Skanska leads KMD-designed St. Joseph Hospital expansion project in Eureka

Construction begins on $68-million tower project

Construction has started on a $118-million expansion and renovation project at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka.

Skanska is the construction manager on the $68-million Northeast Tower project, which includes some initial phases. The owner is St. Joseph Health System and the architect is San Francisco’s KMD.

The addition will double the hospital’s emergency department capacity and increase intensive care unit beds.

The new tower will total 100,000 sq ft. The expansion is scheduled to be completed in November 2010.

The lower level will include the emergency department with 20 treatment bays; a new reception and waiting area for patients and visitors; relocation of central sterile department; emergency department imaging, with CT scan, radiology and ultrasound; and a staff lounge.

The first floor will include a surgical suite, with eight operating rooms and a catheterization lab; 17 prep and recovery beds; 10 post anesthesia care unit; new main entrance/lobby and waiting area; relocation of patient food services; relocation of the gift shop; and a staff lounge.

The second floor will include 12 intensive care unit beds; 40 patient care beds; the ICU waiting room and nurse’s station; and a second floor lounge.

After the project is completed, Skanska will also renovate a portion of the existing hospital, which will remain in operation during the entire construction period.

P+R Architects-designed Stoneridge Towne Centre opens in Moreno Valley

The Stoneridge Towne Centre, a 518,000-sq-ft shopping center in Moreno Valley, has opened.

The $57 million center was designed by Long Beach-based Perkowitz and Ruth and built by Lake Elsinore-based Near-Cal Corp. The power center features restaurants, retail and a Super Target.

The new center is located at the gateway of Stoneridge Ranch, a new master-planned community in East Moreno Valley.

Its architectural style blends modern geometry and contemporary winery-style design. A main street component serves as the focal point, guiding visitors from the main entrance on Eucalyptus Avenue. Four main street buildings with piazzas are connected by roundabouts, while water features and seating landscape planters promote gathering.

Ledcor begins Windy Point Corporate Center

Ledcor Construction Inc. has started construction on Windy Point Corporate Center, the future home to the sports medicine school of Saint Augustine University, located in San Marcos.

Situated on a 466,918-sq-ft site, the $3.4 million project consists of two, two-story concrete tilt-up buildings totaling 68,000 sq ft. Ledcor Construction is providing full construction services for the buildings’ cores and shells. Clay Sammis is providing oversight on behalf of the owner, Windy Point Partners, LP.

Once complete, the campus will feature a cadaver exam room, large classrooms and both wet and dry labs. The tilt-up panels have been lifted, and completion is slated for October 2008.

Rob Campbell is serving as project manager for Ledcor Construction, with Chris Cherry as superintendent and Dawn Sullivan as project coordinator. Carlsbad-based McArdle Associates Architects is the project’s architect and KLT Consulting Structural Engineers is the structural engineer.

Green-themed GAIA hotel opens in Anderson

The $14-million green-themed GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa has opened in Anderson.

The hotel includes more than 5,000 sq ft of meeting rooms, a full-service restaurant and banquet facilities for local events, weddings and other gatherings. 

The 11-acre hotel was designed by Berkeley-based Todd Jersey Architecture and the general contractor was Clovis-based Covenant Construction, Inc. San Francisco-based Atman Hospitality Group, Inc. was the developer.

Green building practices included use of low-VOC paints, recycled carpets, and energy-saving air conditioners and heaters that use 15% less energy. Behind the walls, nearly 90% of the wood used is certified as sustainably-harvested and comes from local timber sources within 500 mi of the hotel’s location.

Solar lighting illuminates the public areas of the hotel through SolaTubes that focus the light of the sun into these areas, replacing electric lights and energy consumption during the day.

Every inch of the grounds near the Sacramento River is totally chemical-free with no herbicides, pesticides or toxic chemicals used in the landscaping.

The contractor implemented waste diversion practices as an integral part of their operations and provided a recycling station for paints.

All restrooms use recycled tiles and granite.

gkkworks-designed high school breaks ground in Los Angeles

Hensel Phelps Construction has started construction on the Irvine-based gkkworks-designed Valley Region High School No. 4 in Los Angeles.

The $73-million Los Angeles Unified School District high school is scheduled to be finished in December 2010.

The 143,000-sq-ft school was designed by LHA Architecture, a division of gkkworks.

The campus will have a three-story building with 45 classrooms clustered into three small learning communities; a two-story administration building that will include a cafeteria and kitchen, a 132-seat multi-purpose room with stage, music room, library and counseling offices; and a gymnasium with lockers and offices. All buildings will have structural steel frames. The compact, 8.9-acre site also will include a football field, running track and outdoor basketball courts.

Hensel Phelps is serving as the lease-lease-back contractor during the 974-day construction schedule.