Fall 2007 Newsletter

Every McCarthy project in America has put these programs into place – and, more importantly, every McCarthy employee understands and embraces why we’re going to such extraordinary steps. That’s what employee owners do.

“0.00. That was our lost-time incident rate. Need I say more?”

— Bill Walker, project executive, Banner Health

There’s typical fast-track construction. Than there’s Banner fast-track construction. McCarthy’s daunting task was to complete a $114 million, 360,000-square-foot greenfield medical center in 22 months. Mission accomplished. Included on the site is a five-story, 171-bed inpatient tower, a two-story diagnostic and treatment building and a central plant. Given their mission, Banner placed great importance on safety, and McCarthy delivered while working 133,000 manhours. Critical to success was the use of ACAD and NavisWorks in planning and managing the installation of all MEP trades. Weekly meetings were held with all MEP subcontractors and issues were resolved “clash by clash.” “We simply would not have been able to meet our client’s deadline were it not for BIM’s impact,” said McCarthy’s Jeff Clarkson. An additional benefit of BIM coordination was that subcontractors were able to prefab much of their work offsite, saving time while increasing the quality of the product delivered. Architect: NBBJ, Seattle.

“Although slip forming is not a new technology, these being some of the largest in the world carry a great deal of risk if not done correctly.
MC Industrial has delivered what they promised … a quality team and quality workmanship.”

— Russell Wiles, senior vice president, Ste. Genevieve Project, Holcim (US)

On a stretch of Highway 61 in Ste. Genevieve County, the world’s largest single-line cement plant is underway for Holcim (US). The landscape leading to the site is fairly unremarkable until you travel further and crest the hill. From there, 13 behemoth silos appear in the valley below. Climbing toward the sky at 10 inches an hour, each silo was slip formed. Once slip forming starts, the process can’t stop. More than 350 MC Industrial tradesmen worked 24/7 for 13 to 17 days at a time to complete each set of silos; the widest, 207 feet tall by 150 feet in diameter, the tallest, 275 feet tall by 80 feet in diameter. The plant will begin producing 12,000 tons per day clinker in 2009. MC Industrial is a wholly-owned subsidiary of McCarthy. Architect/Engineer: T.E. Ibberson, Hopkins, Minn.

“You normally compromise when you go through a VA process. I believe we got everything we wanted.”

— Dan Savage, facilities management, Dallas County

Piles are being driven, foundations are being poured, and a myriad of long-lead specialized equipment is being bought for Dallas’ version of “CSI.” The $44 million, 112,000-square-foot facility will greatly enhance the County’s forensic capabilities and will include a ballistics testing facility, trace, DNA extraction and drug analysis labs, a one-story medical examiner’s office with a morgue and autopsy equipment, as well as administration areas and conference/teaching space for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “We had a very succesful and collaborative value engineering effort. We saved over $3 million without sacrificing any of the building’s required functionality. The cooperation among the McCarthy team, its subs and the architect produces very beneficial results,” said Dallas County’s Dan Savage. Scheduled for completion in April 2009, the project’s major challenge will be the coordination of all MEP elements, those making up more than a 1/3 of the project’s total cost. Architect: HKS, Inc., Dallas, Texas.

“McCarthy has proven to be proactive and resolution-oriented, rare qualities in an industry where blind self-protection is often the norm.”

— James Ho, regional director of construction,
St. Joseph Health System

McCarthy is currently conducting extensive site work before erecting an acute care tower addition to Mission Hospital, one of 14 non-profit hospitals in the St. Joseph Health System. As McCarthy’s ninth project for the healthcare organization, the new 95,000-square-foot patient tower will house 24 medical/surgical and 40 ICU beds, diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, a linear accelerator, a chapel and meditation garden, as well as support and mechanical space. McCarthy will also build a 175-foot-long pedestrian bridge to connect the new four-level patient tower with the main hospital building. Construction systems include a braced-frame structure to reduce the size of the columns and beams and to provide superior seismic performance in compliance with California acute care hospital building regulations. Featuring award-winning architecture, the facility is designed to promote healing for patients, a comfortable atmosphere for families and an enhanced state-of-the-art working environment for hospital staff. The project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2009.
Architect: RBB Architects, Inc., Los Angeles.

