Framing for $555M Project Begins Downtown

SAN DIEGO—Construction firm Rudolph and Sletten has begun structural steel framing for the new San Diego Central Courthouse Downtown, part of a budgeted $555-million project. The courthouse is being built on a full downtown block bounded by B and C and State and Union streets.

According to R&S's project executive Howard Mills, more than 12,500 tons of structural steel will be installed on the site of the 22-story, 704,000-square-foot landmark structure designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. Currently visible are three subterranean basement levels and two above-grade floors.

When completed in the fourth quarter of 2016, the new courthouse will accommodate 71 courtrooms for San Diego Superior Court, space for jury services and jury assembly, administration, supervised waiting areas for children, holding areas and secure areas for in-custody detainee transport. A new pedestrian bridge will link the courthouse to the Hall of Justice, where civil cases will continue to be heard.

Construction of the courthouse has its challenges, according to R&S. Because of the constrictive nature of the site, three tower cranes must use jibs that raise beams straight up and down, instead of swinging around to pick up materials. A special crawler crane was lowered into the hole to place the initial columns that weight as much as 75 tons and are up to 65 feet tall.

Mills tells GlobeSt.com, “Our courthouse is where important issues are going to be deliberated and judgments made. Many times such judgments will influence how history is to be written, whether effecting individuals lives, businesses or communities. Such an important function should be conducted in an equally impressive and important structure.”

He adds that standing 400 feet tall with “iconic cornice detail gracing the skyline, the new San Diego Central Courthouse building will be a bold expression of landmark stature. I speak on behalf of my team and all my colleagues when I say that each of us is proud to be contributing to something so significant in our home town, San Diego."

Construction equipment has become far more advanced over the years, and financing for this equipment has become a challenge. As GlobeSt.com reported in October 2014, rising construction costs are creating financial concerns for commercial builders who want to stay current with their equipment without going into undue debt. GlobeSt.com spoke with Eric Freeman, VP of Summit Funding Group, about how commercial builders can finance the heavy equipment they need for their construction operations while maintaining financial stability.