Constructor Awards

Royal Electric Company’s scope involved the installation of complete electrical systems, including rough and finish electrical work, line voltage, and electrical fixtures for the project.

This included a station-inspired Great Hall lounge, residential units, co-working spaces, a pool and spa, rooftop deck, dining room, children’s playroom, bike repair lounge, fitness center, and underground parking. Additionally, our crews provided power and connections to electrically operated equipment and devices installed by other trades, such as appliances, irrigation controllers, outdoor string lights, HVAC, BBQs, fire pits, and fireplaces. Royal was also responsible for the site’s main distribution and coordination with all pertinent utility companies, such as Comcast, AT&T, and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which presented one of our first major challenges on the project.

The Royal project team brought forth an alternative and innovative approach to a traditional temporary power and lighting system design & layout. Located on the bottom level of the site, one of the main switchboards was utilized to provide temporary power for elevators, man lifts, and a crane that hauled material throughout the job site. Rather than settle on the traditional approach of horizontally hanging daisy chained baloney cords with spider boxes throughout the project’s corridors, our experienced Royal team proposed a uniquely alternate solution to control excess maintenance costs, create a safe working environment, (as team members did not have to roll up and move cords to perform their work) and supply efficient temporary power. We strategically placed electrical skids and ran wire vertically, typically through closets, that connected to a box on the next level where light was needed. The minutes saved here added up to hours, man-hours that proved invaluable to the larger project team. Our thoughtful approach did not just meet schedule and budget goals, it rewrote the method of what efficient and innovative temporary power and lighting systems can look like.

Located on California’s stunning central coast, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a historic track with 11 turns and a length of 2.238 miles.

Built in 1957, this classic course hosts various events annually, such as car and motorcycle racing championships, antique car gatherings, concerts, and other special events. To improve the accessibility of the paddock and hospitality areas for pedestrians and utility vehicles, Granite was contracted by the County of Monterey to construct the Laguna Seca Start/Finish Bridge and Overlay project. This project upgraded the existing wood start/finish line bridge with a new wider steel truss bridge that meets ADA compliance standards. The Start/Finish Bridge is one of the most prominent features of the Laguna Seca Raceway, second only to the renowned Corkscrew and Andretti Hairpin turn. Along with the new bridge, Granite’s scope of work included new lighting, storm drainage improvements, MSE and cast-in-place concrete retaining walls, rumble strip upgrades, shoulder run-off areas, and removing and replacing the entire track surface with two inches of specialized asphalt concrete.

This was the first project in the history of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 to require two 126-hour closures for the completion of major work with each closure utilizing over 4,000 manhours.

The extended interferences were required to meet tight execution timelines and relied heavily on extensive traffic flow planning and complex maintenance of traffic (MOT) to divert traffic from twelve lanes down to six, with three lanes in each direction and detouring of overflow traffic on surrounding city streets. Our team reevaluated the original traffic flow plans and improved it for better traffic movement, which allowed for making quick adjustments to traffic handling to meet the needs of the local cities. MOT proved crucial during temporary staging to minimize delays and allowed safe traveling for the motoring public. Simultaneously, we communicated and provided schedule updates via the construction messaging system (CMS) boards to continuously inform communities of construction activities and upcoming detours.

Our vigilant monitoring of construction activities enhanced the safety of our crews, the traveling public around the site and in the neighboring communities. Our team honored our commitment to the community by quickly dispatching the work to the highest quality and safety standards and ensured 100 percent on time openings at the end of both 126-hour closures.

The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Secondary Treatment Plant Upgrade and Recycled Water Expansion project began in January 2019 and completed in July 2022.

The wastewater treatment plant is an active plant and had to always remain operational during the upgrades and expansion. The work included site demolition and removal of existing equipment and infrastructure as well as construction of all site improvements. The contract encompassed modification of existing headworks, construction of a new electrical building, construction of a new pump station, anoxic basin and aeration basins, and installation of all associated equipment. The work also included construction of new secondary clarifiers, modification of existing chlorine contact chambers, construction of a new dichlorination chemical storage and dosing facility, construction of new mechanical, and thickeners. Additional work included installation of new pond return pumps and recycled water plant (RWTF) feed pumps, installation of RWTF membrane skids, and RWTF distribution pumps. Myers & Sons Construction (Myers) coordinated all construction activities with plant operators to ensure the reliable and efficient operation of the plant during construction and transition to new processes.

The original Sixth Street viaduct was constructed in 1932 to connect downtown Los Angeles with its neighboring city, Boyle Heights. It was the longest and most recognizable of all the river bridges in Los Angeles.  Almost 80 years later, the safety and integrity of the viaduct became its demise after identifying that the structure was suffering from Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR). ASR, referred to as “concrete cancer,” is a rare degenerative chemical reaction between the cement and silica aggregate, causing irreversible deterioration, and likely collapse during a major seismic event.

