Our Reinforcing Services are used on a Variety of Projects

Conco Reinforcing has been extremely busy over the last couple of years and our services have been employed on a number of different types of projects.   From airports to mixed-use high-rises, public works, highway projects and others, our two fabrication plants and installation crews have remained hard at work.   

Concrete Pumps are Given a Workout on the Panama Canal Project

While we are not a part of the project, we nevertheless find the engineering feat fascinating on both a professional and personal basis.  The expansion of the Panama Canal will not only double the capacity of the Canal but allow larger ships to pass through it.  The $5.2 billion project is now estimated to be closer to nearly $7 billion, and is the largest project on the canal since it officially opened in 1914.  It is expected to be completed in 2015. 

Once completed, the project will add a third lane of traffic by constructing new lock complexes at each end of the Canal.  On the Pacific side, the lock complex will be located southwest of the existing Miraflores Locks and the other will be east of the existing Gatun Locks.   As part of each lock complex, they contain three chambers that move vessels from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake and back down again.  Wikipedia explains, “Each chamber will have three lateral water-saving basins, for a total of nine basins per lock and 18 basins in total. Just like the existing locks, the new locks and their basins will be filled and emptied by gravity, without the use of pumps.”

What really struck us about this project was a short article by Putzmeister regarding their extensive equipment used on the Panama Canal.  This list includes Twelve Putzmeister Telebelt TB 130’s, one Telebelt TB 200, three 58-Meter Boom Pumps, one 52Z-Meter Boom Pump and four Thom-Katt TK 40 trailer pumps.  All of the equipment was used to construct the two 1,400-foot long by 180-foot wide by 60-foot deep channels that will make up the Canal’s third set of locks. 

We may not be working on the canal but our large pumping and belting divisions based out of Seattle, Northern California and the Washington areas have done their share of big projects.  Just in the last several years, Conco has been a part of many of the more notable construction done on the West Coast. 

Sources:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_project

Discover the experience of working with one of the top professional commercial concrete contractors in Northern and Southern California, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado and Washington.  The Conco Companies have been in business since 1959 delivering first-rate concrete services and has all the experience and expertise to handle even the most challenging projects. 

Conco’s Pumps are Located to Conveniently Serve the West

The Conco Companies’ pumping and belting division is one of the largest in the United States and is a very important and busy part of our operations.  After our historic Wilshire Grand mat pour, Conco got right to work on the attached parking structure and 73-story building that make up the project.  Our crews will be pumping approximately 80,000 yards of concrete vertically, which includes both lightweight concrete and 8,000 psi mixes. 

On the jobsite, we kept both of the placing boom towers that were used on the mat pour and brought in two additional placing booms to help with the construction of the underground parking structure.  We will use one of our trailer pumps to place shotcrete for the vertical concrete in the subterranean levels. 

In order to conveniently serve the pumping needs of our customers in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada, we have equipment strategically located throughout these areas.   To serve the Los Angeles area, we have a pumping facility in nearby Gardena and another based out of San Bernardino County.  Two pumping facilities in Martinez and Stockton service the Bay Area and Northern California.  For Washington and Oregon customers, our pumping facilities are based in nearby Kent and Rochester, WA.    

Our impressive fleet of pumps permit us to take on a project of the magnitude of the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles, the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, and the San Francisco 49ers Levi Stadium just to name a few.   We continue to expand our inventory of pumps and over the last several years have made large capital investments on equipment such as three brand new Schwing 58X long boom concrete pumps and several new 20, 39 and 47 meter pumps as well as new Telebelts. 

One of our most recent acquisitions included help from us to design and then to purchase the first, two Schwing S 36X pumps with tremmie options that allow us to safely support up to 1,100 at the boom.  All of our new pumps meet the latest emissions standards.

The Conco Companies has built a reputation in the greater Los Angeles area with first-class concrete reinforcing, formwork, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have offered premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.

