Tag: mass concrete

Project News

Reach for the Stars!

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.

Project News

Fig-Pico Hotel Mat Foundation Pour

Largo poured the massive mat foundation for a new high-rise tower in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night. Located on the northeast corner of Figueroa and Pico, the hospitality development will add 727 rooms when complete in 2022.

National Readymix began service to the site at 1AM, and it took 7 pumps nearly 11 hours to pour 7,096CY.

The building will consist of 37 total levels which includes a concrete roof. Building services are located in the basement with 11,000sf of retail space on street level. Six levels of above grade parking followed by a pool deck with outdoor restaurant space make up the first eight levels. Hospitality levels are shared between the AC and Moxy Hotel brand names with 347 and 380 keys respectively. Largo Concrete is working with Lightstone developers, general contractor Suffolk Construction, Gensler architects and Saiful Bouquet structural engineers to be poured out in late 2021.

Mat Foundation Pour Time-Lapse Video

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Project News

Building Under the Disney Height Cone at the Anaheim Resort District

Westin Resort
Largo recently topped out on the last of three hospitality projects in the Anaheim Entertainment District. The Westin Anaheim Resort is located on the south side of Katella Avenue from Disneyland next to the Convention Center. The development features 634 rooms spread across 9 above grade levels with 31,200sf of retail and restaurant space on grade. When the development opens during the summer of 2020 it will be Anaheim’s second, non-Disney four-diamond resort. Largo worked with general contractor KCS West, architect  Harley Eliis Devereaux and structural engineer Englekirk.

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The Disney Height Cone
The Westin’s proximity to the Disneyland Resort meant the design had to conform with what local developers refer to as the “Disney Cone”. This height restriction on buildings surrounding the park allows visitors to be totally
immersed in the Disney experience with limited views of anything non-Disney . This effort began back in the 1960’s with a strategically placed landscaped berm surrounding the park and has evolved into a city mandate. Currently, the ‘cone’ limits heights of buildings immediately surround the park to 75′ gradually increasing to 240′ a half-mile away from the resort. 

JW Marriott
Just one mile east of the Westin along South Clementine Street Largo poured the concrete at the 466 room JW Marriott hotel with general contractor W.E. O’Neil. Construction on this 13 level structure began during the spring of 2018 with Largo pouring three large mat foundations totaling 5,796CY over the course of 2 weeks. Designed by Morris Architects and structural engineer Walter P. Moore, this 488,692gsf development is scheduled to open during the spring of 2020. When it is complete this development will be the first non-Disney four diamond resort in Anaheim.

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Cambria Suites
One block further east on Katella Avenue, Largo worked with Nexus Construction and davisReed on the Cambria Suites project. Largo topped out on the one level below grade and 13 levels above structure in January of 2019. In addition to the 352 rooms the resort will feature a 30,000sf water park, outdoor movie viewing area and 15,000sf of restaurant and retail space.

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Anaheim Resort District Projects
Largo Concrete has a rich history in the Anaheim Resort District which includes the following projects: Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites, Worldmark, Disney Grand Californian Expansion, Little Mermaid, Frontierland Expansion, Great Wolf Hotel and Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center Expansion.

Project News

Miro Mat Foundation Pours

Over the course of the last two Saturdays, Largo poured a total of 13,100 cubic yards of concrete foundations at the Miro project in San Jose, CA. Each pour started at 2:00AM and took over 16 hours to complete using five truck-mounted boom pumps. Readymix supplier Cemex used 93 trucks to deliver over 1,300 loads to the site across the street from City Hall. When complete the development will feature two 28 story towers above three levels of below grade parking. The Miro towers will add 630 new residential units to one of the most expensive housing markets in the country along with 633 stalls of parking. Largo is working with Steinberg Hart Architects, DCI Engineers and general contractor Suffolk Construction toward an opening date in the summer of 2020.

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Project News

9,509CY Mat Pour at the Century Plaza Residences in Century City, CA

Largo poured 9,509CY of concrete at the Century Plaza Residences in Century City this weekend. The large foundation is for one of two 46 level residential buildings with a similar size pour scheduled for later this summer. Over 100 tradesmen were on site to unload, pump, place and finish 1,001 ready mix truck loads over 16 hours. Seven boom pumps, two city pumps and two placing booms worked together pumping 800CY/Hour. Working with architectural premiere designers Gensler, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Harley Ellis Devereaux, Englekirk Structural Engineers, and general contractor Webcor Builders, the development is scheduled to open in 2020.

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