If it has been a while since you last visited Oakland, CA, you are in for a surprise. Over the last few years, Oakland has seen dozens of new construction projects throughout its downtown core and nearby neighborhoods. The Conco Companies have been pleased to be involved in several of them.
One example is the Brooklyn Basin Parcel B Project, which is a 7-story residential housing project from the developer and owner, the Signature Development Group. Along with 241 housing units, the 308,270 sq. ft. building includes 3,000 sq. ft. of ground floor commercial tenant space and 241 parking spaces. The waterfront project is located at the corner of Brooklyn Basin Way and 9th Street and is adjacent to a park. The building’s façade features a range of materials including concrete, metal siding, cement and glass. Conco’s responsibilities on the project included providing concrete pumping, reinforcement, formwork, finishing, shotcrete, and Confoam services. We placed 19,850 cubic yards of Confoam and 8,500 cubic yards of concrete as well as shotcrete. Conco also provided 1,400,000 pounds of rebar and post tension reinforcement. Another couple of projects we recently provided concrete services for are the Hanover Waverly and the Hanover Uptown at Valdez Street and 27th Street. Both projects are developed by the Houston-based owner, the Hanover R.S. Limited Partnership. The Hanover Waverly is a 7-story, mixed-use project that consists of 224 apartments and 22,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail. The architect, TCA Architects designed the contemporary-style structure to take advantage of the curved lot and highlights the building’s location. The Hanover Waverly also offers below grade parking with 226 parking stalls and has an exterior comprised of high quality materials including stone, brick, glass, metal wall panels and cement plaster. The Hanover Uptown is a 7-story, mixed-use project that consists of 253 residential units including studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and more than 33,100 sq. ft. of ground floor retail. For both projects, Conco provided concrete pumping, reinforcement, formwork, finishing, and shotcrete services. Conco is one of the leading suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We got our start in 1959 in the Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products. Since that time, we have taken a leading role as top concrete contractors in the region. We have regional offices serving California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and Washington.
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The Conco Companies are proud to report that Conco Pumping was recently honored as a runner-up for the 2017 Subcontractor of the Year Award from the American Subcontractors Association of Southern California. The awards are designed to recognize the various achievements and contributions the recipients have made in the construction industry. The ASA is a highly respected organization that embodies ethical & equitable business practices, quality construction, a safe and healthy work environment, and integrity & membership diversity. This year’s winners were honored at the November ASA’s Awards Banquet.
The entire Conco organization wishes to extend our thanks the ASA. Furthermore, we are extremely proud of our Southern CA team who brings a high level of commitment to each and every one of their projects. Conco is also grateful for the support and trust our partners in the construction community continue to place in us, which enables our success. The demands for our pumping services in Southern California including the San Diego area have rapidly grown over the last several years. To ensure our success, we have a large operation in the area including a fleet of concrete pumps and ancillary equipment as well as an experienced team ready to help out on your next project. Conco Pumping, which was founded in 1975, is one of The Conco Companies’ largest divisions and successfully operates throughout California, Washington State and Oregon. Our experienced team has the ability to identify obstacles even before a job starts, and we can successfully handle projects with the most challenging specifications and time constraints. In addition to concrete pumping, Conco also offers rebar fabrication and installation, formwork, shotcrete, cellular concrete, and trucking as well as Design/Build, General Contracting and turnkey solutions. The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout the Western U.S. We got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures. The Conco Companies are proud to report that one of our recent projects is the Second Place Winner of the American Concrete Institute’s 2017 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards in the High Rise category. One of only 12 winners internationally, the Premiere on Pine (formerly known as 815 Pine) is a 42-story tower that highlights the structural and technological advancements made in the concrete industry over the last several years.
