Steel Erection Nearing Completion at Los Angeles County &USC Medical Center

Construction of the 1.5 million-sq.-ft. replacement facility in East
Los Angeles is scheduled to be completed in early 2007.

By Paul Napolitano

Pleasanton-based Herrick Corp. is nearing completion of structural steel erection on the $494 million Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center Replacement Facility in East Los Angeles. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in early 2007.

Construction of the 600-bed, 1.5 million-sq.-ft. facility is managed by a joint venture of MCH, which is comprised of McCarthy Building Companies Inc. of Newport Beach, Clark Construction Group Inc. of Costa Mesa and Hunt Construction Group of Phoenix. Joelle Hertel serves as partner-in-charge for MCH.

Sited on land next to the existing facility, the new LAC+USC Replacement Medical Facility will include four major components: a seven-story outpatient building; an eight-story inpatient tower; a five-story diagnostic and treatment building; and a central energy plant.

Photos by Greg Aragon.

Designed by a joint venture of HOK of Los Angeles and LBL Associated Architects of Santa Monica, the new replacement hospital will play a central role in meeting the growing demand for public health care services. It will replace a facility that had grown outdated in many areas and was badly damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Among the key construction challenges will be navigating the logistics of a tight urban site, installing a sophisticated base isolation system and guarding the site from vandals.