Related Links: Construction starts on NOAA laboratory in La Jolla Page & Turnbull, Plant build Walt Disney Family Museum RJC, Straub to renovate Naval Post Graduate School halls Blach, Hodgetts + Fund Architects complete performing arts center in Menlo Park Clark awarded San Ysidro pedestrian bridge projec URS Corporation was selected by the Port of Long Beach to provide master planning, engineering design services, and program management services for Phases Two, Three and Four of the Pier G Terminal Redevelopment Program in Southern California. The estimated $500 million terminal redevelopment will be designed to further the Port of Long Beach

The new San Diego Ronald McDonald House, which opened its doors in June, is asking its donors to fund the purchase and installation of a 109kW photovoltaic array to produce solar energy, which will result in approximately a 30% savings in power costs. Related Links: Construction starts on NOAA laboratory in La Jolla Page & Turnbull, Plant build Walt Disney Family Museum URS to provide planning for Port of Long Beach RJC, Straub to renovate Naval Post Graduate School halls Blach, Hodgetts + Fund Architects complete performing arts center in Menlo Park Clark awarded San Ysidro pedestrian bridge project Orange

The California Department of Transportation and the San Bernardino Associated Governments are now under way on the next two phases of the Interstate 215 widening project through downtown San Bernardino. I215-5th St. Bridge Phase 2 I-215 Aerial Orange Show Road to Inland Center Drive SANBAG awarded a $172,655,044 contract to Skanska-Rados Construction to build phase 3. The investment includes $128 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds that is expected to create thousands of jobs, many in the Inland Empire. The project is being conducted by a joint-venture, in which Skanska, as leader, has a 60% share and local

Ledcor Construction Inc. has completed construction for San Elijo Hills Town Center, a new zero-lot-line commercial/residential mixed-use project located within the masterplanned community of San Elijo Hills in San Marcos in northern San Diego County. The residential and retail project consists of three separate three-story buildings. Related Links: Swinerton Breaks Ground on NASA Project at Ames Research Center KMA Architecture, Straub Construction Begin Design-Build Project at Camp Pendleton McCarthy Completes Parking Garage for Grossmont College Jacobs Receives Hospital Contract from City and County of San Francisco Bernards Starts Construction on Harley Ellis Devereaux-designed Child Development Center Skanska USA Completes Central

The Associated General Contractors of California has put out an alert to its members to hold off retrofitting their equipment with CARB-compliant diesel emission reduction filters (retrofit filters). Related Links: 13 Architectural Firms Awarded Courthouse Projects by the AOC Ellerbe Becket Joins AECOM “There are regulation revisions and studies in process that will affect the types of compliant filters, the pieces of equipment they are approved for and where they are installed on the equipment,” the AGC reports. “Before you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars retrofitting equipment that may be in violation of Cal/OSHA regulations, Cal/OSHA and CARB must

According to a report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, about $16 billion worth of inefficiency and waste in the U.S. construction industry is due to lack of interoperability – people planning, bidding or building off the wrong information. Related Links: Swinerton Breaks Ground on NASA Project at Ames Research Center KMA Architecture, Straub Construction Begin Design-Build Project at Camp Pendleton McCarthy Completes Parking Garage for Grossmont College Jacobs Receives Hospital Contract from City and County of San Francisco Bernards Starts Construction on Harley Ellis Devereaux-designed Child Development Center Skanska USA Completes Central Utility Plant to Power State

Plans are already well under way for AGC of California’s 2009 Fall Conference, to be held Oct. 29-30, at the Hyatt Grand Champions, Indian Wells. This year’s conference will offer affordable prices for registration and hotel accommodations. Hyatt Grand Champions AGC’s Fall Conference Committee has planned several special events around this year’s theme, “Oktoberfest 2009.” A special guest speaker for the Thursday keynote luncheon is planned, followed by two different professional development/education ses-sions. Both professional development sessions will offer current and relevant information that can affect a company’s bottom line. One seminar will address legal issues, covering mechanics liens, stop

Minneapolis-based architectural/engineering firm Ellerbe Becket was acquired by AECOM. Related Links: 13 Architectural Firms Awarded Courthouse Projects by the AOC AGC of California Tells Members to Stop Retrofitting Diesel Fleets Ellerbe Becket, which also has offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Kansas City and Washington, D.C., as well as Doha, Qatar, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will be called AECOM Ellerbe Becket. “We’re bringing together top-notch professionals committed to building the next generation integrated design practice,” says Joe Brown, FASLA, chief executive of Planning, Design + Development for AECOM. “Together, we have an opportunity to forge new responses to better serve

California’s Administrative Office of the Courts last week unveiled the winning architectural firms for 13 new courthouse projects. Legislation signed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized $5 billion in lease-revenue bonds to support the construction or renovation of 41 courthouses statewide, including the 13 courthouses awarded last week. The lease-revenue bonds are to be repaid through increased fines, penalties and court fees. The AOC received over 300 qualification submissions from more than 100 firms for just thirteen design commissions. These were evaluated and narrowed to 44 firms, who were interviewed by panels of AOC personnel and representatives of the

Designing �value� into plans has become the prime product development strategy for builders, regardless of price point. The consumers coming back into the market are requiring builders to provide product that is BOTH cost effective and have a high level of appeal. The success of this effort depends on how well cost controls are integrated throughout the design process and followed through to actual contract executions. It takes the early involvement of experts in the estimating/purchasing fi elds to make this a reality. At BSB Design we see the need for a better integration of these cost control experts throughout