Woodscrapers – A New Trend in Building

As part of our continuing blog series, another new development in building trends is woodscrapers (or plyscrapers) that are being built Canada.  In our role as one of the foremost commercial concrete contractors in the Western U.S., The Conco Companies have also had the opportunity to be a part of many innovative architectural projects over the years.  The following information on the leading trends in the building industry is based on an article by WTTW, a Chicago public media organization.     

According to WTTW, a woodscraper is “Unlike the wooden building construction of old, in which long beams were cut from tall trees, these buildings rely on super-strong, engineered beams and panels called cross-laminated timber (CLT) – a kind of plywood on steroids. To make CLT, thin cross-sections of wood are layered with glue in a special cross-configuration that gives it dramatically increased strength, rigidity, and load-bearing capability.”

One of the reasons that Canada has been at the forefront of this new technology of constructing tall buildings out of wood is a recent beetle infestation that killed off many of the country’s pine forests.  With two billion dead trees, the government issued an edict requiring builders to strongly consider using wood in new construction.  Although even without a wood glut, constructing with wood can be a sustainable and renewable building material and also has an advantage of being energy efficient.    

Studies indicate that wood is a viable option for buildings as tall as 30 stories and there are current plans to build the world’s tallest wood building, a ten-story woodscraper in British Columbia.  Once completed the woodscraper will be the new home of the Wood Innovation and Design Center in Prince George and be used as a learning tool to demonstrate the feasibility of building with wood.   

Source:

interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america
condo.ca/bc-woodscraper-10-storeys-tall-will-be-north-americas-tallest-wooden-building/

 

When your project demands exceptional services and the best value, Conco can deliver. We partner with clients on every project from the pre-construction stage right through to final completion offering cost-effective solutions to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry. We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

 

The Trend of Constructing Super Tall Buildings



 

 

Continuing in our blog series about building trends of the future, one big trend over the last couple of decades has been the construction of taller and taller skyscrapers. 

Let’s go back to the 1970s.  When the 108-story Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago, Illinois opened in 1973 it held the title of the world’s tallest building for 25 years until the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia opened in 1998.  The Twin Towers held the title of the tallest buildings in the world for just six years, from 1998 to 2004.   

In the last decade, super tall skyscrapers have either been completed or are being built all around the world.  The Taipei 101 in Taiwan replaced the Petronas Twin Towers for a short period as the tallest building before it too was replaced.  The last several years have had many tall buildings constructed including One World Trade Center, which is the tallest building in the U.S. at 1,776 feet.  The world’s tallest building today is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE at 2,717 feet, but it will be surpassed once a Saudi Arabian building is completed that is twice the height of the Willis Tower.   

As a leading commercial concrete contractor in the Western U.S., The Conco Companies are proud to be involved in building two of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi River.

The Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles is a 1,100 ft skyscraper that is currently under construction in the Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles.  The tower is slated to become the tallest building in Los Angeles as well as the tallest building west of the Mississippi River upon completion.  

The Salesforce Tower is a 1,070 ft skyscraper under construction in the South of Market district in downtown San Francisco. Located next to the Transbay Transit Center site, the Salesforce Tower is a part of the San Francisco Transbay redevelopment plan that contains a mix of office, transportation, and residential uses. The Wilshire Grand Tower will surpass the Salesforce Tower by 30 ft.  

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.

The Trend of Adaptive Reuse

The Conco Companies have been on the forefront of many innovations in the concrete industry.  As such, we are extremely interested in all aspects of the building industry, including new trends, which is why we have started blogging about them.  This is the last in our series and is about adaptive reuse.   The idea for our blogs is based on an article about the latest building trends from the Chicago public media organization, WTTW.

Adaptive reuse is the restoration and or adaption of a building that is no longer being used for its original purpose.  Many older, sometime abandoned buildings throughout the country are being repurposed from their original use as factories, warehouses, or train stations and being developed into apartments, offices, restaurants, hotels and retail malls. 