Opportunities for Hard Working Construction Laborers

By Conco  

The Conco Companies continues to seek experienced carpenters, cement masons, ironworkers, operating engineers as well as job opportunities for construction laborers.  We have openings at all of our locations, which include Northern California, Southern California, Washington State, and Colorado.  These are union positions (with the exception of Colorado) and offer competitive wages along with medical and retirement benefits.

Conco’s openings for construction workers include Bridge Laborers and General Laborers.  The responsibilities include all work in connection with but not limited to: dumpman, load Spotter, flag person and operating a forklift.  We are an equal opportunity employer.

At Conco we employ a dedicated crew of laborers and cement masons who are some of the most experienced in the industry.  We provide crews with the most up-to-date equipment and tools to assist them with optimally performing each job and to continue to meet deadlines.  Additionally, Conco is committed to providing all employees a hazard-free, safe working environment.  

To achieve this goal, our safety program focuses on hazard elimination.  We sincerely believe that when safety is the first consideration before any work begins, everyone wins.  Safety pays for our company, our employees, our customers and the general public!

We are sure you will find our company is an exciting place to work.  We have had the privilege to be a part of many distinguished project throughout the Western U.S.  Recently we provided the concrete services for the San Francisco 49ers Levi Stadium.  Last fall we assisted on the repairs for the new Bay Bridge also in San Francisco.  Our most recent accomplishment was to break the world record for the largest continuous mat pour that was done for the Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles.
 

If you are interested in applying for a position, please refer to our website for more information.  

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We have built our reputation with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience. With state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities, we work diligently to meet goals and stay within budget.

Cast-in-place Concrete

By Conco  

Cast-in-place concrete is a commonly used building material for commercial and residential structures and accounts for 75% of all concrete used.  The process starts with a temporary form in which reinforcement such as steel bars (rebar) may be added.  The next step is to pour the liquid, ready mix concrete that has been transported to the jobsite (it may in some cases be mixed on site) into the removable forms.

Using cast-in-place offers the same benefits as other types of concrete such as durability, and strength and can use some recycled material.  It is resilient when faced with severe weather conditions such as tornados as well as resistant to mold, rot, bugs, and fire.  The thermal mass of the concrete helps to reduce a building’s energy costs and has the added benefit of acting as a sound insulator.  Moreover the concrete is ready to use once the forms are stripped and does not require any further treatment.

Originally this method was only used for sub-grade walls but the renowned inventor, Thomas Edison, experimented with using cast-in-place concrete on above-grade projects.  He demonstrated the success of his work by constructing several homes that were made entirely out of cast-in-place concrete.  With many improvements and new developments since then, cast-in-place is now used for constructing slabs, walls, beams columns floors, and roofs as well as for forming special architectural features.

The forms need to remain in place until the concrete is self-supporting.  Since one of the primary costs of cast-in-place is the forming process, using prefabricated formwork can help speed up a job and save money.  They are assembled on site and can be reused over and over again.

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 steadily taken a leading role as one of the Bay Area’s top concrete contractors. 

Chemical Admixtures in Concrete

Chemical admixtures are natural or manufactured chemicals that are added to concrete along with portland cement, aggregate, and water.  They can be a liquid or powder and are added to the concrete immediately before or during the mixing process.  The chemical admixtures in a mix will account for less than 5% of the total concrete.   

The purpose of chemical admixtures is to give the concrete additional properties to handle circumstances such as pumping requirements or when placing concrete during extreme weather conditions.   According to the Portland Cement Association, “Admixtures are classed according to function. There are five distinct classes of chemical admixtures: air-entraining, water-reducing, retarding, accelerating, and plasticizers (superplasticizers).”

The National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) says that the most common chemical admixtures used are air-entraining agents, water-reducers, and water-reducing retarders and accelerators.  They state that admixtures are added to concrete to increase “durability workability or strength characteristics of a given concrete mixture.”

Accelerators are used to increase the early strength of concrete by causing it to harden quicker and are used to protect concrete from extreme cold or when there is a tight project deadline.  Chemical accelerators are chloride based or non-chloride based and calcium chloride is one type commonly used as it is inexpensive.

