Lusardi celebrated an incredible evening at the prestigious US Grant hotel in downtown San Diego, honoring several high-profile construction projects in the region. The Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards Program, hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors San Diego Chapter, spotlights outstanding construction performed and celebrates unique projects across several disciplines. Honoring merit shop contractors committed to exceptional innovation and design, safety, project management, technical ability, and quality of construction. ABC continues its commitment to quality construction in the San Diego area through this annual awards program.
Lusardi submitted the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Center Kearny Mesa project under the large project category for the Excellence in Construction Awards. The outpatient clinic is the newest hospital annex building in the VA Healthcare system. The outpatient clinic serves the local veteran community across from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. In addition, it provides relief from the populated La Jolla campus just ten miles west of the new campus.
The existing building, located on Aero Drive, was formerly a Bank of America vault guarding as much as $1 billion in cash and coin. A bulletproof guard tower, bulletproof interior holding rooms, and highly secure money vaults once occupied the existing space. To retrofit a concrete bunker into an outpatient center was challenging for the project team.
The increasing demand for outpatient services has grown over the years as more Veterans are looking for services that were previously delayed or withheld at VA facilities across the country. The need for primary care, mental health, specialty care, and ancillary services will treat between 600-800 patients per day. The new outpatient clinic is strengthening the San Diego healthcare system and improving our local veterans’ much-deserved health and well-being.
Thank you to the ABC San Diego Chapter and the selection committee for recognizing this vital project for the Veteran community.