March 26, 2009

PALM DESERT, Calif. — Irvine-based R.D. Olson Construction is winding down work on the seventh of 14 phases on Marriott Vacation Club’s 300-acre Palm Desert, Calif. development—Marriott’s Shadow Ridge. This will be the final phase of construction until 2010, when R.D. Olson resumes construction to complete the remainder of the resort’s long-term plans. The resort is located at 9001 Shadow Ridge Road.

R.D. Olson Construction’s work on Marriott’s Shadow Ridge resort began in 1999 with the building of a sales office and maintenance facility. To date, the construction company has completed a large clubhouse, registration center, restaurant, spa, pro shop, swing studio, locker rooms, golf administration offices, club fitting area and 19 vacation villa buildings. It also built several other structures to support Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Golf Club and Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott including the Club House building, a 9th hole snack shop, comfort station, pump station, cart wash, landscape supply building and cart shelter.

In Phase VII, R.D. Olson built two structures housing a total of 73 two-bedroom villas. This brings the number of buildings to nineteen, translating to 523 individual vacation villas of a proposed 972 upon completion.

“This project allowed us to use our inventiveness and skills to build an imaginative desert resort that features one-of-a-kind design elements, which keep the development entertaining and intriguing,” said Robert Olson, CEO and president, R.D. Olson Construction.

The architect for Shadow Ridge Enclaves is Houston/Tyner of Marina del Rey.  Through the years, as the project progressed, R.D. Olson implemented a new architectural design with the introduction of the Marriott Villa prototype. This prototype features a modern-day Italian Mediterranean influence in the three vacation club buildings most recently completed.

The surrounding outdoor environment is equally impressive. R.D. Olson constructed a 3,000-square foot pool bar and grill staged with nearby fire pits, a satellite operations building, 7,000 square feet of pools and spas, and four mosaic stone and tile water features scattered throughout. One that is particularly impressive serves as an eye-catching divider between the upper and lower pools and spas, which are separated by a three-foot elevation.

As a special delight for the kids, R.D. Olson built a beach entry pool bordered by sand, and a covered play area where spurts of water from a splash pad and a variety of stationary water toys make for a fun day in the desert.

To keep guests orientated within the complex, five large custom-built stone and tile mosaic animal statues including a snake, roadrunner, jackrabbit, gecko and turtle characterize each area. These defining works of art built onsite, take on an impressive likeliness to their real-life counterparts.

R.D. Olson Construction, based in Irvine, Calif., was founded in 1979. It has grown into one of the top 50 general contracting firms in California, building such establishments as Marriott Newport Coast Villas, Newport Beach; Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Resort; and three Marriott Residence Inns in Burbank, Oceanside and Irvine. Renovations include the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles; Ritz Carlton Spa, Marina del Rey; and Four Seasons Los Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Its most recent completions include renovation of the 19-story Hotel Palomar, Westwood; and the building of the 174-room Renaissance ClubSport in Aliso Viejo–a full service boutique hotel and world-class fitness resort. Additionally, the company has completed more than 300 major brand restaurants nationwide. Current California projects under construction include the LodgeWorks’ boutique hotel, AVIA Long Beach; Marriott Residence Inn Long Beach; and the Four Season’s Hotel, Los Angeles renovation.

Contact:
Krista Sparks | Randy Hall
714-263-8731 | 714-263-8723
krista@ideahall.com
randy@ideahall.com