MONTEREY BAY, CA — McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. raised the final beam on Building G for The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Located on the small peninsula of Moss Landing, the building includes flexible spaces for scientific research, instrument development and preparation, and research platform engineering and assembly to best suit the organization's needs. The new research facility includes conference and multimedia rooms, while situated across the street from the research vessel docks.

Slated to open in late 2024, Building G further advances MBARI's engineering technology to support biological, chemical, geological, and physical science research in deep-water ocean environments.

Designed by Flad Architects, MBARI's goal for this new research 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 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 worked closely with the MBARI team to ensure that their vision was realized, alongside the geographic considerations of the harbor and shoreline campus," McCarthy Project Director Kris Barr said. "The tight site conditions and coastal environment created unique opportunities to the construction approach."

To establish a way to hold up the sand before pouring the foundation, the McCarthy team created a reverse forming system to develop the foundation system. The team also enhanced the slab-on-grade reinforcement to support the large crane required to move the over 20,000-pound 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, the two companies developed the structure and executed it with no safety incidents.

In addition to McCarthy and Flad, major design subconsultants and trade partners who worked on the project include: exp Engineers, Collins Electrical Co., Axiom Engineers, FM Booth, BKF, Granite Rock, Rutherford + Chekene, Westco, and Rana Creek.