Case Studies Region: West

Call it a tale of two West Coast cities—ones that share a major employer—and the man tasked with ensuring the company’s physical facilities bring out the best in their respective work forces. “We have to find a way to bridge that gap and keep the culture and energy level consistent amongst all our locations,” explains […]

To some, an outdated manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale, California, might deserve to be razed to make way for the next development in Silicon Valley. But Norman LoPatin saw something different: a potential school. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise. For 18 years, LoPatin has led the construction of 25 charter schools nationwide showing that […]

You won’t see Joe Holland peering into a microscope to determine whether the latest pharmaceutical innovation is ready for a clinical trial. But at the Charles River research facility in Reno, Nevada, he’s known to keep a sharp eye on how the building and its labs measure up to the exacting rigors of medical science—because […]

On Feb. 22, 2011, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand’s South Island. The resulting peak ground acceleration (PGA)—the highest ever recorded—decimated the downtown business district and, according to eyewitnesses, tossed people into the air, thrown by the thrust of the earth’s vertical lift. Liquefaction of subterranean material—one of the […]

As a kid, Sean Tracy remembers never wanting to work in a hospital. To him, that was where all the sick people went—a place where bad things happened far too often. So, when Tracy joined the grounds crew at Penrose Hospital in Colorado just two years out of high school, he couldn’t help but see […]

The parallels between developing facilities projects for the U.S. Air Force and a university system are not as disparate as one might think. Just ask James Rosner, associate vice chancellor at the University of Denver, who became steeped in facilities planning during active duty in the military. As an engineer who built facilities and infrastructure […]

From the time he was working as a groundskeeper at an apartment community fresh out of high school, Chad Moulin knew his roots would be in property management. A few decades and states away from those beginnings, the senior director of facilities for GK Management Co. Inc., has learned a lot about taking care of […]

Given how online shopping has revolutionized the retail industry, a construction professional would be well advised to think creatively after years of building or renovating storefronts and showrooms. Tom Pantazis realized this years ago, his Bay Area construction and Management Company Pantazis & Associates having handled builds and rebuilds in the United States and Canada […]

The first part of the renovation didn’t make the tenants happy, and Gabriel Dilworth could understand. After all, nobody appreciates their views being blocked by tarp. Not when the vista includes the Pacific Ocean. But this six-story apartment building on the island of Oahu had aged beyond its 40-plus years—worn by a combination of deferred […]

Morris Aldridge says it never gets old: watching elementary school children walk into a new school and hearing them squeal with delight. It’s almost as good as Christmas morning, he says. Delivering on a positive educational experience is something Aldridge knows a thing or two about. As a former teacher, principal and assistant superintendent, he […]