The 4 for 2004: Biotech, Health Care, Multifamily and TI Sectors Strongest in Silicon Valley

By Thomas York

The larger of two structures for the San Jose Civic Center is 20-stories tall. A nine-story, steel-and-glass rotunda will join that building when the complex opens next spring. photo by Thomas York

Though San Francisco is enjoying the lion's share of construction projects in the Bay Area, other cities in the region are feasting on the construction "mini-boom," too.

Greg Hulbert, new business development officer at Redwood City-based DPR Construction, said Bay Area activity has been particularly strong in biotechnology, general health care, multifamily and tenant improvement. He added that all four should remain strong this year.

Hulbert said the work level still isn't where it was three to four years ago, but, "I don't think we'll ever again see the absurdity of 1999 and 2000."

Even so, there are many noteworthy projects.

In the city of Santa Clara, construction continues on Kaiser Permanente's new $376 million, 1.3 million-sq.-ft. medical office building and hospital complex.

It's the largest project in Silicon Valley, the second-largest hospital construction job in the state and fifth largest overall project in California.

Work on phase one, which includes construction of the giant HMO's new medical offices, started in October 2001. Work on phase two, a 327-bed hospital that replaces the existing 286-bed facility, got under way in August 2002. The medical office building will be completed by the end of the year, while the hospital will complete in late 2006.

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The San Francisco office of Anshen + Allen Architects is the designer. Foster City-based Rudolph & Sletten is the general contractor.

The hospital structure features an innovative building technique imported from Japan-an unbonded brace frame that functions like an automobile shock absorber. The brace frames secure the structure in the event of a severe earthquake, and allow the new medical complex to meet California's tough new seismic standards for medical facilities that go into effect in 2008.

In nearby San Jose, the joint Turner-Devcon general contracting team is plowing ahead on the new $340 million City Hall. The seven-square-block redevelopment project includes construction of a new 20-story City Hall structure, as well as construction of a nine-story, steel and glass enclosed rotunda that will serve as the new City Council chambers.

Turner Project Manager Grant Graffanti, who has worked on both the San Francisco and Oakland City Hall renovations, called the San Jose building "a world-class project" and singled out the main building's two 18-story-high sheer walls.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales has been closely following the project since work got under way in mid-2002.

"I'm very excited to see our new City Hall take shape as a landmark in downtown San Jose," Gonzales said. "As we watch the steel framework rise, we can see how the new building will provide more efficient public services and become a valuable addition to life in downtown."

The structure is expected to be open in spring 2005.

Just a few blocks away from the City Hall construction site, Swinerton Builders is pushing forward with the $65 million renovation of the historic 1,700-seat Fox California Theatre.

The project, which got under way in August 2000, is scheduled for completion in May or June, said Maribel Castillo, a spokeswoman with Swinerton's Santa Clara office. The historic movie palace will serve as the home of the Opera San Jose.

The $206 million student-housing village being built at San Jose State is the largest project under construction in the California State University system . photo by Thomas York

The San Jose Redevelopment Agency and the Packard Humanities Institute are the developers, while Berkeley-based ELS Architecture and Urban Design is the architect.

A few miles west of downtown San Jose, construction started in November on the $60 million the fourth phase of Santana Row, which will feature 256 additional residential rental units above the retail pedestal of Building 7.

A spectacular fire destroyed most of the unfinished construction in August 2002, less than three months before the opening of the retail-residential project.

San Jose-based developer Federal Realty Investment Trust said it will construct 96 town homes and 160 flats atop the building, plus a 75-ft. lap swimming pool, clubhouse and business center. Completion is scheduled for December 2005.

The architect is San Francisco-based SB Architects. The San Francisco office of Bovis Lend Lease is the general contractor.

In Palo Alto, construction continues on the $150 million Classic Residence by Hyatt, a 494-unit, continuing-care retirement community on property owned by Stanford University.

The Steinberg Group of San Jose is the architect, while Milpitas-based Devcon Construction is the general contractor.

When the project is completed in August 2005, it will contain living units of mixed sizes, ranging from 800 to 4,000 sq. ft., to appeal to retirees with a wide variety of income levels.

The facility will also serve as a center for medical studies of the elderly.

"We were trying to create a community and design a plan that has a very strong connection with the campus," said Denise Youmans, a spokeswoman for the design firm.

Nearby on the Stanford campus, DPR served as the general contractor for the $4.5 million Global Ecology Center, which will serve as the new home for the Carnegie Department of Global Ecology.

Construction was completed in December.

This "green" project featured construction of an 11,000-sq.-ft. research building and 3,500-sq.-ft. warehouse.

In keeping with the principle of the new facility-to provide new standards for combining science and sustainability-the center will be built to maximize energy efficiency, minimize environmental impacts and incorporate sustainable materials.

San Francisco-based architectural firm Esherick Homsey Dodge & Davis incorporated a number of environmental elements into the building, including a night-sky, spray-radiant cooling system with thermal storage, as well as radiant slab heating and cooling. The design also includes a fully day-lit interior with lighting controls.

DPR's Hulbert said a good number of projects in the South Bay should keep construction workers busy during the next year.

"I see it getting better in 2004," he added. "We are beginning to see a bit of an uptick in capital expenditures in corporate America, which should translate into new projects for the construction industry."