Gafcon Inc., a leading California-based construction management and consulting firm, announced today that construction is now complete on a new $1.6 million animal care facility located at 1395 First Street in Coronado, Calif.
Gafcon performed a constructability review and served as the construction manager for the 12-month project for the City of Coronado. The project involved the demolition of an existing parking lot adjacent to the Coronado Ferry Landing Marketplace and construction of a new 3,400-square-foot single-story concrete masonry building. The facility houses a variety of functional spaces including seven dog adoption areas, three cat community rooms, holding areas, quarantine areas, examination/treatment area, "get acquainted" room, food preparation space, grooming room and exterior dog exercise yard.
The facility was built to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver certification standards, incorporating a variety of sustainable elements including energy- and water-efficient fixtures, natural lighting, recycled building materials and construction waste recycling.
The new building reduces the environmental impact due to its proximity to public transportation, off-street parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, permeable concrete pavers and an infiltration system to reduce storm water runoff. The facility also reduces its potable water consumption through the use of water-efficient landscaping and artificial turf. The exterior masonry block walls utilized in the structure have a high recycled content and 50 percent of all wood products used are Forest Stewardship Council certified. The interior finishes all meet or exceed the standards for lowering indoor air contaminant levels and mechanical systems were flushed out prior to occupancy to further reduce volatile organic compounds. The project design also included multiple clerestory windows and skylights to optimize natural light and further reduce energy consumption.
The Gafcon project team included John Wilson, project manager; Penny Kronberg, constructability review/oversight; Anthony Trinca, constructability review; and Jamie Roberts, labor compliance.
Other members of the project team included Bill Cecil, capital projects manager for the City of Coronado; Davy Architecture, architect; Grahovac Construction, general contractor; Stedman Dyson, structural engineer; SB&O, civil engineer; Turpin & Rattan Engineering, electrical engineer; Rao Engineers, mechanical engineer; and Howard Associates, landscape architect.
The project was developed as the result of a joint-funding agreement between the City of Coronado and Pacific Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS, of Coronado. The previous shelter located on Orange Avenue was torn down to make way for senior housing units in 2006. Since that time, animal services have been housed in the basement of the Coronado Police Department.
The City of Coronado has retained Gafcon to provide construction management for a second project, the new Coronado Tennis Center.
About Gafcon Inc.
Founded in 1987 by Pam and Yehudi Gaffen, Gafcon Inc. is a leading development and construction management firm providing professional construction consulting, construction program management, real estate economics consulting, design management and construction-related claims support. The company employs more than 150 construction project managers architects, civil engineers, financial analysts, estimators, schedulers, quality inspectors and computer professionals. Gafcon maintains corporate headquarters in downtown San Diego, with branch offices in Irvine, Los Angeles and Oregon.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Stimulus funding helps get NOAA project off the ground
The award-winning design for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) new Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) replacement laboratory saw its first sign of movement on Sept 15 with a groundbreaking ceremony held in La Jolla, Calif. The $102 million project is funded primarily by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), resulting in a rapidly advanced construction plan for the facility.
| Aug 11, 2010
LEED 2009 cites FloorScore Certification as indicator of indoor air quality
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has cited FloorScore® certified flooring products as eligible for credits under the new LEED 2009 Version 3 guidelines. Reflecting the inclusion of FloorScore, the new LEED IEQ Credit 4.3 for Low-Emitting Materials has been expanded from “Carpet Systems” to “Flooring Systems” to include hard surface flooring.
| Aug 11, 2010
New air-conditioning design standard allows for increased air speed to cool building interiors
Building occupants, who may soon feel cooler from increased air movement, can thank a committee of building science specialists. The committee in charge of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 - Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy—after months of study and discussion--has voted recently to allow increased air speed as an option for cooling building interiors. In lay terms, increased air speed is the equivalent of turning up the fan.
| Aug 11, 2010
PCA partners with MIT on concrete research center
MIT today announced the creation of the Concrete Sustainability Hub, a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.
| Aug 11, 2010
Study explains the financial value of green commercial buildings
Green building may be booming, especially in the Northwest, but the claims made for high-performance buildings have been slow to gain traction in the financial community. Appraisers, lenders, investors and brokers have found it difficult to confirm the value of high-performance green features and related savings. A new study of office buildings identifies how high-performance green features and systems can increase the value of commercial buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Free-span solar energy system installed at REM Eyewear headquarters
The first cable-suspended free-span solar energy system was completed today over the REM Eyewear headquarters parking lot in Sun Valley, Calif. The patented, cable-supported photovoltaic system created by P4P Energy is expected to generate 40,877 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power five to six single family homes and to prevent 1.5 million pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment declined in 333 of 352 metro areas in June
Construction employment declined in all but 19 communities nationwide this June as compared to June-2008, according to a new analysis of metropolitan-area employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The analysis shows that few places in America have been spared the widespread downturn in construction employment over the past year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Hensel Phelps among the nation's 50 largest design-build contractors
A ranking of the Top 50 Design-Build Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants