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Central Los Angeles High School #9 to Receive the 2009 Q Award
The Alliance for Quality Construction, a Southern California association of union contractors and building trades unions, reports that the Los Angeles Unified School District has been selected to be the recipient of their 2009 Q Award for its Central Los Angeles Area New High School #9 project.
This year’s award ceremony will be held at the high school on Wednesday, June 10, followed by a luncheon in the school’s plaza and catered by actual students from within the district’s Culinary Arts program. The award honors LAUSD for its recently constructed 234,000-sq-ft facility, which cost approximately $233 million to build.
The design architect was Coop Himmelblau, the architect of record was HMC, and the general contractor was PCL Construction Services, Inc. This new facility, designed for both school and community use, includes a crystalline public lobby, serving as both theater lobby and exhibition area, and creates the public face of the school toward downtown Los Angeles, while the primary school entrance, via a grand open staircase, addresses the community.
The high school incorporates specific sustainable design measures to enhance building and student performance including energy efficiency, ample day-lighting in classrooms, improved acoustical performances, use of low-emitting materials and high efficiency irrigation systems. AQC’s Q Award is given annually for outstanding contributions toward the attainment of quality construction within the building industry of Southern California.
The winner is nominated and selected by the Alliance’s membership from quality union construction projects completed in the previous year. Recipients of previous Q Awards have been AEG for its Nokia Theatre at LA LIVE (2008), Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (2007), The Getty Villa (2006), The Home Depot Center (2005), The Walt Disney Concert Hall (2004), and Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral (2003).
The Alliance’s member union trades and contractors completed the construction of the high school, which is quite visible from the 110/101 freeways near the downtown 4-level interchange.
The school will relieve Belmont High School, which, until just recently, had been scheduled on a multi-track calendar. Belmont will now remain on a traditional calendar. The new school contains 64 classrooms and will serve 1,700 students in grades 9 thru 12.
The new campus that is scheduled to open in September includes a theater building, an art and music building, a library, a dance/administration building, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, turf fields and a parking structure. Circular windows give the school buildings a distinct appearance. “Seeing the majestic circular structures from the freeway is very impressive, but not as impressive as when one visits the campus,” says Pam Ackrich, chair of AQC. “This campus is a one-of-a-kind project that our union crafts persons and contractors can take pride in creating from excellent designs.” General contractor, PCL Construction Services, Inc. has coordinated the construction efforts for LAUSD from Coop Himmelblau, the design architect and HMC, the architect of record and has been on this project for two and a half years.
“The downtown Los Angeles skyline is in constant change, and the new high school project adds functionality and another flair to this great city,” says Ackrich. “The school shall not only be wonderful sight to behold, but it will serve a most-needed purpose for the children of L.A. This is also another example of successful synergy between union trades, contractors, government and the local community.”
The annual Q Award luncheons have been sell-outs. Interested people wishing to attend the 2009 Q Award are encouraged to make their reservations early. For more information or reservations, interested persons should contact Pam Ackrich at the Alliance for Quality Construction at 909-396-9993, ext. 233.
The Project Team
Owner: Los Angeles Unified School District
Architect: HMC Architects, Pasadena
Design Consultants: CoopHimmelb(l)au, Los Angeles; tmad Taylor & Gaines, Pasadena; URS, Los Angeles
General Contractor: PCL Construction,Glendale
Subcontractors (partial list): Best Contracting Services, Gardena; Calex Engineering, Newhall; Continental Marble & Tile Co., Corona; Eckles Construction, Huntington Beach; F. Rodgers Corp., Corona; Frank S. Smith Masonry, Pomona; Harwood Construction, La Verne; Howe Electric, Fresno; Huntington Glazing, Los Angeles; KK Mechanical, Ogden, UT; KONE Inc., Cerritos; Maya Steel Fabricators, Gardena; Morley Builders, Santa Monica; Psomas, Los Angeles; South Bay Constructors, Long Beach; Troyer Contracting Co., Santa Fe Springs; Universal Precast Concrete, San Jose; ValleyCrest Landscape Development, Cypress. |
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