Rudolph and Sletten Completes the Harlyne J. Norris Research Tower at the University of Southern California
REDWOOD CITY, CA (September 24, 2007)—Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. announced today that construction is complete for The Harlyne J. Norris Research Tower at the University of Southern California Health Sciences Campus.
The $79 million, ten-story laboratory research facility links two existing cancer research centers, connecting the trio of buildings through a first floor bridge. The addition of the Research Tower greatly expands the size and scope of on-campus cancer research facilities, allowing for the growth and consolidation of currently promising work.
In addition to research laboratories, the 172,440 square foot Tower includes administrative and faculty offices, a conference center, and a helipad. A 188-seat egg-shaped, cast-in-place auditorium, crowned by a rooftop meditation garden, provides for the latest in interactive teaching and communication technology. The underground levels contain glass wash, cryofreeze, and shell areas, along with mechanical and electrical spaces.
The steel brace frame building with metal deck floors has an exterior skin of precast, glazing and louver systems. The architect for the project is Lee, Burkhart, Liu, Inc., of Santa Monica. The building has won an AIA Citation Award as well as an AIA Merit Award for its design excellence
The Harlyne J. Norris Research Tower also houses one of the nation’s first centers focused exclusively on the study of epigenetics, the study of how chemicals that attach to DNA can be switched on and off without changing the fundamental genetic information. Understanding how specific genes switch on and off has vast implications for cancer prevention and treatment.
The quest to find a cure for cancer led the Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation to make a $15 million initial gift to fund a research facility. The Tower was named in honor of Harlyne J. Norris, the wife of the late Kenneth Norris and is dedicated to the vision of “making cancer a disease of the past.”
Rudolph and Sletten was selected for the project because of its acknowledged expertise in building state-of-the-art life science research facilities. Recently completed projects include the J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, the Broad Center for the Biological Sciences at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the University of Southern California.
“It is a privilege to be part of building a research facility that will be integral to the fight to eradicate cancer,” said Project Executive John McRitchie. “This is a remarkable facility in terms of both design approach and construction materials. It was built with longevity and flexibility in mind. We have produced a quality structure that can be considered a cornerstone for USC’s expanding research capabilities for many years to come.”
About Rudolph and Sletten
Rudolph and Sletten General Contractors, Inc. is one of the leading general contracting firms on the West Coast. Rudolph and Sletten is a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Perini Corporation (NYSE:PCR), the country’s fifteenth largest construction services company. As a pace setter in the construction industry, Rudolph and Sletten has provided quality-oriented general contracting and construction management services for four decades. Rudolph and Sletten’s expert professionals manage each job comprehensively, from site selection and preconstruction services through project completion. With its corporate headquarters in Redwood City, the company also has regional offices in Roseville, Irvine, and San Diego, California.
Rudolph and Sletten’s building expertise includes virtually all types of projects with an emphasis on those markets where their technical expertise and quality excel: biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and manufacturing; electronics; nanotechnology; health care; and high-tech research. Other areas of expertise include corporate campuses and office buildings, hotels and entertainment, educational institutions, housing, and retail facilities. Rudolph and Sletten’s current clients include Hewlett-Packard, Genentech, Kaiser, Stanford University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Chiron, eBay, and the University of California.
Perini Corporation offers general contracting, pre-construction planning and comprehensive project management services, including the planning and scheduling of the manpower, equipment, materials, and subcontractors required for a project. Perini also offers self-performed construction services including site work, concrete forming and placement and steel erection. They are known for their hospitality and gaming industry projects, sports and entertainment, educational, transportation, healthcare, biotech, pharmaceutical and high-tech facilities, as well as large and complex civil construction projects and construction management services to U.S. military and government agencies.
