CalPERS' $153 Million Complex to Be Completed This Summer

By Thomas York

CalPERS's new 560,000-sq.-ft. headquarters building-the largest project downtown-remains on schedule for a summer completion.

CalPERs is a Sacramento-based agency that manages pension funds for state and municipal employees.

The $153-million structure, bordered by Third, Fifth, Q and R streets, features two steel-framed U-shaped buildings four and six-stories high surrounding a courtyard.

The new CalPERS building in downtown Sacramento, top photo, required a special foundation because it lies atop an underground branch of the Sacramento River. Turner Construction Co. is the construction manager and Hensel Phelps Construction Co. is the general contractor. S.J. Amoroso Construction was the contractor for the foundation contract. Rendering courtesy of Kendall/Heaton Associates. Photo courtesy of CalPERS.

"The project is much more complicated than an office building of comparable size," said Diane Procter, project manager for CalPERS. "Working with multiple prime contracts and getting it done quickly creates a lot of complexity in terms of how the project fits together."

The Sacramento office of Turner Construction Co. is the construction manager, Greeley, Colo.- based Hensel Phelps Construction Co. is the general contractor and the architect of record is Houston-based Kendall/Heaton Associates.

Hensel Phelps is now managing the last of the project's seven bid packages.

Procter said the building required a special foundation and equipment because it lies atop an underground branch of the Sacramento River.

To install the foundation, Redwood City-based S.J. Amoroso Construction Co. installed 1,900 auger cast piles, which contain 340,000 lbs. of reinforcing steel and 6,000 cu. yds. of concrete.

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Procter said the contractor cast the piles in place to avoid the noise and vibration associated with driving tradition steel-rebar enforced concrete piles.

Before the foundation work began in late 2002, Marysville-based Nordic Industries covered the two-square-block site with a cement bentonite cut-off wall to shield against water leaks.

Nordic used a rare 118-ft.-tall auger, imported from Japan, to excavate the garage 30 ft. below grade, then removed 230,000 cubic yards of soil before covering the floor with 24 in. of concrete to protect against water intrusion.

Other subcontractors on the project include Benson Industries Inc., which built the exterior wall; San Diego-based Helix Electric; Pleasanton-based Herrick Corp., which erected the steel frame; and Hayward-based Marelich Mechanical Co. which installed mechanical and plumbing systems.