Aggregate Choices for concrete

Aggregate is the particulate material that provides structure to concrete, such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone. Choosing the appropriate aggregate for the concrete mixtures is extremely important to the performance of the concrete. Aggregate can occupy up to 75% volume of the concrete. There are also more recent types of concrete, such as Confoam by Conco, that use only fine aggregate to create lightweight concrete. That means that the choice of aggregate greatly affects the strength, weight, cost, and other properties of the concrete.

Conco is Involved in Oakland, CA’s Building Boom

If it has been a while since you last visited Oakland, CA, you are in for a surprise.  Over the last few years, Oakland has seen dozens of new construction projects throughout its downtown core and nearby neighborhoods. The Conco Companies have been pleased to be involved in several of them. 

Concrete Seismic Retrofitting Services in Los Angeles

Since the passage of Ordinance 183893 in 2015, the City of Los Angeles has been busy identifying non-ductile concrete buildings that require seismic retrofitting to come up code.  Along with all of the other concrete services we provide, The Conco Companies is providing professional seismic retrofitting for pre-1978 non-ductile concrete buildings in L.A. 

Our Martinez Facility is a 2017 Recipient of a “Pollution Prevention Award”

The Conco Companies’ Martinez facility was recently honored as a recipient of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District’s Pollution Prevention Award.  All private businesses and organizations located within the Central San’s service area are eligible to enter the annual event.  Award recipients are recognized for going above and beyond in their business practices in regard to pollution prevention and environmental protection.    

ICF Wall Systems

Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) systems are being used in everything from single story buildings to 20+ story high-rises.  Common types of projects include single and multifamily residential housing, hotels, offices, educational and healthcare facilities, manufacturing and warehouse buildings and others.    

“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.    

Partnering with Some of the Biggest Names in the Industry

Another of the highly respected construction companies that The Conco Companies have been honored to work with is Turner Construction.   According to their website, they have a reputation for “undertaking large, complex projects, fostering innovation, embracing emerging technologies, and making a difference for their clients, employees and community.”  Turner is a North-American based company with 5,200 employees and has a record of completing $10 billion of construction on 1,500 projects each year.  

One notable project we worked with Turner on was the San Francisco 49ers new stadium.  The 1.85 million square foot Levi's Stadium was completed in 2014 and features 165 luxury suites, 9,000 club seats, an open pedestrian plaza, community space, a 49ers team store, and a 49ers Hall of Fame.  The stadium is also used for a number of other events including professional and college football, soccer, motocross, concerts, and civic events.   

During the construction of the stadium, Conco constructed slabs in excess of 2,000,000 square feet and used more than 65,000 cubic yards of concrete.  As the project was on an ambitious timeline, we worked in four separate areas simultaneously to complete the foundation and used the same techniques for the many deck pours.   

Another exciting project of Turner Construction, and one that we are honored to be a part of, is the Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles.  Expected to be complete in early March, the 73-story building will offer 20 floors of Class A office (400,000 square feet) and 42 floors of four-star hospitality with 900 guestrooms.  The 400,000 square feet of podium includes ballrooms, meeting rooms, retail and below grade parking for 1,250 cars.  The Wilshire Grand is the tallest building west of the Mississippi and presented a series of challenges that Conco and Turner have successfully met.   

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 Honored to Work with the Best!

As a subcontractor on several large construction projects throughout the West Coast, The Conco Companies have been privileged to work with some of the best contractors in the industry.  One of those companies is the Clark Construction Group.   

As one of the most experienced and respected building and civil construction firms in the United States, the Clark Construction Group has a reputation for transforming the ideas and visions of their clients into award-winning projects.  Their goals include building with the intention of exceeding clients’ expectations for safety, quality, functionality, and aesthetics, and deliver finished products that stand the test of time.  Clark has a large portfolio of projects that includes all sizes and levels of difficulty spanning from complicated interior renovations to some of the most complex civil operations in the country.  

One of the projects we are proud to be working with Clark on is the Salesforce Tower under construction in downtown San Francisco.  The  61-story, Class-A office tower will be one of the tallest buildings in the western United States at 1,070 feet and will surpass New York City’s Chrysler Building as the seventh tallest building in the country. 

Another memorable project that Conco assisted Clark with a few years ago was the Los Angeles Hall of Justice restoration project.  It included a design-build contract for structural, architectural, and aesthetic upgrades to the 1920s-era building.  As L.A.'s former county jail, the Hall of Justice was closed after it was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The newly renovated space now includes the L.A. Sherriff's Department and members of the L.A. County District Attorney's staff. 

Conco also is working with Clark on the new VA Mental Health and Research (MH&R) building currently under construction in Seattle, WA.  For the $152 million project, we are providing all of the concrete pumping, formwork and place and finish services for the 219,000 SF project as well as supplying the reinforcement.  In addition we are providing shotcrete services for nonstructural site walls. 

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.