This practice encourages the urban revitalization and economic development of neighborhoods that were formerly blighted and has the full support of historic preservation organizations.  In addition there are many tax incentives available to builders who undertake such projects. 

 

 

Several years ago, Conco worked on a repair and reuse project for the Los Angeles Hall of Justice.  The building, constructed in 1925, had been heavily damaged, and consequently completely abandoned after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.  Plans for the renovation had been discussed for many years before anything happened.  Finally the County of Los Angeles awarded Clark Construction Group California along with design partner AC Martin the Hall of Justice Repair and Reuse Project.  Work began in early 2012 and was completed in 2014. 

The renovation project was a perfect example of how smart solutions were necessary to save the project.  Our collective expertise, experience and cost-effective techniques were put to good use.  By using shotcrete, we were able to construct walls faster and with less material to save both time and money, which is what the renovation of the Hall of Justice needed.  The structural retrofit would have been economically impossible without the use of shotcrete. 

Source:  interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

When your project demands exceptional services and the best value, Conco can deliver. We partner with clients on every project from the pre-construction stage right through to final completion offering cost-effective solutions to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry. We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

The Trend in Constructing Biomorphic Forms

We are continuing our blog posts to discuss the latest building trend of using biomorphic (life-shaped) forms in designing fluid, organic structures.  Through our decades of experience as one of the foremost commercial concrete contractors in the Western U.S., The Conco Companies have had the opportunity to be a part of many state-of-the-art architectural projects over the years.  The information regarding new trends in the building industry is based on an article from WTTW, a Chicago public media organization.     

As one of the greatest architects in the 20^th century, Frank Lloyd Wright created his designs with a philosophy he called “organic architecture”, which is the integration of manmade and natural environments.  He best exemplified this philosophy with the house called Fallingwater, which is integrated into a waterfall.  It has the honor of being "the best all-time work of American architecture."  

 

Today the concepts and philosophy that Frank Lloyd Wright epitomized have been expanded upon.  Biomorphic Architecture “bases its shapes on human and animal forms” and is inspired from nature.  Architects such as Frank Gehry, Jeanne Gang, and Herzog & de Mueron are finding their own inspiration in fluid, organic forms.  WTTF states that with, “computer-aided design and construction technologies, these architects are able to create structures with more biomorphic forms, forwarding Wright’s vision of organic architecture to a curvaceous new plane.”

Examples of Biomorphic Architecture include the:

·         Orquideorama Botanic Garden in Medellín, Colombia completed in 2006.  The architects were Plan B Arquitectos + JPRCR Arquitectos and the structure is made out of wood, steel, and polycarbonate. 

·         Spanish Pavilion in Shangai, China that was completed in 2010.  The architect was EMBT and the structure is made of steel and wicker. 

·         Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, WI was done in 2001.  The architect is Santiago Calatrava and the building is made out of concrete and glass. 

 

·         Selfridges Department Store in Birmingham, England was completed in 2003.  Architect was Future Systems and the materials used were sprayed-concrete, synthetic sealant, aluminum.

Source:

interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright
duranvirginia.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/curiosities-10-examples-of-biomorphic-architecture/

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.

 

 

The Trend of Using Recycled Building Materials

 

As another installation in our ongoing series of building trends, we will discuss the use of recycled building materials in new construction. The following information regarding the foremost trends in the building industry is based on an article by WTTW, a Chicago public media organization.     

 

Today’s building industry continues to move in the direction of going “green” and one of the best ways to achieve this is by recycling and reusing old building materials.  Not only does it make good sense both economically and environmentally but recycled materials are becoming something of an aesthetic consideration in many buildings.  Builders are using a wide range of recycled and reclaimed materials, which in some cases, are being incorporated as part of the design elements in the structure. 

Another practice that is becoming more common is called “deconstruction”.  This is where a building is dismantled piece by piece rather than just demolishing it.  Materials such as the wood beams, flooring and fixtures are all removed to be used again.  In addition the roofing material, concrete, and steel are all recycled for future use.  The process reduces the amount of building debris that would otherwise go into a landfill as well as reducing the carbon footprint of the new structure. 

