts and bike racks.

Each floor of the building embraces its own nature theme – including sea, beach, sky and outer space – that are carried out with objects woven into the flooring, stamped ceiling tiles, nurse station vitrines, patient room and ceiling soffit murals, etched glass doors, restroom tile and lighting fixtures. The fourth-floor neonatal intensive care center accommodates 32 bassinettes, and features serpentine nurse stations that give staff a line of sight at all times. Patient rooms contain bathrooms with bathtubs or showers. Large wooden Nana doors surround the main reception and NICU desks for patient privacy.

The project team achieved 23 percent below Title 24 requirements for energy efficiency by utilizing the LEED Energy Cost Budget methodology. This was achieved by incorporating: 1) occupancy sensors in operating rooms to reduce the ventilation rate by 60 percent when unoccupied, yielding a 45 percent annual energy savings; 2) variable frequency drives on air handling unit motors to adjust the fan speed due to filter loading; 3) carbon dioxide monitoring for high occupancy areas to reduce ventilation rates, based on the number of occupants; 4) a supply air temperature reset strategy, which saves energy by adjusting air temperatures based on load; 5) a 24,000-square-foot cogeneration plant that provides free heating and high temperature water, and contains two 700-ton natural gas-fired absorption chillers; and 6) variable frequency drives on cooling tower fans and hot water pumps.

The project also utilizes recycled and locally obtained steel, concrete and other building materials; low VOC-emitting paints, glues, carpet, and wood; water-efficient landscaping; abundant daylighting, even at operating rooms; and a dedicated bicycle storage area. A reflective concrete “cool roof” system helps minimize heat gain and control rainwater run-off, and painted steel screens conceal rooftop mechanical systems.  
Nearly 80 percent of construction waste materials at the job site was recycled. The project team went above and beyond the LEED requirements by declaring the entire hospital campus a “no smoking” zone. A thorough, 14-day flush-out of the building began upon construction completion.

KPFF of San Francisco served as the structural engineer; RBF, San Diego, civil engineer; Randall Lamb, San Diego, electrical engineer; Shadpour Consulting Engineers, San Diego, mechanical engineer; and Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey of Mill Valley was the landscape architect.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest construction firms and has been ranked among the top five national healthcare builders by Modern Healthcare since the magazine began its annual ranking more than 30 years ago. In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

“As a community-based builder, it is important for us to get involved early and work through the administrative process with the project stakeholders,” said Ryan Heeter, project director for McCarthy. “As a result, we established and built a strong relationship with the County and all other parties, which enabled us to hit the ground running.”

The expansion project calls for construction of a new, half-million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant that will serve the Indian Springs community and Creech Air Force Base (AFB).  McCarthy will also upgrade the existing facilities currently serving Indian Springs, which includes two lift stations, one on Creech AFB and one near the Indian Springs Casino. Additional work will include demolition of the existing Creech AFB water/wastewater treatment plant. In all, McCarthy will install and re-route more than four miles of piping and electrical duct banks including performing a portion of work under US 95.

This is the second water project McCarthy currently has underway in Nevada. In addition to the Indian Springs Wastewater Treatment project, McCarthy is currently constructing a $19 million wastewater treatment facility expansion in Mesquite, Nev. Upon completion in the spring 2011, the 50,000-square-foot facility expansion nearly doubles the capacity of the city’s existing plant.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been delivering construction solutions to the water and wastewater industries in the Southwest for more than 25 years. McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies. The firm is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.