Top Projects of 2003
Could it be that Things are Looking Up?

Just last year, it seemed as though every breakfast meeting, every construction industry forecast, every industry seminar bemoaned the state of the commercial building industry. Business was as bad as it had been in a long time, and the industry yearned for the 1990s, when tower cranes rose from nearly every street corner.

Well, we're not quite back to the good old days, but we're not hearing as much bad news from the A/E/C industry. Could it be that you're too busy working on new projects?

Project starts in 2003 in Oregon and Washington aren't just plentiful, they're pretty big as well. Much is happening on the Oregon Health and Science University campus in Portland - combined, the construction costs of the Patient Care Facility and the Biomedical Research Facility total $189 million. Portland powerhouses Hoffman Construction and Andersen Construction joined forces to tackle these two mammoth projects.

In Washington, Turner is busy building the $95 million Safeway Distribution Center, and Absher crews are hard at work on the 65 million High Point Redevelopment.

The list includes project starts in 2003 ranked by construction cost. We compiled our data by surveying local contractors and consulted McGraw-Hill Construction Network for additional project information. Once we had a firm list of Top Projects, we looked to the design and construction teams for detailed information and images.

Know of a Top Project breaking ground in 2004? Watch for it in next year's "Top Projects of 2004."

Sheila Bacon, Editor
Northwest Construction magazine

1.) OHSU Patient Care Facility, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $120,000,000
General contractor: Hoffman/Andersen Joint Venture, Portland, Ore.

OHSU Patient Care Facility sitework, Portland, Ore. Photo courtesy of Hoffman

When completed in 2005, this new 300,000-sq.-ft. patient care center will provide comprehensive health care for the region, incorporating more than 100 new inpatient beds; state-of-the-art surgical suites and intensive care facilities; and two outpatient clinics (the OHSU Cancer Institute and the OHSU Center for Women’s Health). The facility’s built-in technologies will enable caregivers to offer advanced care and to ensure safety standards among the most rigorous in the nation.

The 11-story building features skybridge connections with OHSU Hospital and a four-level, 456-space parking garage; built under S.W. Campus Drive – one of only two roads into and out of campus.

The project’s design also includes a public aerial tram that will connect the OHSU campus to the developing South Waterfront district. The tram’s terminus will be located at the Patient Care Facility.

2.) Bridgeport Village, Tualatin, Ore.

Construction cost: $80 million
General contractor: Opus Northwest, Portland, Ore.

Construction of the $80 million Bridgeport Village will bring a number of upscale retailers to Tualatin, including Oregon’s first Crate & Barrel, Wild Oats Market, PF Chang’s, Coldwater Creek and other specialty merchants. Located just off Interstate 5, the retail development will also feature office space and a 20-screen cinema.

When completed in the summer of 2005, Bridgeport Village will also offer 200,000 to 300,000 sq. ft. of Class A office space.

The open air-style development features extensive landscaping and a main street appeal.

In collaboration with Washington County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, City of Tualatin and City of Tigard, Opus has plans for major improvements to the Interstate 5 and Lower Boones Ferry intersection, SW72nd Ave. and Bridgeport Road.

3.) Rogue Valley Medical Center expansion and renovation, Medford, Ore.

Construction cost: $76,000,000
General contractor: DPR Inc., Redwood City, Calif.

Considerable foresight on the part of the project team has resulted in a smooth expansion and renovation project at Rogue Valley Medical Center.

A full-scale mock-up of a typical patient room and toilet/shower area was built a year before construction on patient rooms began, allowing doctors, staff and visitors to offer comments and suggestions. Those comments were incorporated into the final design, eliminating the potential for costly change orders in the future.

A goal of the owner to use local businesses in the medical center’s construction resulted in the use of local businesses for approximately 70 percent the job’s first phase. DPR created a 4D CADD presentation of the scope of work and DPR’s approach, then actively solicited local subs during the bidding process.

The job involves a 250,000-sq.-ft. steel-framed addition and an 80,000-sq.-ft. renovation of existing facilities. New construction includes a four-level bedtower over a two-story base containing a new emergency department, expanded surgery center, new kitchen and dietary department and renovated imaging and diagnostics departments. The project also includes a 632-stall, four-level post-tensioned parking garage, a new two-level cast-in-place helicopter landing pad structure, and extensive utilities relocation and site development.

Construction completion is scheduled for July 2005.

4.) OHSU Biomedical Research Facility, Portland, Ore.

