Ancient Wonders of the World – The Lighthouse of Alexandria

At The Conco Companies, we have been busy providing concrete services on modern day wonders.   In February of 2014, we set the world record for the largest continuous mat pour for the new Wilshire Grand in L.A.  The pour required 21,200 cubic yards, or 82 million pounds, of concrete and was done in just 18 ½ hours.  At 1,100 ft. tall, the Grand will be the tallest building west of the Mississippi.  Another recent project is the Salesforce Tower in downtown S.F.  The estimated $1.1 billion project is expected to be completed in 2017.  With a height of 1,070 feet, it will become the second tallest skyscraper in the West.

While it does not exist today, the approximately 450 foot tall Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos Lighthouse, was one of the tallest man-made structures in the world for many centuries.  The tower, built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom on the island of Pharos sometime between 280 and 247 BC, was the third longest surviving ancient wonder of the world.  Damaged by three earthquakes between AD 956 and 1323, the building was abandoned in the 1400’s.    

Construction on the Lighthouse started after the death of Alexander the Great when the first Ptolemy became the king.  It was finished during the reign of his son.  The structure is thought to have taken 12 years to build and lighthouses throughout the world have been modeled after its design.  The tower was constructed of limestone and described as being “made up of three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section, and, at the top, a circular section. At its apex was positioned a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day; a fire was lit at night.”

It was recently announced by the Egyptian Supreme Antiquities Council that the Lighthouse will be rebuilt at its original location.  “Members of the Permanent Committee of the Egyptian Antiquities have approved an old project, submitted previously by the Alexandria governorate, aiming to revive the lighthouse,” the Antiquities Council Secretary General Mostafa Amin told Egyptian newspaper Youm7.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_of_Alexandria, rt.com/news/256749-lighthouse-alexandria-rebuilt-egypt/

At The Conco Companies, our goal is to be the best provider of concrete services for the Western United States. We have built our reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  Currently we serve Northern and Southern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.