Retardants are used to slow down or delay the hardening process such as in situations where the job demands a slower pour due to the scope of the project or when in very hot temperatures.  It provides a crew additional time to place and finish the concrete.   Common retardants are lignin, sugars, and citric and tartaric acids.

Air-entraining is the process of deliberately adding microscopic air bubbles into the concrete.  The purpose of doing this is to increase the concrete’s durability when faced with cycles of freezing and thawing conditions and to improve the concrete’s workability.    Furthermore segregation and bleeding is diminished or completely eliminated.  The only negative is that the concrete experiences a 5% reduction in strength for each 1% of air added.

1. http://www.cement.org/cement-concrete-basics/concrete-materials/admixtures
2. http://www.nrmca.org/aboutconcrete/cips/15p.pdf

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 package for the San Francisco 49ers Stadium.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.

How Telebelts and Portable Belts Assist in Projects

As highly experienced commercial concrete contractors, we recognize the need for projects to finish on time and on budget.  This is why we continue to purchase and utilize the most up-to-date equipment, which helps us to successfully fulfill our commitments. 

One kind of timesaving equipment we use is telebelts and portable belts that are designed to move heavy materials on or off a jobsite quickly and easily.  A telebelt is a mobile telescopic belt conveyor that is highly versatile and available in a variety of sizes.  They are used to place a high volume of concrete, gravel, rock, and backfill fast and efficiently and are a great way to save time and labor costs.  The set-up on a telebelt is easy to do, and since it is mobile, provides the option to move it around the jobsite as needed. 

Moreover they are a very reliable, well-built piece of equipment.  Putzmeister, a leading manufacturer, states, “The main conveyors and feed conveyors of Telebelts are two separate hydraulic circuits.  Each has their own pumps, control valves and motors and they are hydraulically independent of each other.”  Putzmeister offers the industry’s only line of truck-mounted telescopic belt conveyors and an outrigger design that permits set-up in congested areas and on rough terrain.

Telebelts are fast and efficient with outputs up to 5 cubic yards per minute.  They are ideal for use in low clearance areas or under bridges and into limited access structures.  To give you an example of the type of reach a telebelt may have, the Putzmeister TB 130 has a horizontal reach of 126’ 6” and a maximum rated capacity of 360 cubic yards an hour.  The unit has a 360 degree hydraulic rotation and a variety of hopper options. 

Portable belts are ideal for jobs that seem to offer few options but to wheelbarrow the material by hand.  These belts are specifically designed for just such situations and are built to be linked together to transport materials in tight spots and around corners.   They are also easy to set-up and maneuver around the jobsite. 

When your project demands exceptional services and the best value, Conco can deliver.  We have been offering premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have a regional office in the Denver area.  With state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities, we work diligently to meet goals and stay within budget.

Shanghai Tower - Second Tallest Building in the World

Since Conco is assisting on the construction of the Wilshire Grand Center in downtown Los Angeles, which will become the tallest building in the U.S. west of the Mississippi, we started wondering about other super tall skyscrapers.  This is our second blog post in a series of ten regarding the tallest buildings in the world. 

The second tallest building in the world will be the Shanghai Tower that is currently under construction in Shanghai, China.  It is scheduled for completion in late 2014 and opened to the public in 2015.  As one of three towers that include the adjacent Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, it will become the centerpiece of the Lujiazui commercial district.

The Shanghai Tower stands at 2073 ft. tall and has 121 floors above ground level.  The building’s highest occupied floor will be 1841 ft. where there will also be an observatory outlook.  The building contains 106 elevators and 4,090,000 sq. ft. of space.  The Tower is designed as nine cylindrical buildings stacked on top of one another with a double-skin facade.  According to the ArchDaily, “The inner layer of the double-skin façade encloses the stacked buildings, while the exterior façade creates the building envelope, which rotates 120 degrees as it rises and gives the Shanghai Tower its distinctive, curving appearance.”

The architect on the project is the American firm, Gensler, and the design team is led by a U.S. educated Chinese architect, Jun Xia.  In a Gensler Design Update, they reported that because of clay soil conditions, the tower required the support of 1,079 concrete-and-steel bore piles driven deep into the ground.  Additionally the enormous mat foundation pour took 63 hours of continuous concrete pumping and utilized a fleet of trucks.  The building has been awarded LEEDS Gold certification.

