Contemporary Architectural Feats Using Concrete

Photo by Timothy Hursley

The Conco Companies are busy working on several towering skyscraper projects that are sure to become renowned landmarks for the region such as the Wilshire Grand Center in L.A. and the Salesforce Tower in S.F.  Today’s high-tech concrete designs have allowed many modern feats of engineering to be constructed across the globe.   

One of those amazing projects is the Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore.  This enormous (38-acre) mixed-use project opened in 2010 and includes hotel, retail, convention center and entertainment venues.  Designed by Moshe Safdie, the stunning hotel consists of three 55-story towers that are connected at the top of the buildings (656 ft.) with the 3-acre, 107,000 square foot Sands Skypark. 

The park includes a public observatory, jogging paths, gardens containing 250 trees and 650 plants, restaurants, and lounges as well as the world’s largest infinity swimming pool at this height.  At 1,115 feet long from tip to tip, the entire area is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall.  In addition it cantilevers 213 feet beyond the towers to form one of the world’s largest public cantilevers.   

The hotel is comprised of 2,561 rooms and is the largest hotel in Singapore and the 6th largest in Asia.   During the construction phase, one new hotel floor was built every 4 days, which made it the fastest pace for a development of this size in Singapore.  A unique feature of the project includes the three towers being built with sloping as well as straight legs.  The tower for hotel 1 has the steepest slope at 26 degrees and both legs were connected at level 23 to form a single building. 

Another part of the Marina Bay Sands Resort complex that is visually noteworthy is the ArtScience Museum that was designed in the form of a lotus flower.  Known as "The Welcoming Hand of Singapore", each tip of the fingers has skylights to illuminate the curved interior walls.  Sustainably features of the Museum include harvesting and channeling rainwater from the center of the building into the reflecting pond at the lowest level of the building as well as recycling the water to use in the building’s restrooms.  

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S. and 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. Our offices serve California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Nevada.