Due to the amazing range of candidates in our summer intern program, Largo expanded the award for our Summer Intern Scholarship Application. We would like to congratulate Mohammad T. Ali Adib for winning the first place, $10,000 award. Our carpenters apprentice Jennifer Knickerbocker was also awarded with a $5,000 scholarship. And finally, our interns Luke Martin and Brandon Montiel each received a scholarship award of $2,500. We were lucky to have so many outstanding interns this year. We are grateful to teach and learn alongside the future leaders of the construction industry!
The Decorative Concrete Council awarded the Disney Frontierland Expansion project the “Cast in Place Special Finishes Over 5,000SF” this week in a virtual ceremony.
The New Century Plaza Towers became the tallest buildings in Century City, CA this month when Largo Concrete topped out at level 46. In addition to constructing the twin towers simultaneously, Largo also retrofitted the historic Fairmont Hotel designed by world-renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki along Avenue of the Stars. Yamasaki was also responsible for the triangular shaped 44-story Century Plaza Office Towers located on the opposite side of the main thoroughfare. In an effort to pay homage to Yamasaki, design architect Pei Cobb Freed & Partners shaped the new towers as reuleaux triangles. A figure consisting of three circular arches, formed from the intersection of three circular disks, each having its center on the boundary of the other two.
Largo began construction during the summer of 2018 by pouring seven large mat foundations, two of which were we over 9,300CY. Limited access to the site meant much of the readymix for the large pours had to be piped in from Constellation Way to placing booms mounted on tower crane foundations. The first of these two pours utilized five truck mounted boom pumps and two placing booms to place 9,509CY over the course of 16 hours. The second large pour was even further from the street and required five placing booms and two boom pumps to place 9,367CY over 16 hours.
The first four levels out of the ground are dedicated primarily to 1,345 parking stalls and back-of-house facilities. Radius vehicular ramps and grand staircases exude the circles used to shape the reuleaux tower decks to come above. A 25’ tall radius transfer beam supports 30 columns opening up the loading dock space. Formwork supplier Peri USA assembled a temporary access bridge to deliver rebar from Constellation Way to the back of the site. In addition to reducing the amount of crane time the temporary bridge also minimized vehicular traffic along the privately owned Solar Way.
The twin towers rise from the exquisitely landscaped plaza level lined with retail shops and cafés for a pedestrian experience which continues through the hotel lobby to Avenue of the Stars. The towers were constructed concurrently with crews pouring a deck on alternate towers every two days. A custom PERI ACS 400 core wall, self-climbing interior system with gantry beams suspending the exterior formwork was used for the hexagonal-shaped core walls. A radius trolley trailer beam was suspended from the core climber to facilitate construction of the steel framing inside the tower lobbies. The entire system weighed over 360,000lbs.
A column mounted cocoon screen with attached roll-back column formwork enclosed the upper floors as they were being constructed which removed re-shoring and enhanced safety on the site. The perimeter column forms were designed so that they could be stripped horizontally, from underneath the deck, which allowed the deck formwork to be completed before the column forms were poured and stripped. Largo also self-formed the masonry scope of work placing 102,000 concrete masonry units throughout the building including the entire height of the core.
In an effort to ease the strain on vertical transportation between the two towers, teams utilized a temporary 60’ pedestrian bridge spanning the two structures beginning at level 30 and moving up to level 43 as the buildings progressed. This proved especially helpful once Covid-19 reduced the number of individuals in each manlift for social distancing measures.
When complete, the $2.5 billion revitalization project will be over 1 million square feet on the 6.13-acre site. The Fairmont Century Plaza will feature 400 hotel suites with 63 private residences on the upper levels and the towers will hold 290 luxury condominiums with multi-level penthouses. Largo Concrete will have worked 760,000 Man Hours placing 151,000 CY of Concrete! General contractor Webcor is working with Gensler and Harley Ellis Devereaux Architects and structural engineer Englekirk to have the development open during the summer of 2021.
