Slated to begin in April 2004, the UCSD project will entail the addition of 39,600 sf of space to the existing biomedical library and the renovation of the attached structure. "Upon completion of the addition, the new library area will be open while the existing building will be vacated and renovated," says Ron Hall, McCarthy's executive vice president. "After the entire renovation is completed, the facility will be one contiguous space encompassing 74,690 sf," Hall adds.

The library's three-level addition, which has been designed by Los Angeles-based project architect Hardy, Holzman Pfeiffer & Associates, will be constructed with a concrete and steel-braced frame and a cast-in-place roof structure designed to match the connecting facility. At build-out, the renovated and expanded library will feature a 24-hour computer reading room; computer stations; training facilities; high-density, movable shelving; and "touchdown stations" for semi-private study.

The renovation and expansion of the biomedical library will mark McCarthy's fifth collaboration with the University of California, San Diego, as the general contractor's other projects here include the Uncas A Whitaker Hall, the Pacific Hall, the Powell-Focht Engineering Building, the Cancer Center and the School of Medicine research facility. "McCarthy has already proven their ability to provide solutions for unique challenges on four other university projects at UCSD, so we anticipate another successful project," says Jim Gillie, director of construction services for UCSD.