In our position as one of the foremost commercial concrete contractors in the Western U.S., The Conco Companies have had the opportunity to be a part of many notable architectural projects over the years.  Furthermore, many of the projects we have worked on have achieved LEED certification with the use of sustainable and recycled building materials.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is a green building certification program.

Source:  interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

For over 50 years, Conco has been providing premium concrete services in the Western US. We partner with clients on every project from the pre-construction stage right through to final completion to maximize efficiency and ensure goals and budgets are met.  We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

 

The World of Concrete 2015 Show

The World of Concrete (WOC) is the only annual international event that is dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries.  The convention is designed as a way for leading industry suppliers to showcase innovative products, construction machinery, construction equipment, safety training courses, and new technologies.  The WOC also offers unlimited networking opportunities and new ideas to sustain and grow your business.

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the 2015 show will be the largest in over six years with 600,000+ net sq. ft. of indoor & outdoor exhibit space and over 1,100 exhibitors.   The WOC Seminars start on February 2^nd through the 6^th and the Exhibitions part begins on February 3^rd and runs until the 6^th.   

According to the WOC, the advantages of attending include the chance to experience everything in one place.  They say it can provide information to give you an edge on winning more jobs, making more money and ideas for streamlining your business.  You will be able to make new contacts and strengthen your existing industry connections.  Participants learn how to work smarter, leaner and get the needed safety training and courses.  You will be able to see, touch and test the latest products under real-world, jobsite conditions. 

Professional seminars give participants the opportunity to learn new skills and receive certification & training as well as a variety of association courses, special events and show activities. The Exhibition floor includes target areas such as the Producer Center, Technology for Construction, WOC General / Material Handling, World of Masonry, Concrete Repair & Demolition/Surfaces & Decorative, WOC General and Outdoor.

The American Concrete Pumping Association will offer several training sessions including the ACPA Operator Safety Seminar and the ACPA Operator Certification Testing.  They will also host the ACPA Annual Meeting & Awards Presentation along with the ACPA FREE Seminar: Solving the Operator Shortage.

Source: concretepumpers.com/content/world-concrete-2015#sthash.kaPYi57k.dpuf

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of commercial concrete services for the Western United States.  Our extensive services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.  We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

Energy Efficiencies Continue to Be a Big Building Trend

 

At The Conco Companies, we have always been interested in keeping up-to-date on the newest building developments, and as such, have started blogging about some of the biggest trends.  The following is another of our post and deals with energy efficiency.  Some of the information we gathered is based on an article from the Chicago public media organization, WTTW, which discusses new building trends in the industry.       

In order to answer the question of what is “green”, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed the LEED rating system, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  It is used throughout the world to judge a building’s sustainability and provides “a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.” 

The USGBC states that LEED certified buildings save money and resources and have a positive impact on the health of occupants, while promoting renewable, clean energy.  LEED certification is sought after by the industry as a higher endorsement can help to increase a building’s market value.  LEED-certified buildings are rated for energy efficiencies in five basic categories that include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.  Endorsements include Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, which is the highest award.

Our more than fifty years of experience as a leading commercial concrete contractor in the Western U.S. has given Conco an impressive portfolio that includes some of the most innovative, exciting architectural projects in the area.   Many of the projects we have supplied our quality concrete services for have implemented green, energy efficient technologies and building material that enabled them to achieve LEED certification. 

Source:

interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america
usgbc.org/leed

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States.  Our services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.  We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

The Trend of Architecture as Public Health

 

The Conco Companies have over fifty years of experience as commercial concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and we have been fortunate to have worked on many of the area’s most exciting architectural projects.   As part our ongoing blogs regarding new building trends, we are taking a look at Architecture as Public Health.  Much of our information was taken from an article by the Chicago public media organization, WTTW, regarding new trends in the building industry.     

According to WTTW, the trend of architecture as public health is simply architects thinking “even more about the ways in which people physically interact with (and are impacted by) the built environment.”  The trend is all about finding new ways to enhance people’s health and well-being by designing buildings and neighborhoods that promote physical, mental and social health. 