Largo recently topped out at the Uptown Parking Structure in Whittier, CA. The project is located on the east side of Comstock Avenue between Bailey and Philadelphia Street. The structure is being built to support the vibrant downtown commercial and entertainment area along Greenleaf Avenue.
Standing four levels above grade, the structure holds 351 parking stalls across 122,083gsf. The facade along Comstock was designed to compliment the Uptown architecture utilizing plaster, exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFS) and red brick to achieve the desired look. The elevator cores on either side of the building are structural steel with metal stud framing and brick veneer. The stairs along Comstock are cast-in-place while the stairs in the back of the building are steel.
Largo is the general contractor for this project self-performing the concrete formwork, pumping, place and finish, and masonry scopes of work. Largo is working for the City of Whittier to have the structure open before the end of the 2020.
Largo Concrete supports Hope Builder’s mission of empowering Orange County’s young adults with the mentorship, life skills and job skills training that meet the needs of employers. Hope Builders enables young people, who are unemployed, out of school, in and out of the criminal justice system and/or pregnant or parenting, with the job training and life skills needed to move out of poverty and achieve enduring personal and professional success. Since 1995, Hope Builders has worked to develop and refine a theory of change that leads to real transformation in the lives of young men and women who are disconnected from educational and workforce opportunities.
Click here to donate. Donations can be allocated toward Career Registry, Amigo Scholarships or Corporate Sponsorship.
Largo Concrete poured the last concrete deck at the Yerba Buena Island Condominiums this month. The project is perched on the small island in the San Francisco Bay best know for its tunnel connecting the two spans of the Bay Bridge. The development begins at the corner of Macalla and North Gate Roads on the northeast side of the island and works it’s way up the hill. The structure is 257,380gsf with 2.5 levels of below grade podium parking and five levels of light gauge metal stud above it. Largo worked with DCI Engineers to deliver the superstructure in a design-build format. Tenants will enjoy views of the self-anchored suspension eastern span of the Bay Bridge with Oakland and Emeryville in the background to the east, and Treasure Island to the north. General contractor Cahill Contractors are BDE Architecture aim to have the development open in early 2021.
Largo recently poured-out at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Phase 2 Expansion project which features 328,000sf of column-free exhibit space. The 1.44m gsf addition includes a total of 600,000sf of exhibit space, 210,000sf of pre-function areas and 150,000sf of meeting and multi-purpose space. 195,000sf of support areas include MEP facilities, restrooms, public corridors, and a central utility plant. 280,000sf of service space includes loading docks, kitchens, food and beverage outlets, security stations, and office space for admin, maintenance and operations staff.
Largo placed over 70,000CY of concrete across 970,000sf of slab-on-grade, 243,000sf of suspended decks and beams and 414,000sf of slab on metal deck. Largo placed concrete on 296 different days averaging 235CY per pour! The majority of the 585,000sf Exhibit Hall Floor was placed in 88 working days, which averages out to placing 6,600sf every day for four months! General contractor Martin Harris/Turner Construction, JV, TVS Nevada Architects and Magnusson Klemencic Associates structural engineers, the development is scheduled to be complete in December 2020.
The Miro Towers became San Jose’s tallest structures this month when Largo poured level 29 at 291′ above street level! Located on the north side of E. Santa Clara Avenue between Fourth and Fifth, the buildings are across the street from City Hall which used to be the city’s second tallest structure. Miro will feature a total of 630 two and three bedroom units and 633 parking spaces.
Stressing Procedure
Transfer girders utilize four rows of post-tensioned cables which are progressively stressed throughout construction. The girders are located on level five above grade and are up to 72” wide by 64” deep! The additional rows of PT cables are spaced 6” apart and lay below a row of tendons which are stressed after placing level five. Upon completion of level ten the bottommost row is stressed, then the second from the bottom row is tensioned at level 15, ending at level 25.
Largo topped out at the 4 Diller project in Redwood City, CA this month! The 555,736gsf building is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and 35 of the 350 total units are designated as for affordable housing.
