Window Tricks to Make Your Office Appear Larger

There is a lot to be said for commercial glass replacement during an office remodel. From creating a more productive atmosphere to creating the illusion of more space to work in, glass and mirrors are an affordable way to spruce up and make the office feel more appealing.

Benefits of Ambient LIght

Commercial glass replacement is an opportunity to go bigger and better than what you are replacing. Large windows that allow sunlight into the room make your office appear larger, warmer, and more comfortable to work in. If wall space is at a premium, you can also install skylights or windows in places like above your doors. Depending on the placement, clear glass is not always the best option, but there are many tints and coatings available to provide the best possible light in the most beneficial manner.

Interior Windows and Walls

Windows are great for use inside the office place as well. Windows between offices allow nonverbal communication at a glance and give the impression of connecting two or more rooms into a single unit. Window walls tend to be less expensive than regular walls and make perfect barriers between rooms. Used in conjunction with vertical blinds, window walls can provide you with affordable office space that both conserves space and gives the illusion of having more.

Visual Depth

Optimum commercial glass replacement provides depth to the workspace by providing a direct view of the outside world. By contrast, a windowless office can feel confining and small, even if it is the largest office in the building. The best results come from an unobstructed view of the sky or some natural setting, but any view outside, even glass doors, will help a lot.

Creating Windows With Mirrors

Placing mirrors so that they reflect a window view isn’t as good as the real thing, but it does enhance depth perception as it redirects natural light into the office. This trick is handy for interior spaces that don’t have direct outside access. Mirrors can be used to create the illusion of space in other ways as well and can be custom-designed to exactly match your space and needs.

Glass and Display Space

Another way to use glass to make a room seem larger is to replace existing display cases and shelves with glass alternatives. Custom display cases and shelving will give your customers a better view of the merchandise without blocking off space or obstructing security systems. During an office remodel, this type of commercial glass replacement can provide you with more office space by reducing the footprint of the case, and adding the illusion of even more to make your employees more productive and your customers feel more welcomed.

Commercial glass replacement is fast, convenient, and affordable. Even more appealing to the bottom line, windows have been shown to increase morale, productivity, and even the health of office workers. Before finalizing your office renovations, consider using glass as an alternative to traditional drywall or wood framing.

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. 

“Premiere on Pine” – ACI’s Second Place Winner in High Rise Category

The Conco Companies are proud to report that one of our recent projects is the Second Place Winner of the American Concrete Institute’s 2017 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards in the High Rise category.  One of only 12 winners internationally, the Premiere on Pine (formerly known as 815 Pine) is a 42-story tower that highlights the structural and technological advancements made in the concrete industry over the last several years.   

Facts Regarding the Tallest Skyscraper in San Francisco

One recent project The Conco Companies provided a range of concrete services for is the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.  Now the tallest and most expensive building in the city as well as the tallest occupied floor west of Chicago, the Salesforce is close to completion.  Scheduled to open in early 2018, the project developer’s, Boston Properties reports that nearly 700 construction workers are on site every day, working around the clock to finish the tower.    

Concrete Mixes that Meet the Specs of Each Project

At The Conco Companies, our portfolio includes a wide variety of projects that have required the use of various concrete mixes to meet their unique specifications.  For projects that require extremely durable and/or high-strength concrete, High-performance Concrete (HPC) is used.  

Conco’s Expanded Reach Has Resulted in a Busy 2017

The Conco Companies have continued to extend their reach throughout the Western U.S.  Our service areas include the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Diego, CA; Reno, NV; Seattle, WA; and Denver and Colorado Springs, CO.  Our newest office is in Portland, Oregon.  Furthermore, we are pleased to report that with a steady uptick in the construction markets of our service areas, all of our regional offices are staying busy.  

The Topping Out of the East County Detention Center

Recently The Conco Companies announced the topping out of the East County Detention Center, a 500,000 SF expansion and replacement to the existing Riverside County Jail.  The project’s General Contractor is Clark Construction and the architect is HOK.  The $330 million project will add another 1,626 beds to the facility once it is complete.   

The US Cement Industry

Cement is the key ingredient in concrete, and as the Portland Cement Association (PCA) explains, portland cement is “the generic term for the type of cement used in virtually all concrete, just as stainless is a type of steel and sterling a type of silver.”  To manufacture cement, lime, silica, alumina, iron and other materials are heated to extremely high temperatures that create marble-size balls or nodules called clinker.  Next the clinker is ground up and mixed in with limestone and gypsum.  

New Salesforce Videos

One of the big projects The Conco Companies recently provided a full range of concrete services for was the Salesforce Tower in downtown San Francisco.  Now that the silvery curtain-wall panels have completely covered the outside of the 1,070-foot tall building, it can be seen for miles in and around San Francisco.  This is probably not surprising as the peak of the building stands 200 feet taller than the city’s previously tallest building, the Transamerica Pyramid.  The 61-story building consists of 900 feet of occupied space with spacious office floors that boast ceiling heights of almost 14 feet.  The remaining 170 feet above the top floor of the building is mainly empty space but does house some mechanical equipment.    

