Looking for a Faster, Economical Solution?

A new parking structure being constructed in Santa Clara, CA offered challenges similar to many other projects. The owner and the general contractor, Devcon Construction, were looking for ways to get the structure built more quickly and economically. One solution used was to build the 40 feet shear walls using the shotcrete method as opposed to being cast in place.

The project, Lawson Lane Commons, has shear walls spanning 310 lineal feet and 40 feet high. Foundations for the walls were poured on 5/25/2012 and three separate shotcrete pours were done with the final shoot being completed on 6/28/2012. In total, 390 cubic yards of concrete were shot and the walls were completed in only 25 working days.

In reviewing this project, our estimators projected that comparable cast-in-place walls would have taken 24% more man hours to complete. The additional man hours would have equated to higher labor costs and several more days on the schedule to complete the task. By using shotcrete provided by Conco, the general contractor was able to have the shear walls completed in less time than anticipated, saving time on the overall schedule. Furthermore, the shotcrete walls have the same structural characteristics as traditional cast-in-place walls.