Construction cost: $70,000,000
General contractor: Hoffman/Andersen Joint Venture

This 265,000-sq.-ft. building is key to implementing the “Oregon Opportunity,” a public/private initiative intended to assist Oregon Health and Science University in becoming one of the country’s leading centers for biomedical research. The building will provide state-of-the-art wet research labs and associated support, conference areas, an expanded vivarium (animal research area), and potentially, the OHSU Center for Advanced Imaging.

The siting scheme reinforces the notion of a “necklace” of interconnected research buildings, with the Basic Sciences Building to the west, continuing to the Vollum Institute, the Medical Research Building, and finally, this project. The concept also establishes a new courtyard as a major entry to the North Campus research project.

The facility will include seven stories above an entry courtyard. New vivarium space will be located below grade and connected to the existing vivarium in the Medical Research Building. The imaging center is planned for the courtyard level to facilitate connections to the outpatient clinic.

The estimated completion date is June of 2005.

5.) New Columbia HOPE VI Redevelopment, Phase I, Portland, Ore.

Construction cost: $59,000,000
General contractor: Walsh Construction Co., Portland, Ore.

The New Columbia project is located on 80 acres bordered by Columbia Boulevard. North Adriatic and North Houghton streets in Portland. The original community of affordable housing – Columbia Villa – was built in the 1940s to house wartime shipyard workers. It has now been cleared for a new affordable housing community with apartments, owner-occupied homes, parks and commercial space.

The demolition and abatement portions of the redevelopment include abatement and removal of 193 housing structures and nine community buildings. All structure foundations, sidewalks outside of the existing street rights-of-way, and above-ground sitework features have been demolished, and all underground utilities at the removed structures have been decommissioned. At the end of this portion of work, the asphalt pavement and adjacent sidewalks will be the only visible remnants from the original Columbia Villa development.

6.) Elizabeth Lofts, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $38,900,000
General contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction Co., Portland, Ore.

Elizabeth Lofts, Portland, Ore. Image courtesy of HSWCC

Howard S. Wright Construction Co. is currently building The Elizabeth an downtown Portland – a mixed-use development housing 182 residential units, retail space and a parking garage on half a city block.

The 372,571-sq.-ft., 16-story building features 13,704 sq. ft. of retail space on the ground floor. The parking structure –one level underground and two above – will accommodate more than 200 vehicles.

The structure’s exterior skin is brick with precast features and extensive ornamental metal detailing. The building incorporates a custom window system with extensive glass and large curtainwall bay windows. Floors four through 14 feature terraces with views of the North Park Blocks and the Willamette River bridges. The penthouses feature two-story living areas and fireplaces. The northwest corner of the block will feature an exterior common area and restaurant for residents and retail shoppers.

7.) Newberg Replacement Hospital, Newberg, Ore
Construction cost:$37,000,000
General contractor: Skanska USA Building, Beaverton, Ore.

The Providence Newberg Replacement Hospital is a 143,500-sq.-ft. hospital with  an attached 6,500-sq.-ft. medical office building. Built on a greenfield site, the new structure will replace the existing Newberg hospital about a mile away.

The medical center will double in size and the emergency room will expand from seven to 14 beds. MRI, which is now provided in a mobile unit three days a week, will move in-house and be available 24 hours a day. Inpatient beds will increase from 35 to 45 beds. The building will also include clinic space, X-ray rooms and exam/treatment facilities.

The project’s exterior is brick veneer and metal panels.

The project started last June, and construction completion is expected in November 2005.

8.) Pinnacle Lofts and Condominiums, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $35,000,000
General contractor: Andersen Construction Co., Portland, Ore.

The Pinnacle Condominiums, located at the corner of 9th and Naito Parkway in Portland, is an “L” shaped building with 176 units over two levels of underground parking with 205 stalls.

The building includes a seven story loft wing and a 14 story finish wing. The loft units will boast 10-ft.-high concrete ceilings with exposed utilities. Finishes for both the loft units and the tower units will include Cacao wood flooring imported from Indonesia, maple cabinets and pre-stained birch doors and hemlock base.

The unique exterior of the 326,000-sq.-ft. structure consists of exposed slab edges at all floors. The brick is an Ironspot oversized brick that will span from floor to floor. The unit windows are oversized tilt and turn windows. The lobby tower will feature glass curtain wall spanning from the ground floor to the 14th floor, giving the main entrance the glowing appearance of a lantern.

The main lobby includes a radius stairwell, stainless steel handrails, buffalo stone flooring and wall tile.

9.) Oregon State University Kelly Engineering Center, Corvallis, Ore.
Construction cost: $34,700,000
General contractor: Skanska USA Building, Beaverton, Ore.

