Webcor's Contra Costa County Administration Building project received an Honor Award in the Zero Waste and Circular Solutions category last month at US Green Building Council (USGBC) California’s Annual Green Gala in Hollywood.
Several Webcor representatives attended the December 11 ceremony held at the Taglyan Complex. Webcor Sr. Sustainability Director Sarah Rege, Sustainability Manager Kavita Karmarkar, Sr. BD Director Brooke Walbuck, and Sr. Project Planning VP Allison McCue joined our partners from Contra Costa County, Perkins&Will, Vanir, and All About Waste onstage to accept the recognition.
As the world's first Total Resource Use & Efficiency (TRUE) for Construction-certified public construction project, CCC ADR achieved a 95.07 percent diversion rate, meaning over 15,211 tons of project waste were reduced, reused, recycled, composted, and/or recovered for productive use in nature or the economy.
The California Green Building Award recognizes innovative efforts to advance zero-waste and circular economy principles in building design and construction. This honor highlights the Administration Building's groundbreaking achievements in sustainable material use, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship.
"Having built two TRUE-certified zero waste buildings, Webcor is in a solid position to win more work from clients who value this level of investment in developing the circular economy," Sarah says.
The Green Gala award is only the latest for the Contra Costa County Administration Building, which previously received TRUE certification for zero waste and achieved LEED Platinum certification, the U.S. Green Building Council's highest-level designation for sustainable design and energy efficiency. The project also received a plaque at the GreenBuild conference in Philadelphia in November, presented by Sarah Zaleski, USGBC's chief products officer.
The new administration building and plaza replaced an outdated office tower and a jail dating back to 1902. The facility is a modern hub for County departments, including the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, the Law Library, the Public Defender, and the County Sheriff's Civil Division.
Imagine trying to park a semi-truck in a single-car garage with just inches to spare on all sides. Now, you have some idea of the complexity involved in two successive crane picks at the UCSF Health Sciences Instruction & Research (HSIR) project.
The cranes needed to hoist dampers that, when installed, would improve the buildings' seismic ratings. The dampers were manufactured in Germany, tested in Italy, and returned to Germany before being shipped to the U.S. for installation.
The HSIR buildings are part of UCSF's Parnassus Heights complex, which is ringed by Medical Center Way, a vital road that must remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cranes could not be situated on the road, leaving few options for their placement, none of which were easy.
However, the buildings were still occupied during the picks, and deliveries came and went from the loading docks along Medical Center Way, all of which required careful scheduling and planning for alternative delivery routes and emergency egress from the building.
"We had so many flaggers," Yasser says, including some on a pedestrian bridge connecting buildings. Foot traffic had to stop when loads were flying above the bridge, effectively turning it into a temporary exclusion zone, along with other exclusion zones established throughout the site.
The team also had to coordinate with Parnassus Heights construction projects, including the Webcor joint venture at the Helen Diller Medical Center and some work managed by other general contractors.
The crane setup area was chosen for the first pick's crane location for the east building, a very tight space with open trenches leading to it. The trench plates covering them weren't sufficient to handle the crane's weight, leading the team to perform a structural analysis and request replacing some of the trench plates. The crane setup began at 1 a.m. to limit disruption as the crane made its way to the site, and around 15 trucks carried crane parts that had to be backed up along Medical Center Way.
The crane location for the second pick, for the west building, did require blocking a portion of Medical Center Way for the entire weekend, since the road was the only place for the crane. The team found a way to leave the loading docks operational (except when crane loads were flying overhead), so trucks could still make deliveries.
"It was very complex, but it all happened perfectly," Yasser says. "The owner was really happy. There were no complaints. This success was made possible by the incredible collaboration of our project team, including our Webcor, Maffei’s design team, UCSF’s logistics and real estate team, and the support from the HDH field team."
“I’m incredibly proud of how the team united to overcome obstacles, challenges, and scheduling issues to reach this milestone," says Sr. Project Manager Ryan Miller. "A lot of team members have dedicated years to this project, and their meticulous planning has driven exceptional execution.
"This is what I love about this industry—witnessing a team persevere and succeed together.," Ryan says. "Special thanks to our co-leader, Michael Spillane, whose understated yet methodical leadership has been instrumental in resolving key issues and achieving this success. We wouldn’t be here without him!”
Our San Diego Webcorians aren’t the only ones incorporating the outdoors and physical well-being into their team-bonding initiatives.
Last year, Sr. Project Engineer Divyank Malviya and Assistant Project Manager Yasser Fayek launched UCSF HSIR’s internal pickleball games—a creative team-bonding activity centered on a shared passion for the outdoors and exercise with a competitive edge.
The team’s weekly matches offer Webcorians a chance to connect outside the job site while physically challenging themselves, enjoying San Francisco’s scenic views, and channeling the everyday stress of project demands into some friendly (but energetic) competition.
“It’s a fantastic team-bonding activity that helps keep everyone close,” Yasser says. “In my opinion, these kind of activities are even more fun than team lunches or happy hours, as the sports component offers a beneficial workout in addition to a lighthearted social setting.”
It all started when a UCSF project team added a ping-pong table to their shared Integrated Center for Design & Construction (ICDC) office. After a couple games, Yasser, Divyank, and Safety Manager Mario Saenz quickly discovered their shared talent for paddle sports, inspiring them to start playing tennis together.
What began as the occasional post-work match has evolved into a highly anticipated weekly competition that includes Sr. Superintendent Mike Spillane, Superintendent Patrick Schock, and Sr. Project Manager Ryan Miller. For the last several months, the team’s looked forward to playing at Lisa & Douglas Goldman Tennis Center in San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Park, where they get to blow off steam and decompress after a hectic week on the job site.
“We all enjoy ‘talking crap’ about the losing team during our Monday staff meetings,” Yasser says. “Ryan uses the ‘Small Win’ segment at the start of each meeting to highlight this and even introduced a ‘Big Loss’ segment for the losing team. It’s all in good fun and definitely adds a humorous and competitive edge to our meetings!”
“I’ve only won three games, so it’s been quite the exercise in humility,” Patrick jokes. “My favorite part of these matches is seeing the joy on my teammates’ faces as I consider breaking the paddles in half.”
The pickleball matches have consistently been a highlight of the week for all involved, especially in the midst of delivering such a demanding and complex project for a major client. The friendly competition has become a welcome relief from the daily grind and significantly improved team morale, particularly on game days and post-game mornings.
Team activities like HSIR’s pickleball games also go a long way in deepening appreciation for one’s teammates—teammates you’ll only work with for so long, Patrick emphasizes.
“We need to remember we’re all in this together,” he says. “I always try to remind people that as demanding as projects can be, you should take the time to appreciate your teammates because you’ll never be on that team again. Offsite activities go a long way toward achieving that.”
Patrick and Yasser give a major shout-out to Divyank, who’s diligently scheduled the pickleball courts and distributed invitations for the games since the team’s inception.
“This is all Div’s doing!” Patrick says. “He’s the one coordinating everything and making it all happen. We call him our Young Prince.”
