Concrete Pumping Archives | Page 16 of 26

The Conco Companies is providing a full range of concrete services on the 4th & Madison apartment project currently under construction from the San Francisco based owner and developer, Carmel Partners. The builder on the 90,000 SF project is CP Construction West, Inc., and the architect is KTGY Architecture + Planning. Located in Oakland’s Historic Jack London Square Waterfront Warehouse District, the project consists of two buildings directly across the street from one another.

Building “A”, which will be seven stories and offer 240 housing units, is within the Historic Warehouse District so it was designed with “boxcar-like” elements that evoke the district’s activities. It will also have a total of 3,000 square feet of retail space with each of the building’s corners flanked by a shop or restaurant. Building “B” is not required to conform to the historic guidelines so KTGY designed it with a more contemporary look that “references a dynamic stack of shipping containers and the “boxcar” look of Building A.” It will offer 90 housing units that include configurations such as an extra loft and two-or three bedroom floor plans.

Conco’s responsibilities on the project include providing concrete pumping, reinforcement, formwork, finishing, shotcrete, and Confoam™ services. During the course of the project we expect to place 19,000 cubic yards of concrete as well as shotcrete and Confoam™. We are also providing 1,050,000 pounds of rebar and PT reinforcement.

The residents of 4th & Madison will have a full array of amenities available including a fitness center, pool and spa, demonstration kitchen, multipurpose room, media room, sky terrace and BBQ area, and much more. In addition the new buildings are conveniently located approximately a half-mile from the Lake Merritt BART light rail station.

The architect, KTGY Architecture + Planning, has already won a Gold Nugget Merit Award for the project in the category of “Best on the Boards Multifamily Community.” Additionally Conco is excited to be working with Carmel Partners, a company “focused on sustaining a culture committed to the principles of responsibility, integrity and alignment of interests.”

Conco is 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 regional offices serving California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and Washington.

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Conco’s Martinez facility was honored by Central Contra Costa Sanitary District with an annual Pollution Prevention Award. The award recognizes local businesses that go above and beyond in their pollution prevention and environmental protection practices.

Some of the practices that Conco has adopted in our Martinez facility include using recycled water to wash trucks, pretreating water before it enters the storm drain through an innovative sand-oil interceptor and installation of a new sawdust collector, and installing solar panels and LED lights to reduce the electrical usage of the facility.

We at Conco are honored to receive this award and are committed to reducing the impact of our facilities on the environment. As technologies evolve, it is our goal to continue to invest in projects like these that make not only good business sense but also generate positive environmental results.

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The Conco Companies is proud to announce the topping out of the East County Detention Center in Indio California on June 15, 2017. The facility being constructed by Clark Construction is a 500,000 SF detention center to expand and replace the existing Riverside county jail with the new facility having a 1,626-bed facility. The Conco Companies formed, pumped, and placed 55,000 CY while dealing with the challenge of 100 degree heat, and daily weather peaking to 120 degrees.

As a thank you to our crews and their families, a Pre-Fathers Day Company picnic was held at Prado Dam on Saturday June 17, 2017. BBQ, Hotdogs, and treats were served all while kids and parents played Bingo , horseshoe, and of course the obligatory water balloon toss. It was great to see everyone enjoying their well deserved rest and enjoying it with their families and colleagues. A variety of prizes were awarded to the lucky winners – It was a great time enjoyed by all and a small token of appreciation from Conco to our crews and their families for their hard work. A big thank you to all the staff that helped put the event together to host over 250 people.

East County Detention Center Topping Out (4) - The Conco Companies

East County Detention Center Employee Appreciation

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East County Detention Center Employee Appreciation (3)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (2)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (3)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (4)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (5)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (6)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (7)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (8)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (9)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies (10)

East County Detention Center Topping Out Picnic Employee Appreciation - The Conco Companies

Construction markets have heated up to levels not experienced for many years. In fact, in every market we do business in, The Conco Companies expect construction activity to be greater in 2017 than it was in 2016.

In Northern California, the increased business activity has been compressed over a shorter construction season due to the unprecedented amount of rain the area experienced during the first half of the year. This forced some projects to be pushed back while other jobs continued to be added to the backlog causing difficulties throughout the entire construction supply chain. As the rubber band is being stretched, structural challenges are being exposed that are not easily remedied.