“Having hired a world-renowned architect, we knew the project would require a highly sophisticated general contracting firm. McCarthy more than came through for us, producing an award-winning model for concrete work and design sustainability.”

— Boone Hellman, associate vice chancellor for facilities design & construction and campus architect, UCSD

McCarthy recently completed construction of UCSD’s five-story, 141,000-square-foot Student Academic Services Facility, which houses the university’s Registrar, Financial Aid, Graduate Studies, and Admissions departments; a 300-seat multipurpose room; two restaurants and retail space. The $30 million concrete and steel structure embraces a myriad of sustainable design features including high efficiency irrigation systems, FSC Certified Lumber, 20% better than current California Title 24 energy efficiency standards, high performance glazing, daylighting, low-emitting materials, and recycled plastic lumber window sunscreens. The project will be self-certified by UCSD based on LEED rating criteria. An arcade structure consisting of 114, 28-foothigh exposed architectural concrete columns forms the moment frame, and a large mezzanine requiring 12,600 square feet of form liner sits atop these columns. Levels three through five are steel framed with composite metal decking and concrete floors. The project was implemented utilizing BIM technology and recently received the 2007 American Institute of Architects - San Diego Chapter “Honor Award,” the chapter’s highest distinction.
Architect: Rob Wellington Quigley, San Diego, Calif.

“McCarthy understands our priorities. We’re interested in function more than form, and they’ve managed our budget like it was their own.”

— David Peterson, chief of facilities management, Scottsdale Unified School District

$50 million in new construction and renovation work is underway in two phases in the center of Chaparral’s 2,300-student campus. Phase one includes the construction of a multi-purpose gym (with five sports courts), auditorium additions and a central plant, while Phase two comprises construction of a new main classroom structure and administration building. “McCarthy came to the project at the 11th hour after the previous contractor was let go. Progress since then has been nothing short of amazing,” commented Scottsdale USD’s David Peterson. Rather unique to K-12 school construction, CAD and BIM modeling is being used to manage above-ceiling MEP work and below-grade utility placement. Building in such an active environment requires a strict communication protocol and a “safety first” mentality … McCarthy’s lost-time incident rate to date is 0.00. Architect: The Orcutt Winslow Partnership, Phoenix.

“McCarthy’s healthcare construction experience has been invaluable. It may sound like an exaggeration, but we literally saved 10+ million dollars in our bidding process and our timing in the market.”

— Ron Connovich, director of facilities, St. Rita’s Medical Center

The future is now at St. Rita’s Medical Center. The $130 million, 340,000-square-foot expansion, dubbed “The Medical Center of the Future,” is officially open for business. “Optimal” best describes the addition’s healing environment. All rooms are private and have an outside view. Light sensors allow daylight harvesting. A 13,000-square-foot rooftop garden provides respite. The addition was constructed with “green” in mind. Demolition materials were recycled. Supplies were purchased within close proximity to the project site. Natural, recyclable materials were used appropriately, such as natural linoleum rather than vinyl flooring. Lima’s economy is also benefiting from “green.” Hundreds of construction jobs were created over the course of the project contributing $750,000 in additional income tax dollars for the city.
Architect: Ellerbe Becket, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

“The McCarthy/LPA team has excelled in providing quality service and proven to be very successful in this
collaborative design/build process.”

— John Raymond, assistant superintendent of facilities, Grant Joint Union High School District

The design/build team of McCarthy and LPA are beginning construction of the new $150 million East Natomas Education Complex. Part of the Grant Joint Union High School District, the complex will house a high school and a junior high school. The project will be the largest design/build project ever completed in the California public school system under state Assembly Bill 1402. The complex will be built in two phases, with the junior high scheduled to open in August 2009 and the high school a year later. The complex is the largest, single construction project ever for the district and will serve nearly 3,000 students. Overall, it is only the third new school construction project by the district in 43 years. Each school will have a separate entrance and will share a joint administration building and library. The campus will also feature a performing arts center, competition swimming pool and stadium. Design/Build Architect: LPA, Inc., Roseville, Calif.