Featuring sustainable “green” design elements, this new 146,000-sq.-ft. building will include wireless classrooms, flexible learning labs, office clusters, commons areas and a centrally located café. The building will provide space for more than 360 professors and graduate students.

Located on the north side of campus, the project is part of the engineering department’s goal to attract quality faculty and graduate students and expand the program.

One side of the building is three stories and the other four, with a full height atrium down the middle. Raised access flooring throughout the building will keep most of the mechanical systems, voice and data cabling and electrical systems underfoot, allowing for more flexible use of floor space.

The cast-in-pace, post-tensioned concrete building is clad in brick, metal paneling, precast concrete and glass curtainwall. It will seek a Gold LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council upon completion.

Sustainable elements include a rainwater recovery system, a natural ventilation system, the use of low VOC products. Ninety percent of jobsite waste is recycled or reused, and building materials are procured regionally. Before the completed building is occupied, it will receive a two-week flush to eliminate odors, off-gasses and other contaminants.

10.) Brewery Block 5 – South Pearl Apartments, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $33,805,000
General contractor: Hoffman Construction Co., Portland, Ore.

This 16-story mixed-use apartment tower is being built on top of a previously completed underground parking structure, which will continue to operate throughout the project. The tower will include a three-story base encompassing ground-level retail and second-story townhouses that will be accessed from an elevated courtyard. This “podium,” clad in precast concrete panels, is designed to maintain the established streetwall, anchor the building, and provide a comfortable pedestrian scale at the sidewalk. The tower façade is wrapped in a sleek glassy skin with a south-facing concrete grid that provides both balcony areas for residents as well as effective solar control.

Similar to adjacent Brewery Block construction, the building will achieve LEED certification. Construction continues to occur in the midst of a busy retail-residential Pearl District neighborhood.

11.) Lake Oswego High School, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Construction cost: $31,870,000
General contractor: Robinson Construction, Hillsboro, Ore.

12.)Interstate 5 McKenzie and Willamette Detour Bridges, Eugene, Ore.
Construction cost: $28,900,000
General contractor: Hamilton Construction Co., Springfield, Ore.

13.) The Tower and Garage at Station Place, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $27,300,000
General contractor: Andersen Construction Co., Portland, Ore.

14.) Lakeridge High School, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Construction cost: $25,000,000
General contractor: Hoffman Construction Co.

15.) The Avenue Lofts, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $24,500,000
General contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction Co., Portland, Ore.

16.) Broadway Housing at Portland State University, Portland
Construction cost: $24,300,000
General contractor: Hoffman Construction Co.

17.) (TIE) The Burlington, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $22,000,000
General contractor: Hoffman Construction Co.

#17 (TIE) Salem Conference Center and Parking Garage, Salem, Ore.
Construction cost: $22,000,000
General contractor: Rushforth Construction Co., Tacoma, Wash.

19.) 1620 Broadway, Portland, Ore.
Construction cost: $18,000,000
General contractor: Swinerton Builders

20.) Newberg High School Upgrade and Addition, Newberg, Ore.
Construction cost: $17,884,140
General contractor: Emerick Construction

2003 Top Projects WASHINGTON

1.) Safeway Distribution Center, Auburn, Wash.
Construction cost: $95,000,000
General contractor: Turner Construction Co., Seattle, Wash.

Once the massive Safeway Distribution Center is completed in April 2005, it will include nine structures on 116 acres for a total of nearly 1.2 million sq. ft.

The grocery warehouse and refrigeration warehouse are the two largest structures in the complex, each totaling more than 500,000 sq. ft. The grocery warehouse is a 50-ft. clear height structure with 50-ft. by 40-ft. bays, featuring tilt-up construction, steel joist and beam roof, and metal deck with three-ply insulated roofing. The refrigeration warehouse features similar construction materials, and is divided into three sections: frozen foods, meat and eggs, and perishables.

Other structures include a 31,000-sq.-ft. recycling center, 1 20,000-sq.-ft. truck maintenance center, an administration building, fueling station, two guard houses and two pump houses.

The site features a self-contained storm system with six oil-water separators that discharge into a four-acre, two cell holding pond with an 8.6 million gallon capacity.

2.) High Point Redevelopment, Seattle, Wash.
Construction cost: $65,000,000
General contractor: Absher Construction Co., Puyallup, Wash.

Cutline: High Point Redevelopment, Seattle, Wash. Photo by SkyPix

The first phase of the Seattle Housing Authority’s redevelopment of the High Point public housing community in West Seattle includes new infrastructure and construction of 344 rental units. Private builders will add another 350 units in phase I.