The World’s Fastest Elevators and Longest Elevator Runs

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) recently published a report in collaboration with the Guinness Book of World Records on the fastest elevators and the longest elevator run in skyscrapers.  It evaluates elevators in commercial buildings from across the globe to determine the speed and the length of their run.  The CTBUH has certified the Shanghai Tower, currently the world's second-tallest building at 632 meters tall (2,073′), takes the prize for both the “fastest elevator and the longest elevator run of all commercial buildings in the world.”  

Award-winning Residential Tower

The Ten Thousand, a luxurious apartment building in Century City that borders Beverly Hills, was recently recognized as a “Gold Winner” in the category of the Best Multi-family Project from the LA Business Journal‘s Commercial Real Estate Awards.  The Conco Companies were honored to provide concrete services on the 40-story, 483-foot residential tower, which is quickly becoming one of the area’s iconic architectural landmarks.  The developer as well as owner of the $300 million project is Crescent Heights.  The architect is Handel Architects and Shamir Shah Design the interior designer.  Swinerton Builders is the general contractor.     

Using Concrete and Glass to Create a Masterpiece of a Home

A recently constructed 20,000 sq. ft. home located on Miami’s Coconut Grove bay is an excellent example of integrating a man-made structure into the natural surroundings.  Designed by the filmmaker Alejandro Landes, the massive concrete and glass-walled villa is his first architectural project.  Throughout the beautiful home, Landes used a selection of tropical materials such as salvaged teak wood, rattan, bamboo, handmade linen and more.   

Mix-use Development Offers Smart Growth

At The Conco Companies, we are proud to have provided concrete services on many mixed-use buildings and “green” projects constructed in urban areas up and down the West Coast.   The Municipal Research & Services Center in Seattle, Washington defines mixed-use development “as pedestrian-friendly development that blends two or more residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and/or industrial uses.”  As one of the ten principles of Smart Growth, it includes “a planning strategy that seeks to foster community design and development that serves the economy, community, public health, and the environment.” 

“Topping Off” Ceremony for the Salesforce Tower

The final beam was hoisted into place on April 6, 2017 topping off the new Salesforce Tower in downtown San Francisco, which is the tallest building west of Chicago. While the new Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles has a spire that actually makes it higher in height, the San Francisco tower will hold the honor of having the highest occupied floor.  The 61-story skyscraper, located at Mission and 1^st Street, and has been under construction for four years.    

Energy Efficient Skyscraper in Downtown Sydney

The 1 Bligh Street office tower in downtown Sydney received a "6 Star/World Leadership"-certification, which is the highest score from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).  The tower was designed by Ingenhoven Architects + Architectus, who won an international contest commissioned by the property owner, Dexus Property Group, in 2006.  

Constructing Energy Efficient Skyscrapers for the Future

Extremely tall buildings over 600 meters (around 2,000 feet) have been designated as “megatall” by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).  One example of a megatall skyscraper currently under construction is “The Tower,” which will surpass the 2,716 feet high Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest building, by a “notch.” The Jeddah Tower is another mind-bogglingly megatall skyscraper that will reach the architectural height of 3,280 feet (1,000 meters, or one kilometer) tall, once it is completed in 2020.  By 2020, The CTBUH predicts there will be at least eight such buildings internationally.

A Unique Construction Method Used on the Salesforce Tower Project

The Conco Companies have been providing a variety of concrete services for the Salesforce Tower currently under construction in downtown San Francisco.  Once completed in 2018, the $1.1 billion office building will be the center-piece of a new South of Market neighborhood that includes the Transbay Terminal.  The scope of the project involved Conco completing two floors per week for the 61-story skyscraper, which was done in a 3-day work cycle for each floor in order to meet the accelerated pace.  

To see how we accomplished this task, we encourage you to visit our facebook page to view our time-lapse video that depicts the last full core wall lift on the 1.4 million square-foot tower.  Conco used a unique self-climbing form system that allowed us to do a pour cycle, also known as a “lift,” once every three days.  As you will see from our video, the self-climbing form, which is secured to the existing wall below, made the concrete pours on upper floors very efficient.  To allow access to the building’s 14-foot 9-inch floor-to-floor heights, the form was raised in increments of 15 feet, and involved both the exterior and interior sections of the system moving independently.   

To complete a “jump”, the exterior sections require about 20 minutes to complete, and the more complex interior system takes about 45 minutes to complete a jump.  Once it is in place, the crews aligned and secured the panels to allow the walls to be enclosed and ready for the pour.  This innovative equipment allowed us to begin the next cycle just 6-8 hours after the pour was finished.  The job also required using the most powerful concrete stationary pumps in the industry to pump the concrete to the height of the upper floors. 

We recognize that this feat required absolute organization, management and execution from the top down including our hard-working, dedicated pump operators and rebar, formwork, and placement crews.  In addition we are thankful for the support, partnership and collaborative efforts of the project’s general contractor, Clark/Hathaway Dinwiddie, a Joint Venture.  Conco also acknowledges that we could not have done the job without the cooperation of all of our other trade partners as well as the project owner, Boston Properties, and our concrete supplier CEMEX.   

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout 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 and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures.

