McCarthy Tops Out Steel Construction of New $110 Million Math and Science Building

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

McCarthy Building Companies has topped out steel construction for a new four-story Math and Science Building at San Diego Mesa College.

The 206,000-square-foot facility, located at 7250 Mesa College Drive in the Clairemont area of San Diego, was designed by Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker. The ground-breaking ceremony took place in August 2011 after McCarthy disassembled the three older buildings on the site. The $110 million project is targeting LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and will incorporate various energy-efficient features such as low “E” glazing windows and a cool-roof that will reflect unwanted energy and reduce energy consumption.

The new building will house a greenhouse, an astronomy observation center, four floors of classrooms, laboratories, as well as staff and administrative support space. The concrete work for the new facility is expected to be completed in May.

Consultants on the project include Hope Engineering for structural engineering and EXP for mechanical and electrical engineering.

The project is being funded by the $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction bond program. Gafcon is the program manager on behalf of the San Diego Community College District.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is among the oldest and largest commercial builders in the country. The company has been constructing in the education market for around 50 years. Over 300 K-12 school projects were built by the firm across country, with a total construction value exceeding $2 billion. The Math and Science Building is the third major project McCarthy has undertaken on behalf of the San Diego Community College District, after the four-story LEED Gold certified Allied Health Building finalized in 2009 and the Miramar College parking structure and police station, completed in 2011. The latter is expected to achieve LEED Platinum Certification.