WEATHER  |   STOCKS  |   MOVIES  

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., one of Southern California’s preeminent builders specializing in educational facilities, 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, Calif.

“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,” said 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 percent 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 percent. During construction, McCarthy will recycle 75 percent 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.

Comments to date: 1. Page 1 of 1. Tony Maxworthy    RRaintreee Townhouse Complex 9:16pm on Friday, December 4th, 2009 Where can I find a location map of this project? Your Name: Your Location: Vote: Choose 1 - Dreadful 2 - Poor 3 - Fair 4 - Good 5 - Excellent Your Comment: Security check *