Redevelopment will remove all existing housing, roads and utilities, and replace them with new infrastructure, housing and community facilities on the 120 acre property. The two redevelopment phases together will create a mixed-income community of 1,600 units of rental and for-sale housing.

The project ensures that current High Point residents are able to return to the neighborhood once construction is complete.

The renovated neighborhood’s new street grid will reintegrate High Point with the rest of West Seattle, eliminating the former meandering street pattern that disconnected High Point from surrounding neighborhoods. a network of parks and green streets will connect the varied areas within the community, and provide recreational opportunities.

High Point is the largest of the Seattle Housing Authority’s three major family housing revitalization projects. The second phase of the project will be built between 2006 and 2009 under another contract. 

3.) Cristalla Condominiums, Seattle, Wash.
Construction cost: $60,000,000
General contractor: Cristalla Owner/Builder

This new residential tower in downtown Seattle features 197 units on 17 floors and views of Puget Sound, the city and the Space Needle.

The 425,000-sq.-ft. structure also features two ground floor retail locations.

The units feature slab granite countertops in the kitchen and porcelain tile and optional glass accents in the bathrooms. Hardwood floors are used throughout the living areas in the residences, and translucent sliding doors in most units let light in, yet provide privacy.

Cristalla also features a 24 hour concierge, an exercise/weight room, dry and steam saunas, a whirlpool spa, a dog area on the Sky Terrace, and controlled/monitored parking. Unit prices range from $160,000 to more than $3 million.

Completion is scheduled for late spring of 2005.

4.) Mt. Tahoma High School, Tacoma, Wash.
Construction cost: $56,500,000
General contractor: Lease Crutcher Lewis, Seattle, Wash.

The Mount Tahoma High School project will replace an existing outdated high school on a 90-acre site in the south end of Tacoma. Driven by the educational program, this Gates Grant school is designed to be flexible for curriculum changes and community use, to accommodate a variety of teaching and learning styles, and be expandable for growth. The programmatic components of this comprehensive, state-of-the-art high school are organized to facilitate community use and access; create a centralized social “heart”; maximize daylighting; celebrate the view of Mount Rainier (Mt. Tahoma) and personalize the learning environment by creating “interdisciplinary learning communities”.

The 270,000-sq.-ft. facility accommodates 1,800 students and features two general curriculum wings, a 3,100-seat stadium, two gymnasiums, a competition swimming pool and a 400-seat auditorium. The auditorium has two seating areas which rotate to become separate lecture halls.

5.) FY03 Whole Barracks Renewal, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Construction cost: $41,500,000
General contractor: Skanska USA, Seattle, Wash.

The FY03 Whole Barracks Renewal project at Fort Lewis consists of construction of six, three story barracks and two soldier community buildings with living/sleeping rooms and semi-private baths to house a total of 500 soldiers.  The project also encompasses the medium company operations facilities, a large battalion headquarters with a classroom, maintenance storage facilities and all associated sitework and utilities.

6.) Bremerton Harborside Kitsap Conference Center, Bremerton, Wash.
Construction cost: $40,000,000
General contractor: Opus Northwest, Bellevue, Wash.

Bremerton Harborside Kitsap Conference Center, Bremerton, Wash. Image courtesy of Opus NW

Bremerton Harborside is a new $40 million public/private venture between Opus Northwest and the City of Bremerton.  Set on the southern waterfront of Bremerton, this new mixed-use project will become the rejuvenated heart of Kitsap County.
The project will be a highly visible urban mixed-use development adjacent to the Bremerton ferry terminal. The downtown revitalization project will include a conference center, offices, retail space, hotel, parking, restaurant and marina harbormaster facilities.  The conference center will bring public and private interests together at the heart of the city - its waterfront. 

A unique aspect to the project is its Wet Design water feature climbing up from the steps of the marina, to the top of the plaza and into the heart of the mixed-use center. The installation will feature choreographed music and a water show, spraying jets of water 50 ft. into the air.

Bremerton Harborside tenants include the City of Bremerton, Port of Bremerton, Hilton Hampton Inn (Bremerton’s first downtown waterfront hotel), Kitsap Transit, Cold Stone Creamery and Subway Sandwiches.  
Completion of the project is scheduled for this fall.

7.) Wal Mart Distribution Center, Grandview, Wash.
Construction cost: $39,164,153
General contractor: JE Dunn Northwest, Portland, Ore.

