Reinforced Concrete Supports Modern Architectural Designs

Structural concrete or reinforced concrete is classified as precast or cast-in-place concrete and provides the required strength to allow many of today’s challenging architectural designs to be achieved.  The amount of steel that is embedded into the concrete is based on each project’s specifications and steel reinforcing bars (rebar) are commonly used.  The rebar is placed in a formwork or mold and tied into place with wire that is referred to as the reinforcement cage.  The concrete is then prepared following the design mix specifications and poured into the form to set and harden.   

The development of reinforced concrete has made concrete the most commonly used type of building material throughout the world.  It offers a higher tensile strength and ductility than concrete alone and absorbs the tensile, shear, and even at times the compressive stresses in a concrete structure.  It is the type of concrete typically used in the construction of dams, bridges, skyscrapers, columns, beams, frames, and foundations.   

Many large skyscrapers, such as the One World Trade Center Tower and the new Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles are being built with a cast-in-place, reinforced concrete core.   The reinforced core walls in the One World Trade Center are 6 ft. thick below grade and more than 3ft. thick above ground level.  On the upper levels the concrete is 2 ft. thick throughout the core of the building.  The Wilshire Grand, one of the current projects that The Conco Companies are busy helping to construct, will have a four-foot-thick reinforced core that surrounds the staircase in the center of the building.  Neither of these super tall skyscrapers could have been built without the use of today’s reinforced concrete. 

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. 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.  Since that time, we have taken a leading role as one of the top concrete contractors in the region. We have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.