Job Posting - Workers Compensation Claims Administrator

Along with professional job postings for Superintendents at our Northern and Southern CA locations and a Project Manager in Southern CA, The Conco Companies are also looking an experienced full-time Workers Compensation Claims Administrator.  We are a large, commercial concrete contractor who needs a talented individual to provide functional support and accounting on all aspects of workers compensation. This person will work directly with Conco’s Third Party Administrator (TPA).

A college degree is preferred but we will consider applicants with a high school or GED diploma, and with a minimum of one to five years’ experience in workers compensation insurance.  It is beneficial to be familiar with the construction industry.   Primary job duties include processing WC accident reports from the field, setting up claim files and reporting claims to the appropriate carriers.  

The W/C Admin will also be responsible for updating the OSHA logs that are used for required reporting as well as see to it that the status of all open claims are updated monthly and close out any claims once they are complete.  In addition they will follow up on all open claims on a monthly basis in order to: monitor employees’ attendance to medical exams or PT appointments; report status updates to field supervisors; monitor salary continuation; and prepare modified duty or temporary disability reports to management.

The job requires proficiency with Microsoft Office or Apple based software products such as Excel, Numbers, Pages, Word as well as knowledge with the Internet as duties also include processing billing for TPA, first aid medicals and other invoices.  The W/C admin will arrange for WC quarterly claim reviews with our TPA and monitor claims handled by OCIPS for experience and reporting.  The Conco Companies are an equal opportunity employer.  Please see our website for the full job details and how to apply.

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western United States and offers a wide range of innovative, quality services.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.  We have regional offices serving Northern California, Southern California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

YouTube Video Demonstrates Conco’s Problem-Solving Ability

  

During our almost 60 years in the business, The Conco Companies have had to come up with creative solutions to effectively and efficiently solve problems to keep our projects on time and budget.  Many times one of the biggest problems we face is simply a lack of space to stockpile equipment and materials.  This requires us to plan carefully in order to make the best use of the available space. 

One case where it was vital to maximize our limited space in order to get a project done in an extremely tight time-frame was during the building of 1 South Market, a high-rise residential tower under construction in downtown San Jose.  Our task involved the need to backfill 2,900 tons of crushed rock in the space of just three 8-hour days.  Knowing that any delays on our part would impact other job tasks and taking into account the already congested worksite, Conco brought in our Direct Feed trailer to tackle the job.     

In order to get a good look at the process and to see our equipment in action, watch our YouTube videos, Direct Feed Trailer Gets High Productivity in Tight Space Part 1 and Part 2.   Our solution was to bring in a Direct Feed trailer that allowed a Super Dump, Transfer, End Dump or 10-Wheeler to unload its contents directly into the hopper attached to the trailer.   The material was then fed from the hopper onto one of Conco’s Telebelts.   From there, the Telebelt placed the material directly where it needed to be placed.  By employing this system, we eliminated the need to stockpile material on a limited space jobsite along with the need to handle it twice via a loader or bobcat.  Since the material was discharged directly into the back of a truck, it meant we accomplished the task not only quicker but it required less labor than if we had used a loader to move the material. 

Another advantage The Conco Companies bring to our projects is as the proud owner of a trucking company, we can guarantee we will have the equipment we need to successfully get the job done.  Conco’s Reliable Trucking Company provided the Super Dumps we used for the job. 

The Conco Companies are the foremost supplier of concrete services for the Western U.S. We have built a reputation on superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  Conco’s concrete 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. 

Reinforced Concrete Supports Modern Architectural Designs

Structural concrete or reinforced concrete is classified as precast or cast-in-place concrete and provides the required strength to allow many of today’s challenging architectural designs to be achieved.  The amount of steel that is embedded into the concrete is based on each project’s specifications and steel reinforcing bars (rebar) are commonly used.  The rebar is placed in a formwork or mold and tied into place with wire that is referred to as the reinforcement cage.  The concrete is then prepared following the design mix specifications and poured into the form to set and harden.   

The development of reinforced concrete has made concrete the most commonly used type of building material throughout the world.  It offers a higher tensile strength and ductility than concrete alone and absorbs the tensile, shear, and even at times the compressive stresses in a concrete structure.  It is the type of concrete typically used in the construction of dams, bridges, skyscrapers, columns, beams, frames, and foundations.   

Many large skyscrapers, such as the One World Trade Center Tower and the new Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles are being built with a cast-in-place, reinforced concrete core.   The reinforced core walls in the One World Trade Center are 6 ft. thick below grade and more than 3ft. thick above ground level.  On the upper levels the concrete is 2 ft. thick throughout the core of the building.  The Wilshire Grand, one of the current projects that The Conco Companies are busy helping to construct, will have a four-foot-thick reinforced core that surrounds the staircase in the center of the building.  Neither of these super tall skyscrapers could have been built without the use of today’s reinforced concrete. 

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. 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, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.