Some of the ways this is being accomplished is to inter-connect bike and walking paths with neighborhoods and parks.  Another element of architecture as public health is to make fresh food accessible to residential neighborhoods as well as entertainment, public transportation and retail stores.  The goal is to help cities keep their populations healthy by creating environments that enable and encourage physical activity. 

 

At Conco we have been a part of many mixed-use developments built in urban, downtown areas that utilize a neighborhood concept.  By blending housing, office space, public transportation and retail conveniently located within walking distance, people can get out and move around their neighborhood without the use of a car.  A few examples of Conco’s projects include The Riverfront, in downtown Napa, CA. and both the Washington Square and the Island Market Square in Washington.  In addition several years ago Conco helped to construct a commuter bike connection that was sorely needed to link two major roads in Novato, CA.   The purpose was to give bike riders a safe alternative of riding along the side of a very busy freeway. 

 

Source:

interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

aia.org/practicing/AIAB097672

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States.  Our services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.  We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

Trends in the Building Industry

As a highly successful commercial concrete contractor, The Conco Companies have had the opportunity to be a part of many innovative architectural projects over our more than fifty years in the industry.  As such we are always interested in exciting new building trends.  The following information regarding the leading trends in the building industry is from an article by WTTW enews, which is a Chicago public media organization.     

The biggest trend continues to be the commitment toward building “greener”.  As WTTW reports, “Far from the flying cars and personal helipads envisioned by the fanciful futurists of the mid-twentieth century, trends in our built environment today are moving toward sustainability, renewable and recycled materials, energy efficiency, and a smaller footprint – both literally and figuratively.”

So what kinds of sustainable solutions are used to construct greener buildings?  A popular trend, especially in urban areas, is adaptive reuse, which takes a building that is no longer used for its original purpose and repurposes it for another use.  Another trend is taking old building materials and recycling them to be used in new building projects.  

One building trend that may soon come to the U.S. is tall wooden buildings that are called “woodscrapers” or “plyscrapers.”  Currently they are being mainly constructed in Europe and Canada.  Also affordable, greener modular and prefab construction is being constructed from sustainable and energy-efficient materials.    

At Conco we are involved in this next trend of building taller and taller skyscrapers throughout the world.  Other trends are moving toward building smaller homes, LEED-certified buildings rated for energy efficiency, building for disaster mitigation, and biomorphic forms.  Finally architecture as public health includes building housing that is walker friendly and incorporating projects such as bike paths and walking trails around neighborhoods. 

Source:

interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

 

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States.  Our services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.  We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. 

Addressing the Skilled Workers Shortage

 

The hardest hit industries in the last recession were construction and manufacturing.   “The U.S. lost about 2.1 million construction jobs from December 2007 when the recession began through January 2011, when the industry’s employment hit its lowest level since 1996,” reports an article in Finance and Commerce.   

One of the unintended consequences was that many workers left the industries and went back to school or retrained for jobs in the business or service sectors, thus creating a skilled labor shortage.  Even the number of young people enrolling in vocational or technical programs declined as there were no signs of future job opportunities and not much encouragement to enter the fields. 

 

Another problem contributing to the shortage is the aging of skilled laborers.  Forbes Magazine cites a study from EMSI, done in 2012, that indicates 53% of skilled-trade workers in the U.S. were 45 years or older.  Furthermore, more than 18.6 percent were between the ages of 55 and 64.  Some states such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey and New Hampshire have a skilled labor force that is more than 60% over the age of 45. 

The Forbes article states, “The heavy proportion of older skilled-trade workers puts into focus more than just the pending retirement for baby boomers and oft-cited but rarely quantified gap between the skills that employers need and available workers possess. It also touches on the fact that American high schools have largely shifted their focus to preparing students for four-year colleges rather than vocational school.”

