Conco Receives the Prestigious “2017 Charles J. Pankow Jr. Award”

The Conco Companies were recently recognized for our concrete services on the new Wilshire Grand Project with the “2017 Charles J. Pankow, Jr. Award” from the American Concrete Institute’s Southern California Chapter.  The Charles J. Pankow Jr. Award was established in 1984 by the ACI SoCal Chapter in honor of Charles J. Pankow, Jr. and is designed to recognize outstanding and innovative use of concrete in construction.  Mr. Pankow was an active member of the Southern California Chapter since its inception and had served as the International President of the ACI from 1980-1981. 

Follow the Wilshire Grand’s Progress as it Prepares to Open

From the deconstruction of the old hotel on the site that began in Oct 2012, to the bottoming-out ceremony that took place a little over a year later, the 73-story Wilshire Grand is now receiving the final finishing touches.  Throughout much of the construction, The Conco Companies have been honored to be a part of the exciting project, and now look forward to the scheduled opening in March.   

To get a good idea of how the skyscraper has taken shape of the last several months, take a look at the incredible pictures and videos of the progress on the Wilshire Grand’s facebook page.  One amazing example is a series of pictures covering the placement of the spire that topped the building’s height out at 1,100 feet.  The short video of the spire’s eye view of the September 6, 2016 installation that made the Wilshire Grand the tallest building in the West United States is fascinating. Also be sure to check out the picture of the Grand’s beautiful front lobby that was added to facebook in October 2016. 

The selection of videos includes a short introduction to the building and mentions many of its highlights and features including the fact that it will exemplify an outdoor and indoor connection for an authentic Los Angles’ experience.  It also talks about the plaza that will be a portal to the city-wide transit system, the sports and entertainment corridor, and the financial district as well as the historic 7^th Street.  With high-speed elevators to take passengers up to the 70^th floor sky lobby complete with a signature restaurant, rooftop pool and observation deck in just 45 seconds, the Wilshire Grand is sure to be one of L.A.’s top tourist destinations. 

Please visit Conco’s website to see more about the construction of the skyscraper as well as other projects in our extensive portfolio.  Our broad experience includes commercial, industrial, educational, healthcare, parking structures and other construction development. 

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. We have four regional offices serving California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.

How Tall and Super Tall Skyscrapers are Measured

Over the last several years The Conco Companies have had the opportunity to be involved in the construction of the two tallest skyscrapers west of the Mississippi, the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles and the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.  This experience got us to wondering who was responsible for measuring and recording the world’s newly constructed skyscrapers as they continue to push the envelope in terms of their towering height.    

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is the world’s leading resource for professionals focused on the inception, design, construction, and operation of tall buildings and future cities. The CTBUH is also responsible for developing the international standards used to measure tall buildings’ heights and is the recognized official organization for bestowing the title of the ‘The World’s Tallest Building.’ 

The height of tall buildings is measured by three criteria that includes: the height to the architectural top; the highest occupied floor; and the height to the tip.  The height to the architectural top is defined as the height measured from the level of the “lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment.” 

The highest occupied floor is officially defined by the CTBUH as the measurement from the lowest significant pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor in the building.  The third criteria again starts at the “lowest level” as defined earlier to the highest point of the building “irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage, and other functional-technical equipment).” 

In addition to tall skyscrapers the CTBUH also recognizes a fairly new category of “supertall” and “megatall” buildings.  They define a supertall building as being over 300 meters or 984 feet high.  Buildings over 600 meters or 1,968 feet tall are considered to be megatall.  Their statistics show that as of June 2015, there were 91 supertall and 2 megatall buildings that were fully completed and occupied across the globe.  In addition there are several more extremely high skyscrapers currently under construction.   

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.

Source:ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/HeightStatistics/Criteria/tabid/446/language/en-US/Default.aspx 

The Wilshire Grand Center Offers Economic Benefits to the Area

The Wilshire Grand Center is on track to open sometime in the spring of 2017.  The Conco Companies are doing the structural concrete work on the new tower, which is located in Downtown Los Angeles. As a part of the project, Conco broke the Guinness World Record by completing the largest, continuous mat pour at the site. We are also doing the poured-in-place core wall that goes up the building and is surrounded by slab on metal deck.  To help us more effectively and environmentally reach the upper levels of the Wilshire, we are using a new state-of-the art electric pump to pump concrete 400 ft. horizontally and then vertically up another 1,000 ft.

Slated to become the tallest building west of the Mississippi, project developers report that the project “will infuse more than $1 billion into the Los Angeles economy, create critically needed jobs and sustain the city’s booming travel and tourism industry into the future.”  They go on to cite that the construction of the impressive skyscraper has created as many as 11,500 high-paying jobs for the construction industry, which was one of the hardest hit industries during the recent recession.  The construction phase is also bringing in nearly $80 million in tax revenue for Los Angeles and the county.

Another plus for the area is that once the Wilshire Grand opens, it will support more than 1,750 permanent jobs as well as provide $16 million annually in new tax revenue.   Furthermore, with its immense size, the Wilshire Grand alone will provide almost 20% of the 5,000 rooms necessary to achieve the Downtown’s goal of adding more hotel rooms to the area.  An increase in hotel rooms is considered necessary in order to continue to expand Downtown L.A.’s travel and tourism. 

