REDWOOD CITY, CA McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., in collaboration with HGA Architects & Engineers (HGA), announces the groundbreaking milestone on the new Science and Technology classroom and lab building at Cañada College in Redwood City, California.

This new 50,000-square-foot, three-story science and technology building has been designed to create innovative spaces that support collaborative learning. Straying from traditional classroom concepts, it will feature flexible classrooms, an indoor/outdoor "learning commons," labs and faculty offices, and will provide a modern learning facility for science education. An enhanced plaza adjacent to the building will create a functional and attractive outdoor gathering space, drawing students to this new heart of the north campus. The building aims to meet LEED Gold requirements. Construction is expected to complete by the end of 2019.

Mirroring the project's emphasis on collaborative learning, the District engaged McCarthy and HGA by using a design-build delivery method, a collaborative process in which one entity - the design-build team, comprised of builder and designer - works under a single contract with the project owner to provide design and construction services. The project was also enrolled in the California Division of State Architect's (DSA) formal collaborative process (CP), an alternative to the traditional plan review process that engages DSA early in the design process with the district and design team, continuing through plan review and approval.

"The collaborative relationship we have with our Design-Build partners and DSA has increased our efficiency through pre-construction and into project start up," said McCarthy's Project Manager Jeff Ivey. "This team effort has been critical in hitting each of our schedule and budget milestones. Communication from all parties has allowed us to streamline efforts to produce a modernized building that demonstrates the District's commitment to excellence in education, especially in fields that are foundational to this region."