The 859,520 sq. ft. Wal Mart Distribution Center sits on 110 acres in Grandview, Wash. The project includes 370,000 sq. ft. of freezer space, separated for storage of ice cream, meat and poultry, deli and dairy, wet produce and dry produce. Each freezer/refrigerated area has different requirements and specifications. The project also features 466,000 sq. ft. of dry, non-refrigerated storage space. The remaining space houses maintenance staff and workspace; office space and equipment; and fuel dispensing operations.

The buildings are pre-engineered metal structures on concrete foundations and stem walls.

The entire complex was completed on a fast-track, 10-month schedule. The job had an onsite batch plant and crews working 24 hours a day, seven days a week in temperatures averaging 100 degrees or above.

8.) Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma, Wash.
Construction cost: $38,500,000
General contractor: Lydig Construction, bellevue office

Located in a heavy industrial area near the Port of Tacoma, this new detention facility includes a processing area, medical and dental facilities, courtrooms, interview and visitation areas and food prep and laundry facilities. When in full operation, the complex will include 800 beds in four housing pods and a fifth area dedicated to administration and support services.

The project is being constructed on an aggressive schedule with a timeline of just over 10 months.

9.) Rainier Vista HOPE VI, Seattle
Construction cost: $37,549,682
General contractor: Walsh Construction, Seattle

The Rainier Vista project is located in southeast Seattle. Originally a 481-unit World War II-era garden community, the 38-acre site has now been cleared for a vibrant new mixed-income community. Residents have participated in site-design meetings and assisted in the selection of architects, security services, the senior and disabled housing partners, and the relocation counselor.

Rainier Vista’s 1,010 units of new housing will help meet current affordable housing needs in the Seattle area. Walsh Construction’s role includes demolition, infrastructure, right-of-way landscaping, and new construction of 410 low-income housing units. The low-income housing includes 22 units for people with disabilities and 78 units for the elderly, 75 of which will be in two, four-story buildings with elevators.

Rainier Vista will also feature 100 work-force housing units, 200 for-sale homes for low-income working families, and 300 homes for sale to the general public. Additional plan components include parks and community gardens. Community space to house existing and new social services will be located onsite to meet residents’ needs.

Phase I is scheduled for completion in summer 2005.

10.) Auburn High School, Auburn, Wash.
Construction cost: $35,6000,000
General contractor: Absher Construction Co., Puyallup, Wash.

The Auburn School District’s new High School No. 4 will be an airy, spacious facility, organized around a central student commons flanked by two wings when completed in 2005. An administrative and academic wing will be located to the south, and an activities and technology wing to the north.

The facility’s H-shaped plan is intended to maximize natural lighting into as many educational spaces as possible. In addition, the H-shape will provide students and staff with a smaller, more comfortable sense of scale. Rather than relying on a large, block-like centralized facility, this building design will allow for simple, gabled roofs over the majority of the buildings. The main entrance of the school will be centered on the south façade, with architectural elements that create a spacious and welcoming impression.

The two-story brick building is being built on a 40-acre site, and will accommodate 1,500 students. When finished, the new high school will be 195,000 sq. ft. and include 31 general classrooms, six computer labs, a career center, a 400 seat auditorium, a 600 seat cafeteria with a full-service kitchen, main and auxiliary gymnasiums, a field house, a green house, and several sports fields and tennis courts.

The project was designed by BLRB Architects of Tacoma. 

11.) 23rd and Madison Mixed Use Project
Construction cost: $32,000,000
General contractor: Cressey Development, Seattle, Wash.

12.) Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake, Wash.
Construction cost: $29,100,000
General contractor: Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash.

13.) 9th and Stewart Life Sciences Building, Seattle
Construction cost: $27,300,000
General contractor: Lease Crutcher Lewis, Seattle, Wash.

14.) Gonzaga University Arena, Spokane, Wash.
Construction cost: $27,000,000
General contractor: Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash.

19.) Bethel High School, Graham, Wash.
Construction cost: $26,947,941
General contractor: Wick Constructors, Seattle, Wash.

16.) City of Seattle Police Support Facility, Seattle
Construction cost: $24,500,000
General contractor: Turner Construction Co., Seattle

17.) BP Cherry Point Refinery ISOM Project, Blaine, Wash.
Construction cost: $24,000,000
General contractor: JH Kelly, Longview, Wash.

18.) Ellensburg High School, Ellensburg, Wash.
Construction cost: $22,296,500
General contractor: Lydig Construction, Spokane, Wash.

19.) Madison Middle School, Seattle
Construction cost: $22,200,000
General contractor: Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash.

20.) Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Construction cost: $21,978,225
General contractor: Pease Construction, Lakewood, Wash.