Once the Wilshire opens its doors, it will join other newly constructed Downtown attractions such as L.A. Live, the Convention Center, Staples Center, Microsoft Theater, Walt Disney Concert Halls and others.  These are more accessible thanks in part to the addition of 1,000 parking spaces (some of which Conco helped to build as part of the Nokia Theater and L.A. Live) and new transit connections. 

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.

Source: wilshiregrandcenter.com/project-info/economic-benefits

Sustainable Building Practices are Good for the Environment and Business

Chris Martin, of AC Martin, and the lead architect on the Wilshire Grand project in downtown L.A., wrote an article a few years ago for the Los Angeles Downtown News about the sustainable practices used for the “green deconstruction” of the old hotel on the site.  He states the fact that, “From demolition to construction to maintenance, the new projects in Downtown are incorporating green construction. It’s not only for environmental or PR reasons — done right, the moves can also save money.”  He goes on say that deconstruction of the old Wilshire Grand exhibited the best in today’s new green practices. 

Going the way of a wrecking ball for the old hotel was not practical as it had been constructed in 1951 and was filled with high levels of asbestos.  Without care taken to remove the asbestos, it would have contaminated the valuable building materials that included glass, steel, aluminum and concrete, and have made them unusable.  By carefully deconstructing the building, crews were able to properly remove the harmful asbestos as well as to recycle the greatest amount of materials.

Concrete from the structure’s columns, walls, and floors was broken into pieces at the jobsite and then taken away to recycling plants to be crushed.  This type of crushed rock is excellent for backfill, roads and building pads.  The steel that was recovered from the old hotel was sent to a plant to be melted down and reformed into new rebar.  

Furthermore, the new Wilshire Grand tower is using many recycled building materials and will incorporate sustainable practices.  Mr. Martin suggests that, “We can all look for new ways to focus on sustainability and environmental protection. It’s not just good for the environment, it’s also good business.”   

Conco’s mission is to be the best supplier of concrete services in the Western United States and to bring expertise, experience and quality to each project.  We continue to upgrade and expand facilities to better serve the growing market for public works projects, commercial, parking structures, educational, and other construction development.

“Topping Out” Ceremony for the Wilshire Grand’s Concrete Core

After three years of hard work and 744 days since the historic mat pour, the “Wilshire Grand Core and Steel Topping Out” ceremony was celebrated on March 8, 2016.   Workers from the construction project’s manager, Turner Construction, The Conco Companies and officials from the project’s architect, AC Martin Partners, representatives from the project’s owner’s, Korean Air, and others were on-hand to celebrate the event. 

The ceremony consisted of lifting the last steel beam into place, which had been signed by all of the workers, owners and a group of dignitaries.  The beam, weighing 2,100 pounds and 35 feet long, had been trucked in from Eloy, Arizona.  In following with the tradition, a U.S. flag and tree was placed on top of the beam.  The tradition of holding a topping out ceremony began as a religious rite that is traced back to ancient Scandinavia.  The practice of placing a tree on top of a newly finished building was done to appease tree-dwelling spirits that had been displaced during the construction.  

Chris Martin, the lead architect on the project, noted there is still much work to do on the project.  However, he added that they would be here again next year on March 8, 2017 in another ceremony to celebrate the completion of the building.  This date is not just coincidental, but the birthday of Yang Ho Cho, chairman of Hanjin International Corp, which owns Korean Air.

The completion of the 73-story concrete core signifies a major achievement in the project.  At 892-ft. high, the concrete core required 32,000 cubic yards of concrete and 50 million pounds of rebar to construct.  When finished, the Wilshire Grand will be the tallest building in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River.   

The Conco Companies’ goal is to be the best supplier of commercial concrete services for the Western U.S.  We bring our extensive expertise and professionalism to each project and continue to upgrade and expand facilities to better serve the growing market.  Before you start your next project, please contact us for more information about our trusted commercial concrete services.

Source: latimes.com/local/california/la-me-adv-wilshire-grand-topping-out-20160313-story.html

Time-lapsed Video from the Construction Site of the Wilshire Grand

If you have been following the construction of the Wilshire Grand Center in downtown L.A., you may be interested in a new time-lapsed video that shows a bird's-eye view of the progress that was released by Wilshire Grand Project/Turner Construction.  The video can be found on the Wilshire Grand’s facebook page.   While you are there, be sure to take a look at the great picture of Conco’s hardworking wall crew that is straight from the jobsite. 

The new video is comprised of images from a camera that was installed at the building site in late 2012.  It starts by documenting the deconstruction of the old Wilshire Grand and continues right up to the current progress in August, 2015.  The tower now stands at more than 50-stories tall and is becoming quite a presence in the area.  

The $1 billion-plus project has experienced many firsts such as when The Conco Companies set a world record for the largest concrete pour in February, 2014, and by employing the use of a special cantilever crane that is more commonly seen in cities such as New York.  Furthermore, the building’s design has been put through rigorous, sophisticated earthquake testing, and as such, is being built to withstand strong seismic activity.  Once complete the 73-story Grand is slated to become the tallest building in the U.S. west of the Mississippi and will stand 1,100 feet tall from the ground level to the top of the spire. 

As well as providing extensive concrete services for the new Wilshire Grand, Conco is busy working on projects throughout the Western United States.  Check out our website to take a look at the vast range of projects we have been a part of as well as those we are currently working on.  

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.  

Sources:facebook.com/WilshireGrandCenter.la.curbed.com/archives/2015/08/wilshire_grand_construction_time_lapse.php