Solving Problems the Design-Build Way: A Look into the Governor George Deukmejian Court Building and the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse March 31, 2014

Erin Young
Project Manager, LEEP AP

Ellen Quigley
Project Engineer, Class of 2011
Clark/Hathaway Dinwiddie, A Joint Venture

The urgent, immediate demand to improve and expand essential federal, state, municipal infrastructure has exceeded the capacity of governmental agencies to fund the desperately needed facilities, energy, and transportation projects.  To make these key enhancements a reality, newer delivery methods connecting the design to financing to constructing to maintaining had to evolve.  There are traditional delivery methods, such as Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, CM at Risk, etc.  Regardless of the delivery method, owners, developers, government agencies are continually asking for projects to be built quicker, cheaper and more efficiently. A challenge, especially through the recent economic downturn,  for public projects has been securing the funding to build, operate and maintain new buildings.  To highlight some of the unique aspects of the evolution of design-build projects in the United States, we will look at two different delivery method examples; the Los Angeles Federal Court Building that is currently under construction and the Governor Deukmejian Court Building that was completed in August 2013.

The Los Angeles Federal Court Building is a traditional design-build project for the GSA (US General Services Administration).  It is a 10-story, 600,000 square foot court building in downtown Los Angeles, CA.  It is nicknamed the "Cube" because of the unique shape and structural elements of the building.  It is scheduled for completion in April 2016.  The Clark team is currently on the project site as well as in the architects office to keep construction and design moving forward.     

The Long Beach Court Building was delivered through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), using the principles of Performance-Based Infrastructure (PBI) contracting.  In this delivery method, it was the responsibility of Clark Construction to Design-Build-Finance-Operate and Maintain (DBFOM) the building for 35 years.  This unique arrangement allowed for the state proceed with design and construction of a much needed infrastructure building, without having to invest all the funding upfront. The 550,000 square foot building, with 31 courtrooms and 160 detention cells, was designed and constructed in 32 months.  In addition to its function and security, the building features the largest vertically supported glass-tension wall on the West Coast.

Erin Young is a Project Manager with Clark Construction and a graduate of the University of Florida ('06) with a Construction Management degree.  After graduation, Erin went to work for a small general contractor in Florida where she worked as an estimator and then as a project manager overseeing two new exhibits at the Jacksonville Zoo.  In 2011 she joined the Clark team in Southern California in the Preconstruction department and then later transitioned to the Long Beach Court Building project team where she managed the building envelope and courtroom build-out.  She is currently working on the LA Federal Courthouse Building.  

Ellen Quigley is a Project Engineer with Clark Construction.  After graduation from Notre Dame in 2011 with Civil Engineering degree, she joined the project team of the Governor Deukmejian Court Building in Long Beach, CA.  She oversaw the design and construction of many of the interior trades in the court building.  She is currently working on the Transbay Tower project, a 62-story office building in downtown San Francisco, which has just begun construction.  

Ed Cunningham (Notre Dame Class of 1984) is the Director of Human Resources for Clark Construction, his employer since July, 2006.  He earned an MBA from Pepperdine University in 2005, with emphasis on Leadership and Managing Organization Change. Prior to his career with Clark, Ed spent 15 years teaching AP Physics, Algebra 2, and coaching girls' and boys' volleyball at Santa Margarita Catholic and Servite High Schools in Orange County, CA.  He was twice-recognized as Teacher of the Year in the Diocese of Orange.