The good news is that many states are starting to expand community college and vocational training programs to help meet the demand for skilled construction workers.  In addition companies are making an effort to recruit young workers and get the word out about the benefits of having a well-paying, steady job in the construction industry.  There is even a national campaign lead by celebrity, Mike Rowe, to promote skilled labor careers and alternative education programs.

 

Sources:

finance-commerce.com/2013/08/labor-shortages-slow-us-home-rebound/#ixzz2tgl8ed7w

forbes.com/sites/emsi/2013/03/07/americas-skilled-trades-dilemma-shortages-loom-as-most-in-demand-group-of-workers-ages/

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western United States and offers a range of quality services.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.  We have four regional offices in California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington and Colorado to serve our customers. 

Construction on the Rebound

Despite the huge impact the recession had on the construction industry that resulted in a large decline in employment, the U.S. Labor Department projects the industry is on a comeback.  In fact they estimate it will be one of the fastest growing sectors of the decade. 

In a recently released November 2014, Current Employment Statistics Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows, “Employment in construction continued to trend upward in October (+12,000), bringing the current 12-month net job gain to 231,000.  Within the sector, employment in residential specialty trade contractors continued to trend up in October (+10,000), and job gains totaled 81,000 over the year.”  They estimate that cement masons alone are expected to experience an employment growth of approximately 35% during this decade with 50,100 projected new jobs.

The U.S. News and World Report also indicates that some of the fastest growing jobs in the industry are cement masons and concrete finishers with carpenters and construction laborers following closely behind.  They report by 2022, there will be an astounding 259,800 new positions for general construction workers.

Furthermore as the construction industry grows, so does the need for trucking services as proven by Conco’s own Reliable Trucking Company.  Qualified, licensed truck drivers should not have much of a problem finding employment. 

A construction manager position was number one on the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Construction Jobs list for 2014 with almost 80,000 new managers expected to enter the field this decade.  The job generally calls for a bachelor’s degree in construction management, architecture or engineering.  The number two job on the list was that of a cost estimator with a projected job increase of more than 26% by 2022.  Cost estimators coordinate with the project’s engineers, architects and construction managers to determine technical, mechanical and fiscal requirements. 

Source:

bls.gov/web/empsit/ceshighlights.pdf

money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/best-construction-jobs?int=d97792

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We have built our reputation with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.

Shotcrete Job Opportunities

 

Right now opportunities are plentiful for hardworking individuals interested in working for one of the leading commercial concrete contractors in the nation with locations in Northern California, Southern California, Washington, and Colorado.  The Conco Companies is busy at work with many new challenging projects, and as a result, we are seeking experienced shotcrete laborers, finishers and qualified nozzlemen. 

Applicants must have shotcrete experience and we require our pump operators to attain American Concrete Pumping Association (ACPA) certification.  Openings are available at all locations.  In addition we are also looking for experienced carpenters, cement masons, ironworkers, laborers, and operating engineers. 

Our jobs are union positions except for those in Colorado, and Conco offers competitive wages as well as medical and retirement benefits.  We have been in business for more than fifty years and have a portfolio that includes work on many distinguished, challenging projects throughout the Western United States.  As a Conco employee, you will be right in the middle of the action.    

Conco’s affiliate, Reliable Trucking, is seeking bulk pneumatic drivers and bottom dump drivers.  All applicants must possess a Class A license with doubles/triples and tank endorsements, and the job will require local deliveries only.  Openings for the bulk pneumatic drivers are in Redwood City, Martinez, Stockton, and Woodland.  For bottom dump drivers, we have openings in Redwood City and Martinez. 

Experience with pneumatic trailers or bottom dump trailers are preferred but not necessary. Reliable Trucking also offers competitive wages along with medical and retirement benefits.  A clean DMV and no failed drug tests are a must.

You will find all of the details and job descriptions on our website as well as contact information.  We are a great company to work for and are committed to providing all of our employees the safest working environment.  In fact, our pumping division completed 2013 without a single lost time accident, and our goal is to repeat this performance, year after year.

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We have built our reputation with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  The Conco Companies have four regional offices to serve California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.