The natural beauty of the Northern California coastline has sometimes wreaked havoc on the coastal communities of Moss Beach and Montara. During the rainy season, mud slides become a frequent occurrence often leading to the shutdown of Highway 1, the only artery leading north to San Francisco. The resolution to this problem was to build a tunnel … [Read more...]
Saving Projects with Shotcrete
Solution A city’s history can be told by its venerable buildings that still stand. Over time even the best built buildings succumb to time and stress. Some buildings are worth saving, but cost prohibitive. Retrofit construction costs can often exceed a budget and doom a building. The Hall of Justice renovation project in Los Angeles could have … [Read more...]
Parking Structures + Shotcrete
Looking for a Faster, Economical Solution? A new parking structure being constructed in Santa Clara, CA offered challenges similar to many other projects. The owner and the general contractor, Devcon Construction, were looking for ways to get the structure built more quickly and economically. One solution used was to build the 40 feet shear walls … [Read more...]
Shotcrete 101
Shotcrete is a method of applying concrete pneumatically through a high pressure nozzle. Because it is installed at a high velocity, shotcrete tends to have better consolidation than conventional concrete, making for a denser finished product. The consistency of shotcrete is more easily controlled than cast-in-place concrete as it is impossible to … [Read more...]
Sculpted Shotcrete Mural
Problem: Unappealing Concrete Shear-wall Solution: Sculpted Shotcrete Mural The City of Burien, WA sits below the Cascade Mountain range. As such, in the background of the downtown area is Mount Rainier. When building a parking garage to support the bus transit center, the city wanted to avoid having a structure with stark concrete walls. Their … [Read more...]