Turner starts construction of 33-story office tower in San Francisco

Turner Construction Co. has started excavation work at 555 Mission St., a new all-glass, 33-story office tower situated on a former surface parking lot between First and Second streets in San Francisco.

The tower was designed by Kohn Pedersen & Fox in collaboration with Heller Manus Architects. Landscape architect is Hargreaves Associates. The owner/developer is Tishman Speyer.

Completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2008.

The structure is steel frame with concrete over metal decks. Finishes include a glass curtain wall with fritted base, protruding glass and metal accent fins. Rental square footage is 555,000.

Slab-to-slab height is 13 ft. and floor to ceiling height is 9 ft. Windows will be a full ceiling height with fritted glass apron, state-of-the-art dual-pan glazing units with low-e coating. Column spacing is generally 25 ft. center to center.

There will be a two-story subterranean parking garage with 180 spaces.

A public plaza will flow into the lobby area. A "garden of light" will serve as backdrop for a dynamic sculpture by one of the world's most respected architects.

The design includes 3,400 sq ft of retail space on the ground floor.

Mixed-use project planned for South Pasadena

Genesis Real Estate Fund II, managed by Shamrock Capital Advisors, is providing DECOMA Developers with $8.8 million in equity capital to develop South Pas Towne Square, a 310,000 sq-ft mixed-use redevelopment project located in South Pasadena.

South Pas Towne Square will feature approximately 41,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, 60 residential condominium units, including an affordable senior housing component, as well as outdoor meeting spaces and underground parking for 380 cars. It will be the first significant development to take place in South Pasadena's historic downtown in more than 30 years.

Torrance-based DECOMA was selected to lead the revitalization effort after an arduous RFP process by the Community Redevelopment Commission that included a year-long study and subsequent survey called "Staying Small Successfully."

Hearn starts retail, hotel projects

Vacaville-based Hearn Construction has started two high profile projects - Leisure Town Plaza in Vacaville and the Le Rivage Hotel in Sacramento.

Property owner and developer Jayne Ham is redeveloping Leisure Town Plaza from the former site of the Original Old Hickory Pit Restaurant into a new 14,600-sq-ft upscale food and retail center featuring a new 35-ft freeway sign. The three-building design includes abundant stone veneers and lush landscaping and trellises created by Tom Wilson of ARC Inc. Architects in Benicia.

Hearn Construction's team is headed up by Senior Project Manager Rod Gover, Project Engineer Steven Brown and Superintendent Barry Kilpatric.

Meanwhile, Hearn Construction has been awarded the luxury hotel contract to build Le Rivage. The 100-room boutique hotel will include marbled bathrooms with claw foot tubs, fireplaces, balconies, pool, day-spa and fitness center. Outdoors, the facility will include riverfront lawn area for special events including amphitheater and fire pits. The hotel will also feature bike trails and a yacht club with berthing for 30 large yachts.

Hearn Construction's team for this project is Construction Manager Dave Bruss, Project Manager Deanna Bohler, Superintendent Rory MacLeod, Assistant Superintendent Jim Hansen and Project Administrator Anne Casebolt. The architect is Robert Ty Hoblitt of Orangevale.

Barnhart finishes modernization project

San Diego-based Barnhart Inc. completed modernizations and renovations for 23 campuses for the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. The projects were funded with a combination of Proposition M and state of California funding.

The $45 million renovations were grouped into six phases starting in 2002. Construction of most of the phases was executed over summer breaks, however some work was also completed when the school sites were occupied. Renovations were managed using the lease-lease/back construction delivery system. Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke and NTDStichler architects designed the renovations.

Elementary school campuses receiving renovations were Avondale, Bancroft, Casa de Oro, Fletcher Hills, Highlands, Kempton, La Mesa Dale, Lemon Avenue, La Presa, Loma, Maryland Avenue, Glenn E. Murdock, Murray Manor, Northmont, Rancho, Rolando, Spring Valley and Sweetwater Springs. Middle school sites improved were La Mesa, La Presa, Parkway and Spring Valley.

New HMC office to open in March 2007

HMC Architects will open the doors of its new Ontario office in March 2007. The new two-story, 57,000-sq.-ft. HMC Ontario office building will successfully combine the healthcare and education practices under one roof, and provide room for continued growth.

The design of the building features straight-forward elements utilizing concrete tilt-up construction with finishes varying from paint, exposed sandblasted concrete, sandstone veneer, aluminum sunshades, and insulating glass. The orientation of the building is driven by Southern California's Santa Ana winds and minimizes solar gain.

HMC's new building is aiming for LEED certification. Some sustainable elements included are high SEER-rated HVAC units; dual glazed window assemblies; cool roof; waterless urinals; treatment of on-site storm water through drywells for the roof drains; bio-filter for parking lot run-off to the south to facilitate treatment prior to entering the local storm drain system; and recycled materials as part of the interiors and finish package.

The first floor of the new building will include the healthcare and interior design studios; the construction department; conference rooms; and offices. It will also include several shared spaces for social interaction and collaboration, such as an oversized combination lobby and connecting courtyard designed to host community and charitable events; presentation space, a training room, and break room.

The second floor will include higher education and K-12 design studios, administrative staff, marketing, accounting, and additional presentation areas for design collaboration, as well as a fitness room, and various support spaces.

McCarthy begins work on new Loma Linda campus

McCarthy Building Cos.' Newport Beach office began construction on the new Centennial Complex at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda. The project is the first academic facility to be built at Loma Linda University in more than 20 years.

"The Centennial Complex is the largest project dollar-wise ever undertaken by the university," says Ken Breyer, Loma Linda's assistant vice president of construction. "We hired McCarthy because of their history working on our campus as well as their proven expertise in developing solutions to mitigate disruptions to existing services such as utilities and circulation."

The 148,861-sq.-ft. project includes construction of a new $65 million Centennial Complex that will provide leading-edge classrooms, labs, exam rooms, faculty offices and an Amphitheater Center with 250-seat and 350-seat theaters for regularly scheduled classes, seminars and programs. Additionally, McCarthy will increase the size of the parking lot from 850 to 1,120 spaces. The project is scheduled to complete in February 2009.

Designed by Cannon Design of Los Angeles, the complex will incorporate a steel moment frame, with a curtain wall and plaster exterior. The facility features high-end architectural finishes in the lobbies and corridors including wood paneling, glass handrails, terrazzo floors and travertine stone.

McCarthy Project Director Rob Ragland said the two amphitheaters with finishes such as sound and acoustical panels are "a project within a project." Once completed, the 350-seat amphitheater is expected to be the largest on the Loma Linda University campus and will allow multiple classes and groups to meet together. Linked to the multi-media center, each theater will be fully equipped with the latest technology for multimedia presentations. The theaters have their own entrance from the parking lot and will be connected by an interior corridor to the rest of the complex.

The new Anatomy Pavilion, inside the four-level Centennial Complex, will replace facilities first built in 1936 for 100 students. The pavilion will accommodate more than 1,000 students who study anatomy for medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health, allied health and other disciplines.