McCarthy Building Cos. has been awarded the design-build contract for a $79.9 million athletic complex at West Los Angeles College in conjunction with LPA Inc. of Irvine.

McCarthy Building Cos. has been awarded the design-build contract for a $79.9 million athletic complex at West Los Angeles College in conjunction with LPA Inc. of Irvine.

“The Los Angeles Community College District has planned more than $6 billion in construction projects for its nine campuses, all of which will be built to LEED® certification standards,” says Rob F. Ragland, PE, project director for McCarthy. “This athletic center at West Los Angeles College not only shows the district’s commitment to enriching the lives of its students, but also its pledge to better the environment.”

Located on 20.5 acres, the athletic complex will include a main gymnasium building; a fitness, recreation and aquatic center; a baseball park; and fields for soccer, baseball and softball. The complex also incorporates previously renovated facilities, including an NCAA regulation-size football field with artificial turf and a 400-meter track with an Olympic competition-caliber synthetic surface. 

The project, which is being constructed through a design-build contract between the team of McCarthy/LPA and the Los Angeles Community College District’s West Los Angeles College campus, will strive for LEED platinum certification. Sustainable aspects include the use of cool roofs and light-colored concrete to reduce heat, optimized HVAC and electrical performance to obtain a 48% greater efficiency than California’s efficiency standard, an innovative pool heating system that uses waste heat from the HVAC equipment, provisions for alternative transportation, and the use of bioswales to reduce storm runoff by 25%. During construction, McCarthy will recycle 75% of construction waste and use regional and recycled materials where possible.

McCarthy will build the complex in three phases so that the existing physical education and athletic facilities can be used with minimal interruptions. As a result, the firm will have to partially demolish some buildings, installing temporary in their place; partially relocate some utilities; and sequence work to mitigate impacts to the college's physical education, athletic and campus sheriff operations. Construction is slated to begin in early 2010, with completion two years later.

The complex construction is part of the Los Angeles Community College District’s Sustainable Building Program, which is funded through Proposition A/AA and Measure J.

Meanwhile, in other McCarthy news, the firm has completed construction of the $153-million Patient Care Tower at Mission Hospital.

The new tower features a patient-centered design along with next-generation advancements in healthcare technology and seismic building safety. The latest in advanced diagnostic and patient care services are housed within the 345-bed Mission Viejo campus including: 44 beds, advanced diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, the Zimmer Neuroscience Wing,  the Swenson Family Linear Accelerator Suite and the Schumacher Healing Garden.  The expansion also includes a new chapel available to patients and visitors of all faiths 24 hours, seven days a week. The chapel was made possible by a $1 million commitment from the Auxiliary of Mission Hospital.

“After nine years of planning and two years of construction, Mission Hospital is now the diagnostically most advanced hospital in the country,” says Peter F. Bastone, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mission Hospital. “The tower was built to provide the future of healthcare to south Orange County, recognizing the diverse, growing needs of our community.”

Designed by RBB Architects Inc. of Los Angeles, the new Patient Care Tower’s architecture was created to promote healing for patients, a comfortable atmosphere for families and an enhanced state-of-the-art working environment for hospital staff. Some of the tower’s patient and family friendly highlights include: private rooms, an expanded family area, dedicated sleep chairs for guests and wireless connectivity throughout the hospital.

McCarthy Building Cos. served as general contractor for the new tower as well as an underground tunnel and a 175-ft-long pedestrian bridge that connects the new facility with the main hospital building on the third floor. Prior to erecting the tower, McCarthy conducted 11 months of significant site work including the installation of new utilities, re-configuring the entrance to the hospital and parking lot and demolishing an existing two-story conference center.