This year’s winners were recognized at the “Celebrating Concrete Innovation and Excellence Across the Globe” Awards Gala that took place during the ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition. In addition to Conco serving as the concrete contractor for the Premiere on Pine’s project, the team included owner and developer, Holland Partner Group; architect, Weber Thompson Architects; general contractor, Holland construction Inc.; engineering firm, Cary Kopcznyski & Company; and Concrete Supplier, Stoneway Concrete. The Premiere on Pine is constructed with high-strength concrete and reinforcing steel to create maximum floor space for the small site and is the first building in Seattle to have a specified concrete strength of 15,000 psi in its columns. This allows the high-strength columns to be smaller than those in similarly sized buildings. Another innovation was to place the concrete continuously through the slab penetrations, which eliminated the need for concrete puddling around the columns. The building is the tallest residential tower in Seattle, WA and offers residents a range of amenities including a hotel-inspired rooftop sky lounge and five levels of above-grade parking and five-levels below. In addition the apartment units offer spectacular views of the Cascades, Puget Sound and downtown Seattle. Conco was pleased to be selected for this unique, challenging project as well as to be a part of such an exceptional team. We are extremely honored to receive the ACI’s 2017 Excellence in Concrete Construction award. The Conco Companies are one of the foremost suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We got our start in 1959 in the Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products. Since that time, we have taken a leading role as top concrete contractors in the region. We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and Washington. One recent project The Conco Companies provided a range of concrete services for is the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. Now the tallest and most expensive building in the city as well as the tallest occupied floor west of Chicago, the Salesforce is close to completion. Scheduled to open in early 2018, the project developer’s, Boston Properties reports that nearly 700 construction workers are on site every day, working around the clock to finish the tower.
Another interesting detail about the 61-story skyscraper is it was originally named the Transbay Tower but Salesforce bought both the naming rights and the lease of 30 floors in the tower in a $560 million over 15 and a half year deal. Other companies that will share space in the 1.4 million-square-foot building include Bain & Company, Accenture, and CBRE, a real-estate group. WeWork, the newest tenant, just completed a deal to lease three floors of the tower, which will become their second headquarters. Their first is in New York City. The project’s General Contractor, Clark Construction want to let the building’s neighbors know that the tower is firmly anchored to bedrock by 42 load-bearing piles that go down more than 300 feet below grade. In fact it is the first commercial office building in California to be designed with such an advanced level of seismic safety. Along with the 13 ft. high ceilings and continuous 10 ft. tall windows on each floor, metal automated sunshades will adjust during the day to maximize sunlight as well as protect the offices from overheating. Additionally the tower will offer direct access to the Transbay Transit Center, which will be just next door once it opens. In terms of the number of people working in the tower, Salesforce alone expects to have 10,000 of their employees in the tower. This is approximately a third of the company’s workforce. The top two floors (60 and 61) are part of Salesforce’s lease and they say they will let out the top floor for free to nonprofit groups and nongovernmental organizations. The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout the Western U.S. We got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures. Source:businessinsider.com/photos-of-salesforce-tower-san-francisco-2017-4/#salesforce-and-its-billionaire-ceo-marc-benioff-are-riding-high-these-days-1 The concrete industry produces approximately 10 billion tons of concrete worldwide. In the U.S. the industry has an annual production of 500 million tons with an estimated value of $35 billion and employs more than 2 million employees. It is suggested that with the amount of the U.S.’s yearly production that it equals to about two tons for every man, woman and child. To produce these types of volumes, it requires vast amounts of natural resources to supply the aggregate needed as well as to make the cement. Concrete is used to build highways, streets and bridges, commercial, industrial, medical and educational structures, residential housing and other construction markets.
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) reports that there is an estimated 5,500 ready mixed concrete plants located throughout the country. They also report that the industry has around 55,000 ready mixed concrete mixer trucks that are used to deliver the material to the jobsite. It is critical to the success of the placement of the concrete to have plants located close to urban areas as well as to rural locations as the material needs to be delivered to the site in a timely manner. This means that concrete production facilities are typically located “within 60 to 90 minutes travelling distance from any construction project.” It is also interesting to note that approximately 75% of the cement shipped to the U.S. is used by the ready mixed concrete industry. In addition to the portland cement, concrete may also contain industrial byproducts such as fly ash derived from coal burning power plants and slag from the manufacturing of iron. Silica fume, a byproduct of the silicon and ferrosilicon alloy production, is used as a pozzolanic material for high performance concrete. The Conco Companies are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products. Our experience includes providing services for commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects. We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada. Sources: nrmca.org/concrete/data.asp columbia.edu/cu/civileng/meyer/publications/publications/83%20Concrete%20Materials%20and%20Sustainable%20Development.pdf The Conco Companies have continued to extend their reach throughout the Western U.S. Our service areas include the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Diego, CA; Reno, NV; Seattle, WA; and Denver and Colorado Springs, CO. Our newest office is in Portland, Oregon. Furthermore, we are pleased to report that with a steady uptick in the construction markets of our service areas, all of our regional offices are staying busy.