The new Sixth Street Viaduct project included the demolition of the existing viaduct and construction of a new 3,500 ft-long viaduct in its place. The new structure consists of a multi-span continuous concrete network tied arch viaduct with 18 distinctive Y-shaped bents flowing upward seamlessly into 10 pairs of sculptural arches. The 20 arches include cable hangers extending to the 100-ft-wide deck below, and the viaduct is isolated on friction pendulum bearings. The new viaduct now has roadway shoulders, dedicated bicycle lanes and pedestrian sidewalks that are separated from traffic by a wide barrier. The viaduct spans the Los Angeles River, 18 railroad tracks (serving Amtrak, Metrolink, Metro, BNSF, and UPRR), U.S. 101 and several local streets. The project required close coordination with the City, Designer, and numerous project stakeholders and third parties.

DignityMoves (developer), Swinerton Builders (general contractor), and Gensler (architect), in partnership with the City of Rohnert Park, had a common goal to quickly provide supportive interim transitional housing from inception through completion as one team, ensuring schedule and budget certainty.

While Labath was not a design-build project, Swinerton worked through a collaborative design process with DignityMoves, Gensler, and Degenkolb (structural). An example is the structural foundation system selection. During design, the team evaluated all foundation types to determine which option provided the most value for the cost. After close analysis with the geotechnical and structural engineers, the team decided that the drilled pier foundation was the most cost-efficient to ensure the project was designed within the target budget.

The planned rehabilitation of Mayo Hall was deemed an Environmental Impact due to the age and historic significance of Mayo Hall in the formation of Cal Maritime’s campus, requiring our team to follow CEQA mitigation measures. These measures required the University to retain a qualified Historic Preservation Architect to evaluate the project’s proposed alterations on the building’s historic features and consulting with the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) to gain concurrence with the proposed design. Throughout the Schematic Design Phase of the project, our team collaborated with both entities and the University to establish a design that was sensitive to the site’s context and to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation projects.

The rehabilitation of Mayo Hall called for the demolition of non-historic additions to make way for a new modern single-story addition, and modernization of the historic building’s exterior while retaining the building’s traditional Colonial Revival architectural style with red brick cladding, painted wood windows, and pitched roofs. This design allows the historic character of the original building to maintain its presence and integrity while providing a transition into the modern era.

The interior layout is organized around a main circulation space dubbed “The Concourse” from which all the different programs for student life and cadet services will be connected. The former gymnasium houses two large multi-purpose conference rooms and student leadership and career services in an open loft-like second floor addition. The former natatorium remains relatively open and active, housing student life spaces. The Health Services Department occupies the Northside addition with its own separate and discrete entrance, providing a new health services building. Admissions, registrar, and financial aid departments inhabit the other half of the new addition. Mayo Hall emphasizes shared, cultural spaces such as the Wall of Honor, gallery to display Cal Maritime relics, and impromptu spill-out spaces that are critical for meeting and conference room functions. These spaces not only display the shared history of California Maritime and its alumni but will also act as a recruitment tool for attracting future cadets to campus.

The Orange County Museum of Art is a 53,000-square-foot addition to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus in Costa Mesa, south of Los Angeles.

Designed by Morphosis, the new facility allows the Museum to expand its presentation of modern and contemporary art from Southern California and the Pacific Rim.The atrium is the signature architectural feature of the new museum, a dynamic, spectacular space through which all visitors enter, catching a glimpse of the surrounding galleries and museum shop, while the primary views are upward into the light-filled atrium and sky bridges.

The design boasts flexible and functional spaces, with a main floor dedicated to reconfigurable open-span exhibition space. Complementing this space are mezzanine and street-front galleries that can accommodate temporary and permanent exhibitions spanning a variety of sizes and media. A spacious roof terrace, equivalent in size to 70 percent of the building’s footprint, serves as an extension of the galleries, with open-air spaces that can be configured for installations, a sculpture garden, outdoor film screenings, or events. A dynamic space for performance and education is situated above the building’s light-filled atrium.

The exterior includes a grand public stair that curves toward the entry, linking the museum to Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Julia and George Argyros Plaza and adjacent performing arts venues to create an inviting public gathering space for pedestrians and visitors.

Situated in the heart of Sacramento’s historic government center, the new 1021 O Street State Office Building serves as the temporary home for California’s legislative and executive elected officials and staff for the duration of the Capitol Annex Project and, over the long term, will provide additional state-owned facilities for joint occupancy by legislative and executive branch entities. The State of California, Department of General Services’ (DGS) led this 472,000-square foot project, which rises 10 stories above downtown Sacramento and provides stunning views of the State Capitol Building. The building fulfills critical office space infrastructure needs for the State, maximizing flexibility and maintainability while achieving DGS’ carbon neutrality and infrastructure resiliency goals. This all-electric building is Net-Zero Energy, Net-Zero Carbon, meets CalGreen Tier 2 requirements, and has achieved LEED-NC Platinum Certification.

Making the building open and inviting to the public, and facilitating public involvement with the elected officials, was a high priority. The pedestrian-scaled, transparent base of the building invites the community to engage in the democratic process and facilitates continued public access to legislative hearings and state representatives while the state’s Capitol Annex is rebuilt. Two levels of publicly oriented space allow constituents to participate in government through four public hearing rooms and a press room with state-of-the-art audiovisual systems to support broadcasts, overflow monitors with public seating in the lobby areas, and facilities for teleconferencing with staff and constituents. The upper floors house legislative and executive offices, and collaboration spaces for more than 1,250 State employees.