There were a slew of grand openings throughout the year across every sector of industry. Following are some of the highlights of construction projects that were completed in 2008. Healthcare Simi Valley Hospital dedicated a new $75 million Patient Care Tower addition on May 4. The new 146,000-square-foot patient tower, built by Turner Construction, increased the hospital’s total number of beds to 201 from 153 and its total number of rooms to 163 from 72. Mixed-Use The Americana at Brand was the showstopper of the year. Built on 16 acres, the mixed-use “lifestyle center” incorporates 475,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, including 100 luxury condominiums and 238 apartment homes in downtown Glendale. The $400 million project was developed by Caruso Affiliated with Bernards acting as construction manager. Retail Westfield finished off its Topanga shopping center expansion with the completion of the first Neiman Marcus store in the Valley. The 120,000-square-foot paean to luxury opened Sept. 5. Celebrating another upscale department store opening was The Oaks, which unveiled the first Nordstrom in the Conejo Valley on Sept. 5. Bayley Construction built the 138,000-square-foot store which is the second major piece of the shopping center’s expansion program, following on the heels of the completion earlier this summer of the first parking structure onsite, and an outdoor food court patio. Condos In addition to 22 luxury condominiums, Via Veneto in Studio City boasts a four-story waterfall developer BALO Development Group said it’s the nation’s tallest residential water feature. General contractor Sinanian Development built the 43,000-square-foot project that opened in September. Hospitality The 12-story Embassy Suites Hotel opening mid-November has 272 two-room suites, more than 10,000 square feet of ballroom space and meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 600 people. General contractors KCS West broke ground on the site in 2005. Civic The City of Calabasas moved into its $42 million civic center in July. The 1.7-acre site has a City Hall building of 27,733 square feet and a library building of a little more than 28,000 square feet, including a 200-seat assembly hall/multipurpose meeting room. The project built by Bernards is applying for Gold LEED certification.