Ultra-High Performance Concrete Used to Build Bridge in Iowa

Even though ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has been commercially available in the U.S. since 2000 it was primarily studied by industry researchers and organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration.  The FHA’s research involved the study of UHPC in highway infrastructure as well as the viability of using it for bridge applications such as precast, prestressed girders and precast waffle panels for bridge decks.  They also looked at using it as a jointing material between precast concrete deck panels and girders and between the flanges of adjacent girders.

Now Buchanan County, Iowa has just opened a new bridge that was constructed with a new UHPC that was developed in South Korea.  To build the 52-foot long Hawkeye UHPC Bridge, the Buchanan County Secondary Roads Department used the UPHC mix containing short strands of steel that engineers say makes it up to eight times stronger than traditional mixes.  The steel used in the UHPC is a waste product from the tire manufacturing industry.

According to Byung-Suk Kim, an engineer with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, he states that, “structures like the new bridge may endure for 200 years, and is almost maintenance-free.”  In contrast, a bridge constructed with a traditional concrete mix typically lasts about 50 years and need repairs as soon as 15 to 20 years. 

  

Brent Phares, director of the Bridge Engineering Center at Iowa State University, says that the reason the UPHC is so durable is that the new concrete mix is dense and fluids are not able to penetrate the surface.  Thereby, it will not deteriorate like traditional concrete structures.  One caveat that Brian Keirleber, an engineer with Buchanan County, noted was that the project involved a steep learning curve due to the new technology.   

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.

Advantages of Conco’s Concrete Design/Build Solutions

Santana Row - Lot 11 Office Building

Through The Conco Companies’ extensive experience gained from almost 60 years in the industry, we have evolved it into a full service provider of concrete design/build solutions.  As a Conco customer, you benefit from our efficient, cost-effective services that allow you to construct your project without the need to hire additional layers of construction personnel such as architects or other contractors.  

The advantage to having Conco’s expertise and resources committed to your project is we work to eliminate potential work stoppages or slowdowns that often occur when several contractors are involved.  In addition if we are part of the design process in the early stages, we can more easily identify and resolve problems before they become an issue.  This too helps to keep costs down and ultimately provides a better finished product.  

When you hire Conco’s services on a design/build project, you will receive the benefit of having Conco Reinforcement as well as Conco’s large concrete division on your team.  To ensure your project keeps moving forward, we can quickly move crews and equipment around if a problems should occur at the jobsite such as with rebar, formwork or shotcrete.

We invite you to contact us to learn more about how we can help with your next project.  You have Conco’s guarantee that we will deliver premium concrete pumping, formwork, shotcrete, rebar fabrication and installation, and trucking services as well as our design/build, general contracting and turnkey solutions.  Furthermore, our many years in the industry have given us an opportunity to develop relationships with area suppliers and knowledge of local markets to enable us to offer you the best value.    

The Conco Companies are the foremost supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S.  Our services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development along with public works projects. Our four regional offices serve California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada. 

Experienced Concrete Services for Large Public Works

Caltrans District 7 Headquarters Replacement Building

The Conco Companies vast portfolio of projects includes commercial, industrial, educational, healthcare and entertainment venues.  We also have extensive experience with providing concrete services for municipal, state and federal buildings.  

One such project is our involvement in the construction of the new U.S. Federal Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles.  Breaking ground in 2013, the $400 million project will be one of the safest buildings in the country in terms of withstanding the threat of earthquakes or a bomb attack.  Commonly referred to as the “Cube” for its unique shape, the cubic volume of the building appears to “float” over the stone base.  

Since the courthouse is being constructed in an earthquake zone, seismic design was an important component of the structural engineering process.  Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (SOM) designed and engineered a state-of-the-art roof truss system to control lateral drifts.   The 630,000 GSF building is scheduled to be complete by 2016 and has already earned the Green Good Design award for Green Architecture in 2014.  

We also had the honor to provide concrete services for an American Institute of Architects (AIA) award winning building, the Caltrans District 7 Headquarters Replacement Building in L.A.   The project was designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, Inc., who was the 2005 Laureate of the prestigious Pritzker Prize.  The Caltrans District 7 Headquarters building is thought to be one of his best works and the futuristic, 13-story building is often included on lists of prominent architectural sites to visit.