Labor

Shortages of qualified workers are rampant throughout the industry. Many people do not perceive construction to be a glamorous or lucrative profession, which has greatly limited the pool of people drawn to the industry. This starts with the truck drivers that haul materials such as steel, aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete. Concrete producers tell us about trucks parked with no qualified drivers available or running out of raw materials due to a shortage of material haulers. The amount of people drawn to the trucking industry has dropped while the logistics created by an online shopping economy has increased the need for these valued professionals. As companies such as Amazon and Walmart are able to offer steadier work than the construction industry, the pool of qualified drivers is shrinking, making it increasingly difficult to attract drivers.

In addition to drivers, there is an industry-wide shortage of qualified cement masons, carpenters and ironworkers. As seasoned, experienced tradespeople retire, we have not been able to replace these folks at the levels required, and once again, must learn how to attract talent to our great industry.

Materials

Another problem involves the fact that the raw materials used to produce concrete are no longer in abundant supply. Twenty years ago, virtually all materials were produced locally. Now, all fly ash is railed in from coal-burning power plants outside of California, slag comes from Japan, and cement is imported from countries such as China and Korea. Even 30% of the aggregates used in concrete in the Bay Area are imported from British Columbia. Achieving a steady supply of concrete now not only depends on local trucks but on the railroads and international deep-water ships. Furthermore, the issue of raw material availability will most likely worsen in the future. Some examples of the dilemma are:

Only one cement plant remains in operation in the Bay Area. This plant is under environmental pressure initiated by some members of its neighboring community who perceive the plant’s operation to be incompatible with the cities that have developed around it. This opposition is occurring even though the cement plant has been in existence for more than 100 years.
Local reserves continue to be depleted and no replacement reserves are being added. The problem is further increased by the high cost of land combined with environmental opposition resulting in lengthy land approval delays. The time to permit a new deposit has been extended to an average of 7 – 10 years with no guarantee of success. In all three of Conco’s major markets (Northern California, Southern California and Seattle), the same scenario is playing out which begs the question: Where will aggregates come from in the future?
Fly ash is a by-product of coal-burning power plants, and because the use of coal is being phased out for power plants, the availability of fly ash will shrink. Studies are currently being done to determine the feasibility of replacing fly ash generated from power plants with natural pozzolans. The replacement will inevitably transpire when the economics of doing so makes it a viable option.

Our industry and our economy depend on quality people and quality raw materials. At this point, both are in short supply. We must ask ourselves if this is just a result of an overheated construction market or a glimpse into what we can expect in the foreseeable future.

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The Conco Companies recently embarked on another challenging project in Southern CA. This time we are providing a full range of concrete services for the Midfield Satellite Concourse North and the Baggage Optimization Project (BOP) that are part of a new addition to LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT).

Rendering of the Midfield Satellite Concourse (image credit: LAXisHappening.com)

When complete, the Concourse will offer 12 new aircraft gates as well as restrooms, retail and concession spaces and will be connected to the TBIT by a 1,000-foot-long pedestrian tunnel with moving walkways and a utility tunnel. The project also includes 1.5 million square feet of new aircraft apron and taxiways/taxilanes along with underground utility improvements to support the new gates and baggage processing capacity.

The $1.6 billion project is funded by LAX operating revenues, fees and other proceeds. The General Contractor, Turner/PCL Joint Venture, was awarded the design/build contract. It is also designed by Corgan Architects in association with Gensler and gkkworks. Structural engineers are Saiful-Bouquet and Buehler & Buehler.

The scope of Conco’s responsibilities for the new five-level Concourse and BOP includes concrete pumping, reinforcement, and formwork. In addition we will provide the project’s outlying areas with concrete reinforcement, formwork and shotcrete services. On the extensive tunnels, our crews will expertly handle the concrete finishing. During the course of the project, Conco will also offer design assistance to help ensure the best finished product.

As the large work area encompasses 640-acres, some of it is on or adjacent to active runways and other occupied areas. Couple that with varying soil conditions, obvious security concerns, traffic, work time restrictions, concerns for local residents, and adhering to our number one priority – safety; it is a challenging project! Just like any design/build, a lot of coordination is needed among all trade partners, and we are excited to be part of such a great team. Also most design/build projects require lots of modifications and this project looks to be no different.

Conco is honored to be a part of a project that along with other planned improvements to the airport will have a dramatic impact on LAX and the 74 million travelers that pass through the facility each year. The Midfield Satellite Concourse terminal is expected to achieve LEED Silver certification and to meet the CAL Green Tier 1 requirements with sustainable features such as a “cool roof,” water-saving fixtures, and energy-saving operations. The project broke ground February 27, 2017 and is scheduled for completion sometime in 2019.

The Conco Companies is a leading supplier of concrete services throughout the Western U.S. We started 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.