One example of our growth is in the San Diego area where we are providing services for the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza at the San Diego International Airport. The $128 million project broke ground in September 2016 and is scheduled to be completed mid-2018. The parking structure will offer three floors of approximately 3,000 parking stalls, and as it is within walking distances of Terminal 2, will be convenient parking for travelers. Another new project out of our San Diego office is the Miramar Water Treatment Plant in the City of San Diego. The plant was originally constructed in 1962 and provides drinking water to an estimated 500,000 customers in the northern section of San Diego. The project includes the replacement of the Clearwells #1 and #2 built in 1959 and 1974 respectively, a new Chlorine Contact Chamber, an adjoining lift station, new maintenance and operation building, and a security guard shack. The estimated $89 million project was started in June 2016 and is expected to be completed by May 2020. Conco Pumping was also brought in on the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project that will extend Trolley service from the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego to the University City community. Mid-Coast Transit Constructors (MCTC), a fully integrated joint venture of Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. and Skanska-Shimmick-Herzog, is in charge of the light rail project. We are providing concrete pumping services under the direction of Malcolm Drilling, Condo-Johnson and Skanska. Furthermore, our San Diego crews are working on the Hedionda Lift Station project for the City of Carlsbad. This is the first time in many years that Conco has had the opportunity to work with the general contractor, Pulice Construction, on a water project. Other improvements in the project include the installation of an estimated two miles of new sewer pipeline. Please visit our website to learn more about Conco’s wide scope of projects. As one of the nation’s leading commercial concrete contractors, Conco offers a wide range of premium concrete services and products. Our large portfolio includes challenging projects both big and small including several of recent notable projects on the West Coast. Conco proudly serves California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada. Over the last several years, we have experienced a dwindling number of new workers seeking careers in the construction industry. Some think this may be due to young people entering the job market feeling that construction work is not a glamorous or lucrative profession. The problem has come to a head as older, experienced tradespeople retire and not enough people are stepping into the jobs causing a shortage in experienced cement masons, carpenters and ironworkers.
Another area experiencing shortages is in qualified construction truck drivers that haul materials such as steel, aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete. In fact we have heard stories from concrete producers about how they have had trucks parked without qualified drivers to drive them. They have also found themselves in the position of running out of raw materials due to the shortage of material haulers. Many in the industry fear that the problem may stem from companies such as Amazon and Walmart that can offer steadier work than the construction industry. A recent article from the Business Insider says that the shortage of skilled construction workers may slow the hurricane recovery efforts from Harvey. It reports on a survey from the Associated General Contractors of America that even before the hurricane, Texas, which is in the middle of a building boom, was having trouble filling positons as reported by 69% of the contractors. Another quarterly report from the USG Corporation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that surveys contractors to gauge sentiment and measure the health of the industry supports that finding. It discovered that “60% of contractors reported difficulty finding skilled workers in the third quarter of 2017 due to an ongoing skilled labor shortage.” Additionally 91% surveyed said they were somewhat concerned about the skill level of their work force. The Conco Companies are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products. While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the complete concrete package for the Levi’s Stadium along with other notable projects. We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada. Sources: businessinsider.com/r-construction-worker-shortage-could-weigh-on-harvey-recovery-2017-9 fortune.com/2017/09/18/hurricane-maria-hurricane-jose-construction-jobs/ The strength of concrete can be increased by a number of methods including using a higher grade of cement or a mineral admixture such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). It can also be strengthened by using a low water to cement ratio (W/C) as well as by using well-graded angular aggregates.