To give you an idea of how extremely high these skyscrapers are, two Russian skywalkers recently scaled the unfinished structure with head-cameras strapped on.  The subsequent video shows panoramic views of the city far below as they climb through the clouds to reach the top!

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States and is once again involved in doing concrete work for a major landmark project. The new Wilshire Grand Center will reshape the Los Angeles skyline as the tallest building west of the Mississippi.  As a part of the project, Conco successfully poured the largest continuous mat foundation ever done in the U.S. on February 15, 2014.

A Few Facts on the Construction of CenturyLink Stadium

Awarded the concrete package on the new Levi Stadium, which is a joint venture between Turner Construction and Devcon Construction, we brought our previous experience on public arenas.  One of those projects was to provide ancillary concrete structures on the Seattle Seahawks stadium. The CenturyLink (previously known as Seahawks Stadium and Qwest Field) was completed in 2002. 

The architectural firm on the 1,500,000 sq. ft. stadium was Ellerbe Becket, in association with Loschky Marquardt & Nesholm Architects of Seattle.  The Construction Manager was First & Goal.  CenturyLink Stadium has a 67,000 seat capacity with an additional 5,000 seats for special events and 1,400 seats for fans with disabilities.  The facility is 70% covered by a roof and is laid-out with large concourses that easily accommodate the many concession stands and restrooms. 

An interesting fact regarding the building of the new stadium is that the Seahawk’s old Kingdome Stadium was demolished by the largest single concrete structure implosion in the U.S. and set a Guinness World Record.  The event was even covered by ESPN.  Furthermore approximately half of the concrete from the site was recycled and used for the building of the new stadium.

The project presented challenges early-on with soft soil at the site that required the engineering of over 2,200 pilings driven 50 to 70 ft. into the ground to form the base for the foundation.  The CenturyLink has one of the smallest footprints of a newly built NFL stadium but that may be due to being built only a mile from the central downtown business area.  To address the size of the site, the stadium’s upper level is cantilevered over the lower sections.

The multi-use arena is also host to the United Soccer League (USL) Seattle Sounders and the MLS expansion team Seattle Sounders FC.  The field hosted the MLS Cup in 2009 and the 2010 and 2011 finals for the U.S. Open Cup.

For over 50 years, Conco has been providing premium concrete services and is one of the most trusted concrete contractors in Seattle.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.

Great Progress Achieved Thus Far on the 49ers Levi Stadium

The new San Francisco 49ers Levi Stadium construction project is progressing at the fast pace needed in order to meet the approaching August 2014 opening date.  When the Levi was awarded the 2016 NFL Super Bowl game, it required the stadium to be operational for at least two years before the big game.  Hosting the Super Bowl is an honor for the stadium and will be the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the championship game.

Conco was awarded the concrete package for the $1.2 billion project that broke ground in April of 2012.  The new stadium is being built by the construction/design team of Turner Construction and Devon Construction.  Due to the aggressive timeline, construction is being handled differently.  In most cases, stadiums are built like a wedding cake with one tier on top of another.  For the new Levi, the stadium was divided into four sections and each section is concurrently being constructed as separate projects. 

Conco had to jump right into the project with the enormous task of excavating 60,000 yards of dirt, reinforce and pump 18,000 cubic yards of concrete, backfill and build a half-mile of perimeter wall – all in 40 calendar days.  According to an article in the Concrete Pumping, Fall 2013 publication, the design specifications “made the level of difficulty extremely high for what is the largest structural steel building under construction in the U.S.”  To demonstrate how large the project is, the foundation took twenty-three semi truckloads of anchor bolts to complete.  Crews worked basically day and night starting at 5 a.m. and finished up at 1 a.m. 

