Sundt Construction Awarded $66 Million Project

Sundt Construction Inc., has been selected as the design-build contractor for the University of California San Diego's new 800-bed Graduate Student Housing Project. Design is underway, with construction expected to start in December. The $66 million project will be built in phases, with the last structure completed by May 2007.

The East Campus project consists of four, four-story buildings, and parking for 800 cars, of which 600 will be accommodated in a six-story parking structure. The design and exterior colors will give it the appearance of an Italian hillside town. In addition to student living facilities, the project will include a small retail area, study lounges, meeting rooms and administrative offices.

UCSD's project manager is Mark Nelson. The design architect is Studio E Architects of San Diego. Studio E's principal is Eric Naslund. The architect of record is Irvine-based MVE Institutional. MVE's principal is Robert Simons.

Sundt's project team includes David Jesme, project director; Ricka Iwatsu, senior estimator; Joe Grosshart, pre-construction manager; and Kenny Kubiak, senior project manager. Sundt will perform all concrete work for the parking structure with its own crews, led by Pete Larsen. The principal design consultants are Hope Engineering, Hirsh & Co., McParlane & Associates, Michael Walls Engineering and WRT Planning & Design.

Fresno Yosemite International Airport Selects Carter & Burgess as Design Consultant

The Los Angeles office of Carter & Burgess Inc., a national engineering, architecture and construction management firm, has been selected by Fresno Yosemite International Airport as the design consultant for various taxiway rehabilitations and reconstruction projects.

Carter & Burgess will design taxiway, airfield lighting and drainage. The first assignment is the rehabilitation of several taxiways. Additionally, Carter & Burgess will develop the airport's computer-aided design, or CAD, standards.

This is Carter & Burgess' second project for Fresno Yosemite International; the firm designed a pavement management plan.

Construction Completed for Vacaville Library

The Sacramento office of Kitchell, Sacramento-based architecture firm Dean Unger, AIA, Inc. and Vacaville-based Swank Construction Inc. have completed the new Vacaville Public Library-Town Square.

Kitchell provided project and construction management services for the 22,410-sq.-ft. building. Swank was the developer/builder.

The library will be operated by the Solano County Library and the Vacaville Sanitary Services, which will occupy 9,290 sq. ft. of office space. There is parking for 156 vehicles.

The project, jointly funded by the Vacaville Redevelopment Agency and owner Vacaville USD/Library District, also includes a 25,000-sq.-ft. renovation of the Vacaville Public Library-Cultural Center, located several miles away. The project consists of the demolition of existing lobby cabinetry and one equipment room, reconfiguration of the space to include a new computer center and installation of self-checkout machines.

Swinerton Completes Mercy Housing Project in San Francisco

San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders has completed a $7 million renovation of the Derek Silva Community for Mercy Housing, a not-for-profit housing developer in San Francisco.

The architect was San Francisco-based K2 Architects.

Derek Silva Community, located on Market Street, is the largest residential AIDS housing development in the city, providing 68 units of affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Swinerton updated the building structure, replaced the plumbing and electrical systems and upgraded the entire facility while the building was fully occupied. Seismic work included soil stabilization, foundation tie-down anchors, new footings, shear walls, concrete moment frames and seismic tie work on all floors.

Work also included upgrading existing rooms for handicap accessibility on all floors, creation of a new lobby, build-out of the basement with new offices, multipurpose room, kitchen, bathrooms, storage and laundry facilities.

The property was acquired in December 2001 to preserve the building as affordable housing and continue the much needed services provided by Catholic Charities CYO. The property was well maintained, but suffered from outdated building systems.

Acquisition and renovation was financed by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Citibank, Federal Home Loan Bank AHP, Bank of America, Alliant Capital, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Ware Malcomb Awarded Canyon Crest Commerce Center in Riverside

Irvine-based Ware Malcomb, an architecture, planning and interior design firm, has been awarded the design of Canyon Crest Commerce Center in Riverside.

The project is being developed by Construction Laborers Pension Trust of Southern California and managed by Turner Dale Associates Inc. and KOAR Institutional Advisors.

Ware Malcomb is providing architectural design services for five speculative buildings. Three of the buildings are freestanding industrial structures ranging in size from 10,500 sq. ft. to 11,500 sq. ft. The other two buildings are condo units which range in size from 1,240 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft. per unit.

Canyon Crest is expected to be completed in the third quarter.

NBBJ to Design Kaiser's Flagship Hospital in Oakland

Seattle-based NBBJ has been selected to master plan and design Kaiser Permanente's flagship acute-care hospital and medical center in downtown Oakland.

The project is comprised of three phases-a 346-bed hospital at the site of the current Kaiser medical office building and clinic at 235 West MacArthur Blvd.; the reconfiguration of the existing hospital into outpatient and office space; and a new 150,000-sq.-ft. medical office building at the corner of Broadway and West MacArthur.

NBBJ was selected from about a dozen firms as the master planner and schematic design architect due to its experience with large-scale urban infill hospitals and expertise in designing adaptable and patient-focused healing environments.

NBBJ will staff the project from its San Francisco and Seattle offices.

Construction Completed on Dental Building in El Cajon

San Diego-based Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects and San Diego-based Bycor General Contractors have completed the Weller Dental office building in downtown El Cajon.

The 2,300-sq.-ft. office includes suspended canopies and recessed windows. Drawing inspiration from El Cajon's "retro-urban" Main Street, the warm green-and-yellow building with blue accents was placed curbside with parking tucked behind. To accentuate a pedestrian-friendly streetscape and give dental staff and patients ample natural light, large street level windows feature a colorful mosaic tile wainscot.

While the sub-standard-size lot posed design and construction challenges, ZTA packed innovative elements into the project.

A "tower" marks the corner of the block and also serves as a cover to hide roof-top mechanical equipment.

"ZTA was able to work with the city's strict guidelines to design an office that was modern with a retro feeling," said Dr. Lorrilee Weller. "The office has a high-tech look without being cold. People walking through the neighborhood come in asking for tours and we've even gotten new patients who felt that if we cared that much about the look and feel of our office, we must really care about our patients. It's amazing how much a building can affect how people perceive you."

Barnhart Completes School Addition, Reconstruction in Somis

San Diego-based Barnhart Inc. has completed a $3.5 million expansion and renovation of Mesa Union School in Somis. The project was completed in three phases, the first of which began in June 2003.

Barnhart managed the project's design-assist delivery method. PJHM Architects designed the expansion and renovation.

Approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of new construction included a library, multipurpose room, water-supply well, science and media centers and restrooms. The irrigation and fire-suppression water-supply well was designed to have a 200-gallon capacity.

Modernization included about 40,000 sq. ft. of classrooms and administrative areas and site expansion.

The original campus was constructed in 1939. The Mesa School educates 560 students in grades K-8.

Project team members included John Puglisi, superintendent of the Mesa Union School District; Dennis Kurtz, school principal; Fred Good of PJHM Architects; and Barnhart's Brian Cahill, Alan Gregg Gardiner and Celia LaFleur of Barnhart.