San Diego-based Architectural Concepts Inc. designed a new Wahoo Fish Tacos restaurant in Point Loma. Photo courtesy of Architectural Concepts.

Wahoo Fish Tacos Completed in Point Loma

Ellis Construction has completed 2,045 sq. ft. of tenant improvements for a Wahoo Fish Taco restaurant in Point Loma.

The owner is Endless Summer Entertainment Inc. Margit Espinosa was the senior designer and principal-in-charge and Randy Biegenzahn was the project manager for San Diego-based Architectural Concepts Inc., the restaurant architect and interior design firm.

The design of the project involved the relocation of two existing restaurants to create a new space that showcases a surf-and-ski motif. The new restaurant has exposed ceilings, vibrant colors, custom furniture and light fixtures, stained concrete floors and a heated outdoor dining area.

Major Redevelopment Project Begins at Air Force Base

Snyder Langston, an Irvine-based general contractor, has begun construction of 542,000 sq. ft. of new facilities at a UnitedStates Air Force Base in El Segundo.

The $77.5 million redevelopment is a partnership of Kearny Real Estate Co., Morgan Stanley Real Estate IV and Catellus Development Corp.

Several outdated buildings at the Los Angeles Air Force Base will be replaced by a new office campus to include administrative and special-purpose facilities. Completion of the campus is scheduled for first quarter 2006.

Designed by Los Angeles-based Nadel Architects Inc., the Systems Acquisition Management and Support Complex will include a secure communications facility, officer's club, presentation room, courtroom, conference center, command post, child-care facility and general office space.

In addition to general contracting, Snyder Langston is providing preconstruction services, value engineering, logistics planning, budget management, estimating and design-build integration for the project's electrical and mechanical systems, including construction of access flooring with under-floor air-conditioning.

Clark Construction Begins Caltrans HQ in San Diego

The Irvine office of Bethesda, Md.-based Clark Construction Group has begun construction of the District 11 headquarters campus for Caltrans.

The five building, 300,000-sq.-ft. complex was designed by San Diego-based Carrier Johnson. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2006.

The $66.5 million campus is expected to complement the historic structures found in the city's Old Town district. Three of the five buildings provide space for administrative, design and operations functions, while the remaining buildings serve as a central plant and maintenance facility. Bridges, which also act as arches framing the central courtyard, connect the three central buildings. Glazed-aluminum curtain wall, precast concrete, composite metal panels, limestone and plaster make up the façade of each building.

The two-story main lobby evokes the same themes expressed in the façade. Natural limestone and copper panels will line the walls and floors. To control sound in this public reception area, Carrier Johnson incorporated acoustical wood panels, upholstered wall panels and acoustic ceiling plaster into the design.

An intricate paving design that pays tribute to Caltrans' highway experience and a granite water wall will adorn the central courtyard. Also planned in the area is a grand trellis that will support an art project specially commissioned for the facility and a photovoltaic panel array generating approximately 20 kilowatts of power.

During the demolition and site preparation phases, archeologists performed targeted excavations. Some items of historical significance were retrieved, including a stamped concrete landmark and some cistern structures. Adjacent to the 12-acre site, a historic building at 4024 Taylor will be preserved and protected during construction. Future plans for this structure include transforming it into a transportation museum.

Additional team members include Los Angeles-based Tishman Construction Corp. of California (construction manager), Los Angeles-based John A. Martin & Associates Inc. (structural engineer) and the San Diego offices of EDAW (environmental consultant), GEM Engineering (mechanical engineer), Michael Wall Engineering (electrical engineer), Winzler & Kelly (civil engineer) and Wallace Roberts Todd (landscape architect).

Mixed-Use Project Under Way in Riverside

Permits have been granted and grading has begun on a $42 million mixed-use project at the intersection of Interstate 215 and State Route 60 in Riverside.

The Newport Beach office of Phoenix-based Summit Builders was awarded the construction contract for Canyon Crossings from the project's owner, Transcan Development of Alamo. Pasadena-based MCG Architects and Lafayette-based Designers Collective are the project's architects.

The first phase of construction includes 274,000 sq. ft. of retail. Upon completion in fall 2005, Canyon Crossings is expected to encompass about 778,000 sq. ft. of retail, including a 230,000-sq.-ft. Wal-Mart Supercenter and a mixture of other major retailers, specialty shops, restaurants and lifestyle venues. The project will also include 144,000 sq. ft. of Class A office space.

McCarthy Starts Newport Beach Buildings

McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. has begun construction of the $4.5 million Birch Bayview Plaza II complex in Newport Beach. Owned by Birch Bayview Plaza II, the multiple-building, Class-A office development is adjacent to the 97,000-sq.-ft. Birch Bayview Plaza I, completed by McCarthy in 2001.

The new 2.2-acre complex is scheduled for completion in October. The 46,000-sq.-ft. project entails construction of three, shell-and-core, concrete-and-glass, tilt-up structures varying in height and size. Each building has its own land parcel and on-grade parking.

Designed by Watkins/Baile & Associates of Newport Beach, also the architect for Birch Bayview Plaza I, the new structures will have many similarities to Plaza 1.

Buildings A and B are pre-sold, while Building C is still available. Buildings A and B are two-story, rectangular mirror images of each other, although Building B is slightly smaller. At 21,721, sq. ft., Building C is the largest structure, with three levels and an external elevator.

McCarthy also performed site preparation work, demolishing an existing animal farm and re-engineering the soil to achieve desired compatibility. Off-site improvements included creating new curbs and gutters, installing underground utilities and repaving portions of an adjacent street.

Elsewhere, the San Francisco office of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. has been awarded the C. V. Starr East Asian Library project at the UC Berkeley. Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects of New York is the architect of record on the 67,700-sq.-ft. project.

The library, part of the Chang-Lin Tien Center for East Asian Studies will be the first freestanding building dedicated to one of the largest East Asian collections in the United States.

Pending approval by the UC Regents and adoption of the environmental impact report, the C. V. Starr East Asian Library is tentatively scheduled to begin construction in the middle of next year, with completion expected in summer 2007. The proposed construction includes a poured-in-place concrete frame with a steel roof structure. The exterior will be clad in granite and a clay tile roof.

Located across from the existing main library, the new library will be divided evenly among four floors. Multiple book stacks will hold the more than 700,000 bound volumes. The facility also will house a rare-book reference collection.

Tetra Tech Wins $39 Million Iowa Army Ammunition Plant Environmental Program

Pasadena-based Tetra Tech Inc. has been awarded a $39 million task order under a General Services Administration contract to help clean up contaminated grounds at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, an active munitions production facility.

The task order is expected to involve one to two years of scientific study and engineering, followed by several years of cleanup and demolition. Work has already begun.

Tetra Tech's scope of work includes environmental studies and engineering, chemical treatability studies, facility decontamination and demolition, soil and groundwater clean-up, operations and maintenance, public outreach and regulatory support.

Beginning in the 1940s, the IAAP built, test-fired and disassembled conventional weapons, leading to contamination in some areas. The plant was placed on the National Priority List in 1990.

W.M. Klorman Awarded Parking Structure Project

El Monte-based W.M. Klorman Construction Corp. has begun construction of a 313,000-sq.-ft. parking garage at Valley Plaza, a 17-acre shopping center in North Hollywood. Irvine-based Parkitects Inc. is the architect of record.

The design/build contract calls for construction of a 995-car, six-level structure. The garage will include two elevators and provide minimal obstruction to allow for clear vision and security.

The plaza is owned by Los Angeles-based Arba Group.

Panattoni Construction Breaks Ground on Huge Distribution Facility

Sacramento-based Panattoni Construction Inc. has begun construction on a major distribution facility in Riverside. The 953,132-sq.-ft. project will be the western United States regional distribution center for Torrance-based Big 5 Sporting Goods.

The project, located on a 44.8-acre site near the interchange of the 215 and 60 freeways, is being developed by Sacramento-based Panattoni Development Co. The Big 5 center is being designed by Irvine-based Carlile Coatsworth Architects Inc.

The building will include a 22,214-sq.-ft. mezzanine and parking for 1,114 vehicles. The warehouse area will contain a three-story conveying system and 175 dock doors for trucks. Project completion is scheduled for May.

Plans for the business center also include a north parcel of four smaller industrial buildings and a 35-acre parcel that includes a 600,000-sq.-ft. industrial building that are in the design phase. This phase also will be built by Panattoni Construction. The buildings will be sold upon completion.

Panattoni Construction is a design-build contractor specializing in commercial and industrial markets.

Construction Begins on Inland Empire Business Park

Whittier-based Oltmans Construction has begun a 350,000-sq.-ft. building in Watson Commerce Center, a 588-acre business park in Ontario being developed by Watson Land Co.

The project was designed by Irvine-based RGA architects. Oltmans expects to complete construction in January. The cross-dock building will have 78 dock-high loading positions, parking for approximately 122 trailers, two 185-ft. concrete truck courts, ESFR fire sprinkler system and 32-ft. ceiling clearance.

Watson Commerce Center is within the new 588-acre Kaiser Commerce Center, owned by san Francisco-based Catellus Development Corp.