The initial concept for the new Caltrans building began in 2000 when the State sought designs for a building that would incorporate “world-class design excellence, sustainability, integration of art and architecture, and contribute to the revitalization of the civic center.”     The 716,200 sq. ft. building also has an underground parking structure that accommodates 1,142 vehicles.  Clark Construction served as the general contractor on the project and John A. Martin & Associates, Inc. was the engineer.  

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

 

Projects Involving Educational Institutions

Riverside Continuation High School Project

At The Conco Companies, we have extensive experience working on projects in commercial, healthcare, industrial, and parking as well as public works.  In the industry since 1959, we also provide concrete services for projects at educational institutions.  While some of these projects may not be our largest or most renowned, we are proud of our continued commitment to provide exemplary concrete services to enhance and benefit our communities.

One of the projects we undertook several years ago was for the new state-of-the-art University of California, Berkeley - Davis Hall that houses their science and research facilities. The project’s contractor was Hathaway-Dinwiddie, the architect was the Smith Group, Inc., and the engineer was Forell/Elsesser Engineers.  The expanded building now includes the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department as well as the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS).  Approximately 185,000 sq. ft. large, the new facility cost $18 million to construct.

Another example of Conco’s commitment to educational projects is the new Riverside Continuation High School.  The prior structure had been in a deteriorated state when the decision was made to totally replace the structure with a new 34,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility.  The contractor on the project was Broward Builders, Inc. and the architect was California Design West.  Conco provided concrete services for the project, which was on an extremely tight timeline due to the need to be done for the 2012 school year.  Completed in slightly less than a year from groundbreaking, the construction team worked diligently to stay on budget and meet deadlines.   

A recent trend in educational projects is to construct buildings as “green” as possible and to utilize sustainable practices that will save energy (and money) in future operational costs.  One such project we were a part of was the award winning 2,670-bed Poly Canyon Village at Cal Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.  The large project was built on a 30 acre site and included nine residential buildings, two parking structures with 1,926 spaces, retail stores, a swimming pool, study rooms, and administrative student support services. 

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

Parking Structures from the Experts

Brio Project

At The Conco Companies, we have been involved in a wide range of projects throughout our decades in the industry.  We have provided concrete services for a variety of projects in healthcare, education, industry, and residential, as well as entertainment and public works.  In addition we have extensive experience constructing parking structures and have served as the G.C. on many of our projects.    

Recently we were awarded the concrete package for the parking structure for the new hospital building under construction on the Stanford Hospital Campus in Palo Alto, CA.   Conco’s scope of work involves constructing 2 levels below grade, 1 level at grade and 2 levels above grade and will be approximately 397,359 square feet when complete.  The project will require 4.2 million pounds of reinforcing steel and use 17,000 cubic yards of concrete.  In addition we are using 1,200 cubic yards of shotcrete.  The parking structure will add approximately 913 new parking spaces for the campus. 

Furthermore, The Conco Companies served as the General Contractor on a design-build parking structure for the new Brio apartment complex in Walnut Creek, CA.  Located on 5-acres, the developer and builder for the 300-unit apartment complex is SummerHill Homes.  As G.C., we constructed a five-story; cast-in-place parking structure with stalls for 471 vehicles and chargers for electric vehicles.  We placed 159,028 square feet of concrete and used 750,000 lbs. of reinforced steel along with 5,000 cubic yards of concrete and 1,500 cubic yards of shotcrete.

Several years ago we also had the privilege to be involved with the construction of the parking structure for the renowned Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, CA.  The Nokia Theater is part of L.A. Live, which is a complex of retail, entertainment, and sports development that help contribute to the revival of L.A.’s downtown area.  The two-story below-grade parking garage provided the structural support for the complex and earned the Excellence in Concrete Award from the American Concrete Institute - Southern California Chapter.   Contact us to see how we can assist you with your next project. 

   

At The Conco Companies, we are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  Our experience includes providing services for commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.