Reconstruction Awards: Bay Area Metro Center

The 525,000-sf Bay Area Metro Center, at 390 Main Street, San Francisco, was originally built by the federal government in 1942 to make armored vehicles. Three years ago, the owner, Bay Area Headquarters Authority, commissioned McCarthy Building Companies to lead a much-needed seismic upgrade and structural renovation. The structure’s 60,000-sf floor plates also made the interior dark and foreboding, and BAHA wanted to improve working conditions for its employees and tenants. 

The centerpiece is an eight-story atrium that brings natural light into the offices of BAHA, the Bay Area Toll Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Association of Bay Area Governments, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

The seismic upgrade meant that the contractor would have to drill 27,000 holes into the thick interior concrete walls and floor—a considerable safety risk. McCarthy worked with a team from UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and toolmaker Hilti to design a dual-headed drill rig that reduced worker fatigue and the volume of airborne concrete dust kicked up by the drilling.
Zero accidents were recorded.

PROJECT SUMMARY 

Silver Award Winner | San Francisco, Calif.

Building Team: McCarthy Building Companies (submitting firm, GC); Bay Area Headquarters Authority (owner); Perkins+Will (architect); TEF Design (interior architect); Holmes Culley (SE); WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff (MEP); TEECOM (communications); and Harris & Associates (CM).

Details: 525,000 sf. Construction cost: $115 million. Construction time: January 2013 to April 2016. Delivery method: CM at risk.