McCarthy Building Companies recently raised the final beam on Building G for The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Due to tight site conditions and the coastal environment, the team created a reverse forming system to develop the foundation system for the new research facility, as it needed to establish a way to hold up the sand before pouring the foundation.
McCarthy also enhanced the slab-on-grade reinforcement to support the large crane required to move the 20,000-lb.-plus wall-forming panels for the board form concrete walls. Structural Engineer Rutherford + Chekene’s collaborative approach to McCarthy’s ideas was instrumental in the plan’s success. Together, they developed the structure and executed it with no safety incidents.
Slated to open in late 2024, Building G further advances MBARI’s cutting-edge engineering technology to support biological, chemical, geological, and physical science research in deepwater ocean environments. The new research facility includes conference and multimedia rooms, while situated across the street from the research vessel docks.
Designed by Flad Architects, MBARI’s goal for the facility is to expand its growing program and engage with internal and external research teams. The project started in the fall of 2022 and became more visual to the public as the structure took form over the last few months. Now hitting this important construction milestone, the team moves to the final stages of completing the exterior, complex MEPF systems, and interior finishings to support the building’s oceanographic science and engineering needs.
“We are delighted to see the building taking shape after over a decade of planning and approvals,” says Keith Raybould, MBARI’s project manager. “This addition to our campus will provide an important integration and test facility for assembling and testing new instruments and sensors prior to taking them across the road to be loaded for test deployments on our research vessels, in addition to supporting several other coastally dependent science and engineering research functions.”