Adding more cement to the mix or reducing the ratio of water to cement in the cement paste are two of the easiest ways to strengthen concrete. “Every desirable physical property that you can measure will be adversely affected by adding more water,” so explains the Portland Cement Association. The strength of concrete is also influenced by the quality of raw materials, the ratio of coarse/fine aggregate, temperature, relative humidity, compaction of concrete and the curing process. The quality of the aggregate is recognized by the size, shape, texture and strength of the material and the coarse/fine aggregate ratio will determine the amount of water that is needed. When the amount of fine aggregate is increased in relation to the coarse aggregate, the aggregate surface increases and demands more water. This means the water/cement ratio is increased, which decreases the compressive strength of the concrete. The cement used in the mix should be stored under dry conditions and be manufactured using the most appropriate standards. Even the purity of the water used in the mix can have an effect on the strength of the concrete. Another factor that impacts strength is the compaction of concrete because if there is poor compaction of the plastic concrete; air is entrapped and reduces the strength of the concrete. If concrete contains 10% trapped air, it is estimated that the strength of the concrete can be affected by as much as 30 to 40%. Furthermore, to allow concrete to reach its maximum strength, concrete contractors take into account the air temperature, relative humidity and wind speeds at the time the concrete is poured and in the early curing period. Higher temperatures allow concrete to gain strength more quickly but the final strength is actually lower when hydration occurs at too fast of pace. It also sets up the danger of shrinkage and cracking. Newly placed concrete may be periodically ponded, sprayed, or misted with water or a membrane-forming curing compound or covered with curing sheets. At The Conco Companies, we are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products. Our experience includes providing services for commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects. We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada. Sources: quora.com/What-are-some-ways-to-increase-the-strength-of-a-concrete cement.org/for-concrete-books-learning/concrete-technology/faqs theconstructor.org/concrete/factors-affecting-strength-of-concrete/6220/ While there are many applications in which lightweight concrete is the most appropriate choice so are there as many that require heavyweight concrete. Lightweight structural concrete is made using lightweight coarse aggregate and/or lightweight fine aggregate. It typically has a density of approximately 105 pounds per cubic foot as compared to that of normal concrete mixes that have a density of 150 pounds per cubic foot. A common use for lightweight concrete is to reduce the overall load or weight of an entire concrete structure such as on bridge decks, beams, slabs and walls of concrete structures.
Heavy natural aggregates or manufactured aggregates such as iron or lead shot are used to manufacture heavy concrete and offers a density in the range of 270 pounds per cubic foot. There are a number of applications where heavyweight concrete is used including underground garages, as counterweights, radiation shielding in medical or nuclear facilities, and offshore for ballasting in pipelines. Recently another reason for using heavyweight concrete is being implemented by the Crossrail track slab construction project in London, UK. The contractors are using a dense, heavyweight concrete as a sound barrier and to mitigate vibrations across a certain part of the track slab that runs underneath a business section near the Bond Street station. This particular section of track includes several recording studios that rest above it that do not wish to have any sound interfere with their work. The concrete mixture took 12 months to develop and included laboratory and plant trials. The end product contains “MagnaDense, which is an aggregate that is around twice as dense as normal aggregate.” Develop by LKAB Minerals, the natural aggregate is “manufactured from the iron oxide Magnetiteis and is formed of black ferrimagnetic natural iron oxide (Magnetite).” The Conco Companies’ mission is to be the best supplier of concrete services in the Western United States and to bring expertise, experience and quality to each project. We continue to upgrade and expand facilities to better serve the growing market for public works projects, commercial, parking structures, educational, and other construction development. Sources: giatecscientific.com/knowledge-center/concrete-news/heavyweight-concrete-to-minimize-sounds-and-vibrations/ everything-about-concrete.com/lightweight-concrete.html Cement is the key ingredient in concrete, and as the Portland Cement Association (PCA) explains, portland cement is “the generic term for the type of cement used in virtually all concrete, just as stainless is a type of steel and sterling a type of silver.” To manufacture cement, lime, silica, alumina, iron and other materials are heated to extremely high temperatures that create marble-size balls or nodules called clinker. Next the clinker is ground up and mixed in with limestone and gypsum.
The production of cement accounts for 5 percent of manmade carbon dioxide emissions but the PCA reports that since the 1990s, the US cement industry has been “committed to minimizing emissions, waste, energy consumption, and the use of virgin raw materials. In addition concrete is a very durable product that is used to produce sustainable infrastructure that is resistant to damage from natural disasters and fire. Concrete structures are also more energy-efficient to heat and cool and concrete pavement has been shown to provide better fuel economy. The PCA cites the fact that the US cement industry employs nearly 13,800 workers and has an annual payroll of approximately $959 million. When concrete-related industries are included, the number of employees rises to 490,691 and the annual payroll is $22.5 billion. In California, The Conco Companies home base, the cement industry contributes $36.6 million to the state revenue and together the cement and concrete-related industries contribute $5.4 billion. Altogether there are 90 cement plants located in 33 states and every state in the continental US has distribution facilities. In California there are 10 plants and 11 terminals. In Washington State, another place where we provide concrete services, there are three plants and nine terminals. Please visit Conco’s website to learn about our concrete services and to get a look at many of our recent projects. The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout the Western U.S. We got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures. Source:cement.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/calif-statefacsht1_15-d2.pdf?sfvrsn=0 |
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