At 5AM on May 22, Cemex and Associated readymix trucks began delivering loads to the Courthouse Commons jobsite in downtown San Diego. The site is caddy-corner from the Central Courthouse between W. Boardway and W. C Street.
The Autograph Collection / Residence Inn dual brand hospitality tower by Marriott topped out this month in Oakland, CA. The project is located along Jefferson between 14th and 15th St. in the Uptown District surrounded by restaurants, entertainment and nightlife.
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The Landmark II residential tower topped out this month along Wilshire Blvd. with general contractor Matt Construction. Looking south from Wilshire Blvd. the new building stands behind the Landmark II commercial office building between Granville and Stoner Avenues. The 35 level above grade structure holds 376 units with four levels of below grade parking for 421 cars.
At the corner of West Jefferson and National Blvd. Largo is pouring the concrete at the first building in southern California featuring an exoskeleton structural system with general contractor Matt Construction. The commercial building features two levels of below grade parking and 17 levels above for a total of 355,180gsf.
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The St. Teresa’s of Calcutta affordable housing project topped out on the corner of 14th & Commercial in downtown San Diego this month. Largo worked with Level 10 Construction on the 15 level high-rise and three level podium development which holds a total of 407 units, 270 of which will be used specifically to address homelessness. The 18′ high ground level will house commercial and retail space with a fitness area, community room, management offices, and courtyard on the second level. The superstructure is made up of 17,563CY of concrete creating 328,514sf which was poured over the course of nine months.
Limited laydown area and the adjacent Covid-19 vaccination site added to the logistical challenges of the downtown environment. A Peri core-wall system which sat on embeds and did not rely on trailer panels for support was used to form the core. This allowed our crews to close the entire core the day before the deck was complete and pour both vertical and horizontal elements at the same time. During the typical levels our teams were able to pour an 18,000sf deck every week to meet the aggressive schedule.
Named in honor of Mother Teresa the development’s two main partners are the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) and Father Joe’s Villages, Chelsea Investment Corporation. The development will remain affordable for 55-years for San Diegans with low-income or who are experiencing homelessness. Designed by Joseph Wong Design Associates and BWE Structural Engineers, the development is scheduled to be open during the third quarter of 2021.
Largo Concrete topped out at the Natiivo tower in downtown Austin, TX earlier this month. Located at the edge of the rapidly growing Rainey Street District, the 442,668gsf building is 33 levels all above grade. The first nine levels of the building are dedicated to parking with 24 levels of residential above holding 248 units.
All units come fully furnished with hotel licensing and can be offered as short-term rentals with building management providing hotel-like services and amenities. In addition to on-site concierge, housekeeping and laundry services the building also features a 18,000sf open air terrace on the 10th floor and a rooftop pool with cabanas and fireplace seating areas.
In total Largo poured 20,000CY of concrete over the course of 15 months with 130,000 manhours. The building is designed by STG Design and Cardno Haynes Whaley structural engineers and general contractor AECOM Hunt expect to have the project complete during the summer of 2021.
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.
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.
Steinberg Hart Architects, DCI Structural Engineers, and general contractor Suffolk Construction are on schedule to have the Miro towers open early 2021.
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Largo recently topped out on the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Center at the University of California, San Diego. The project was designed by HKS Architect, Inc. and Magnusson Klemencic Associates is located on the southeast corner of North Torrey Pines Rd. and Muir College Dr. in La Jolla, CA. Largo’s scope only covered a portion of the overall development with buildings Three and Four consisting of 15 and 14 levels respectively, for a total of 600,000gsf. The development features 2,000 new beds for undergraduate students with related residential life space, new facilities for the Sixth College, social sciences, arts and humanities, dining and retail space, and 1,200 parking stalls. General contractor Clark Construction is aiming to have the development open for the Fall 2020 semester with a LEED Platium rating.
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Largo Concrete, Inc. is a full service self-performing structural concrete and general contractor. We have been a family-owned business for over 30 years with over 2,100 employees.
