McCarthy Building Companies Inc. has begun construction on what will be the new glass and brick 383,000-square-foot Scripps Cardiovascular Institute and the adjacent 26,000-square-foot Central Energy Plant on the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus in La Jolla, Calif. Construction completion is targeted for January 2015, with an anticipated tenant move-in date of April 2015. HOK Architects is the project architect.

The brick and glass, steel-framed tower will encompass ten levels, including a basement, intermediate mechanical level and rooftop mechanical level. According to McCarthy, the building design, which incorporates numerous sustainable design principles, was developed with input from physicians, nurses and clinical staff to ensure efficiencies that will foster exceptional care in a safe, comforting environment. Such features include large expanses of windows to take advantage of natural light.

Steve Van Dyke, project director for McCarthy, says the exterior building skin system, which utilizes extensive curtainwall and brick, is an important aspect of the project. A mockup was built and is currently being tested at Smith-Emery Laboratories in Los Angeles to ensure that the building materials and methods withstand specific weather conditions.

The Scripps Cardiovascular Institute is the first of three new towers planned at the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla campus as part of its 25-year master plan, unveiled in November 2010. The new towers will eventually replace the existing hospital and will meet state earthquake safety mandates.