Concrete pumping was constant throughout the construction of the foundation and was skillfully accomplished with the help of Conco’s recently acquired, Schwing S 58 SX boom trucks, equipped with a 188-foot reach and easy set-up.  The Schwing KVM 52 and S 47 SX were also utilized.  The foundation portion was done as a series of smaller pours rather than a large slab pour.  On a typically day, 500 yards of concrete were pumped with most of the concrete a standard 4,000 psi mix, and 8,000 psi at shear lugs.  

The Schwing 58 meter boom trucks were a valuable asset on the project.   Pumps were located both inside and outside the structure and the narrow-front spread and curved outriggers provided the crew the ability to shoot around any obstacles that were in the way.  There were times that a pump ran almost 24 hours a day with one operator quickly replacing the prior operator to start pumping again.  Conco successfully met the Phase 1 foundation deadline in July 2012.  The whole team pulled together for the difficult project and has done an excellent job!       

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We got our start in the San Francisco area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products.  Since that time, we have steadily taken a leading role as one of the Bay Area’s top concrete contractors. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.

Cal Poly’s Student Housing Achieved LEED Gold Certification

Today many universities require new student housing that is being built to be “green” and utilize sustainable practices that save both energy and water consumption.  Conco was part of the team that constructed the award winning 2,670-bed Poly Canyon Village at Cal Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. 

The architecture firm, Niles Bolton & Associates designed the Poly Canyon Village, which became the one of the largest student housing projects in the country to achieve LEED Gold certification.  The finished construction even performed 50% better on the base building standard of ASHRAE (International technical society organized to advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration).  The contractor on the project was the Clark Construction Group, LLC.  The engineer was Nabih Youssef Associates.  Conco provided the expert concrete services. 

Bob Kitamura, Executive Director/University Architect (retired), Cal Poly said of the project, "Poly Canyon Village has been a great example of what can be done to further the green initiative in a living-learning environment. Both the builder, Clark Construction and the architect, Niles Bolton Associates, did a fantastic job for us in bringing this dream to a successful reality."

The Poly Canyon Village was built on a 30 acre agricultural site and consists of nine residential buildings that form a community that is somewhat removed from the rest of the campus.  The project also included on-site retail stores, ATMs, a swimming pool, mail center, study rooms, and administrative student support services.  Two parking structures provide 1,926 parking spaces. 

According to the document for the ENERGY EFFICIENCY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM BEST PRACTICE AWARDS, the project’s “use of materials with a high amount of pre- and post-consumer recycled content, such as doors, gypsum wall board, steel decking, and composite wood cabinetry, reduced the impacts of processing new materials.”  Additionally the  “regional materials and resources, such as local concrete, steel, and metal stud trusses resulted in lower carbon emissions due to the reduction in transportation needs.”   Overall more than 12,000 tons or 90% of construction waste material was reused or recycled.  

Discover the experience of working with one of the top professional commercial concrete contractors in the San Jose area.  Conco has been in business since 1959 delivering first-rate concrete services and has all the experience and expertise to handle even the most challenging projects.

Elkhorn Court Apartment Homes

Conco had the opportunity to provide concrete services for a development of multi-family homes designed to offer novel solutions to meet demand for housing in the Bay Area.  The Essex-Elkhorn Court Apartment Homes in San Mateo, California, a mixed-use project, is one of the many developments of its kind being built throughout the country.  The well-planned neighborhood offers many amenities to its residents and the surrounding community.

 

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Sandler Neuroscience Center

Conco is one of the leading commercial concrete contractors in the Western US and has been delivering first-rate services since 1959.   Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects. We are experts at creating cost-effective solutions that take advantage of the most up-to-date techniques.

We have had the privilege to be a part of many high-profile projects throughout our long history.  Recently we had the opportunity to provide concrete services for the renowned Sandler Neurosciences Lab and Research Center, on the UCSF’s Mission Bay Campus.  The building is now home to the world’s leading clinical and research programs seeking cures for neurological disorders.  The total cost for the 237,000-square-foot, state-of-the art facility was $200 million and completed just last year.

Enfrente Pathway

http://www.conconow.com/providing-a-safe-route-for-bike-riders/

http://www.conconow.com/providing-a-safe-route-for-bike-riders/