Conco is Looking for a Formwork Design Engineer

The Conco Companies are looking for the perfect candidate to fill our opening for a Formwork Design Engineer at our Kent, Washington location.  The position is full-time and will support the Formwork General Superintendent, Project Superintendents, Project Managers and Project Engineers. 

The job’s minimum qualifications include an Engineer in Training (EIT) certification and two years of structural design experience.  In addition the EIT will be paired with a licensed Professional Engineer or Structural Engineer for training and mentoring purposes with the goal of attaining a Professional Engineering license.

All applicants must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and computer literacy including experience with Microsoft Word and Excel.  In addition it is to an applicant’s advantage to have some knowledge of AutoCAD and Revit as well as a general knowledge of the concrete industry. 

We require that the individual can work as a team in order to develop cost-effective shoring, reshoring and formwork systems for concrete structures.  They will also be responsible for developing design formwork systems for walls, columns, pilasters and climbing formwork systems.  The candidate must be able to manage design processes and to provide direction to the drafting staff.  Duties also include assisting the Project Engineers with drafting RFI’s when required and other responsibilities as listed on our posting. 

You will find a downloadable application on our website along with information on where to send your completed application.  The Conco Companies are one of the nation’s leading commercial concrete contractors, and as an employee, you will have the opportunity to be a part of many challenging and exciting projects.  Also we are an equal opportunity employer and hiring decisions are made without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, age, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local EEO law.  Please contact us if you need additional information.  

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. We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

A New Skyscraper in Tukwila May be Just the Start!

The city of Tukwila hopes a new skyscraper currently under construction will be the catalyst to new growth in South King County, so reports the local King 5 News.  The skyscraper is another high-rise The Conco Companies are providing concrete services for, and another “tallest” building project between Seattle and Tacoma.   The 19-story tower is also the first Class A high-rise to be built in South King County.   

Once complete, the mixed-use Washington Place tower will offer a 185-room hotel, 370 residential units and a four-story parking garage to accommodate 300 vehicles.  The expected cost of the project is $120 million.  The developer, Omar Lee explains how he put together the financing for the new skyscraper.  He explains that, "Instead of a conventional bank loan, we decided to finance 50% by EB-5, the rest on our own funding, and small loans, so that's something unique about this project.”  

The city of Tukwila is currently building a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the nearby Green River that will connect the new high-rise to the commuter rail station to make it a short 10-walk.  City planners also have a long-term goal of connecting the nearby mall to the commuter rail and encouraging other redevelopment near the new tower.  They hope that the Washington Place project is the start of something big for the city. 

Along with the business-class hotel and apartment units, the tower will include a rooftop garden and a 90-seat restaurant.  The hotel will occupy the first 11th floors of the building and the residential apartments will occupy floors 12-18.  Amenities for the residents and hotel guests include a lounge, club, and exercise room on the top floor, and a pool at ground-level. The new pedestrian/bike bridge is expected to open in 2017 and the Washington Place high-rise by late 2017 or early 2018.   

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the entire cast-in-place concrete for the Wilshire Grand, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Source:king5.com/news/local/tukwila-hopes-new-skyscraper-will-be-catalyst-for growth/375558472

New Skyscrapers Move in the Direction of a “Mixed-use” Model

In a recent article from David Nicholson-Cole and published by CNN Style, he discusses the iconic “International Style" of skyscraper from the 20^th century as “a prismatic glass surface wrapped around a central service core.”  Nicholson-Cole explains that this type of skyscraper was first envisioned by a group of German architects, including Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe, who fled to America during the 1920s and 30s.  Some examples of early, dark glass-walled skyscrapers include the United Nation’s Building in 1952, the Lever House in 1954 and the Seagram Tower in 1958.   

Now however, last century’s model of high-rise urban centers surrounded by suburban areas that people live and shop in is not considered “compatible with the land resources, population, energy, and transport requirements of 21st-century cities.”  Today there is a demand for more energy-efficient skyscrapers and a move away from 20^th century glass towers as well as a trend toward constructing more mixed-use tall buildings. 

In addition things like the Internet have changed the need for traditional office space as many more employees now work from home and communicate through video conferencing and virtual networks.  Skyscrapers are being designed with large trading floors or multi-screen workstations as well as large, open spaces to meet and gather.  Many new buildings offer landscaped “naturalized” interiors, sky gardens, and an array of energy-efficient features and have returned to large glazed windows set in insulated concrete walls. 

Another 21^st century trend is toward mixed-use skyscrapers that not only contain office space but also have hotels, residential apartments, restaurants and entertainment venues, and even retail at ground level.  Frequently underground parking is available.  The trend toward mixed-use buildings is seen as a way to obtain income rentals from a variety of sources, and thus make the skyscraper less susceptible to inevitable economic swings. 

Many of The Conco Companies projects have been mixed-use high-rises including the soon to open Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles. The skyscraper is the tallest building west of the Mississippi and will offer a 900-room InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel, cutting-edge restaurants, businesses, and attractive nightlife offerings and will add to the rich cultural and economic revival of Downtown.

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout 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 and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures.

Source: cnn.com/2016/12/08/architecture/rise-of-glass-skyscrapers/index.html