The Importance of Concrete to the World Economy

Right behind water, concrete is the second most widely used substance in the world, and as such, it is an enormous industry with billions of tons produced annually.  In the United States alone, it is a $200 billion industry and more than 500,000 people are employed in some form of career that involves concrete.

The size of the industry reflects the versatility of concrete and its many applications.  It is used in the construction of roads, bridges, dams and public works as well as most office buildings, retail stores and parking structures throughout the world.  Concrete is also used in the construction of some of the safest, most energy-efficient homes.  In addition it is pumped up to extreme heights to build today’s skyscrapers and other building projects. 

Compared to wood, asphalt and most other construction materials, concrete is very durable and will last for decades.  And unlike other materials, it gets stronger as it ages.   Also it is extremely good at standing up to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods.  Add to that the fact that it is fire resistant to make it one of the safest construction materials available.   

Even after several decades of use, concrete can be recycled into an aggregate that has a variety of different uses.  It is commonly used as backfill or as gravel in new construction projects.  The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) points out that concrete is “green” as it does not contain toxic runoff as asphalt does and is produced locally from abundant local sources.  Thus the mere sustainability of concrete makes it a good choice both environmentally and economically.

Sources:concretehelper.com/concrete-facts/,en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_Industry_Management

When your project demands exceptional services and the best value, The Conco Companies can deliver.  We have been offering premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. With state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities, we work diligently to meet goals and stay within budget.

Building Facts for the Salesforce Tower

 

The Salesforce Tower in downtown San Francisco is one of The Conco Companies more recent projects and we are currently preparing to do another huge mat pour for the Tower.  This new undertaking will be the largest continuously pumped mat pour done in San Francisco, and by the end of the pour, we will have placed nearly 14,000 cubic yards. 

In recent interview done by the San Francisco Business Times with Michael Tymoff, the senior project manager for the development company, Boston Properties, mentioned that the building could exceed LEED Platinum certification.  Presently the building is pre-certified for LEED Platinum but is intending to add features that are certain to increase the energy efficiency of the Tower such as wind turbines on the roof and other power saving ideas. 

The building is loaded with high-end features that include tall ceilings on each floor that will be as high as 13 feet tall, and 10 foot-high windows throughout the building to offer fantastic views.  Furthermore in an effort to provide exceptional air quality, every floor will have 100% natural air pulled into the building by units that are located on the floor.   

The $1.1 billion project is expected to be complete in 2017 and with a height of 1,070 feet; it will become the second tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi, just behind the Wilshire Grand Tower.  In addition to the mat pour, Conco was awarded the concrete and rebar contracts for the building.  The building will consist of a concrete core with a structural steel frame that will require lightweight concrete to be pumped to the kinds of heights we have successfully been doing for the Wilshire Grand Tower project in Los Angeles.  

Sources:  bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2014/07/salesforce-tower-boston-properties-hines-transbay.html?page=all  

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in San Francisco offering a range of innovative, quality services.  We have been honored to work on many high-profile projects and were recently awarded the concrete contract for the San Francisco 49ers Stadium.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.

New High-rise Project in San Jose

The Conco Companies are providing concrete services for One South Market, a new high-rise residential tower that is being constructed in downtown San Jose at the corner of Market and Santa Clara streets.  The project broke ground in June, 2013 and is scheduled to be completed next year.  The developer on the $135 million project is Essex Property Trust and the contractor is Balfour Beatty Construction. 

The 23-story mixed use redevelopment project will consist of 312 multi-family attached units and 6,000 square feet of commercial space on almost an acre of property.  The project is part of the Downtown Growth Area that is identified in the Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan.  Since San Jose has experienced a faster job growth than the national average in large part due to Silicon Valley, the city hopes that the new high-rise will attract more people to the downtown area.   

For Conco’s part, we once again had to come up with a creative way to fulfill one of our responsibilities on the project.  The task was to backfill 2,900 tons of crushed rock in a period of three 8-hour days and any delay in completing the job would impact the timeliness of future jobs on the project.

A jobsite is already a busy place so in order not to congest the site any further, Conco brought in its Direct Feed trailer, which allows a Superdump, Transfer, End Dump or 10-Wheeler to unload its contents directly into the hopper attached to the trailer.  This allowed us to feed material from the hopper onto one of Conco’s Telebelts.  From there, the Telebelt placed the material directly to the point of placement.

Using this system, we eliminated the need to stockpile material on the jobsite and did not have to handle it twice via a loader or bobcat.  The job was quicker and less labor intensive than using a loader since the material was discharged directly from the back of a truck.  Reliable Trucking provided the Super Dumps for the project and the job was completed well within the required timeframe.

Sources:

nbcbayarea.com/news/local/One-South-Market-High-Rise-Building-to-Change-San-Jose-Skyline-213004711.html

 

conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States.  As one of the leading commercial concrete contractors in the Bay Area, we have been involved with large-scale projects in the area including the Mineta Airport.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.