Structural Concrete is utilized in several concrete construction methods in both Public and Private structures throughout California and Nevada, including: 

MULTI-STORY         TILT-UP         INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS          

ICF COMMERCIAL PROJECT GALLERY        LINKS

Structural Concrete is an essential and dynamic component of buildings ranging from one story to the  tallest structures in the world.  Its combination of economy, speed of construction, durability, remarkable design and aesthetic flexibility make concrete the most versatile structural material in the world.  In fact, 7 Billion Cubic Yards of concrete are consumed the world over each year making it the most used building material on earth.   

 

Staples Center, LA, CA	City Center West, Las Vegas, NV

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Multi-story

The inherent character of concrete offers value and quality: 

• Lower floor to floor heights save costs on all vertical elements
• Fireproofing and thermal mass are built-in features
• Start of construction to occupancy time often beats steel framing
• Exposed concrete and provides both structure and finish
• The natural choice for loading concerns and vibration control
• Concrete is locally available and offers lower initial costs

An exceptional resource for further technical and environmental information on the use of Structural Concrete for Multi-Story structures is the Portland Cement Association's (PCA) Buildings Website at www.cement.org/buildings/index.asp.

Fortunately, we have our own PCA Engineer as a resource for the California and Nevada Region: 

Paramount Apts, San Francisco & Trump Tower - NY

Attila Beres, Regional Engineer - Western US
Engineered Structures Department
Portland Cement Association (PCA)
phone: 310-476-9941
P.O. Box 252008
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
e-mail: attila.beres@verizon.net   

 
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Tilt-up

An excellent resource on this Building Method is the Tilt-up Association Website: http://www.tilt-up.org/

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Commercial Insulating Concrete Form Buildings

San Luis Obispo County Education Office

A growing trend in the California and Nevada commercial, industrial and multi-family building markets is the utilization of highly energy-efficient Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) by designers for the building envelopes of their projects.

Although ICF technology has been around for 50 or so years, it is only in the last 20 years that it has been widely and solidly integrated into the array of acceptable building envelope options.  It is also notable that, 85% of the current ICF demand is driven by residential markets throughout the country, and, especially in areas impacted by natural disasters (fire, hurricanes and tornadoes) over the last several years.  

A relatively new phenomenon, however, is the significant increase in ICF structures being selected as the envelope design of choice in the highly cost-sensitive Commercial, Industrial and Multi-family markets.  In fact, this is currently the fastest growing sector of the ICF industry and the reasons for such an increase of activity in this sector is covered on the Sustainable Environments page of this site.  Suffice it to say here that the recognition of continually increasing energy costs and the public's concern for the environment have urged designers and their clients, both public and private, to explore and adopt construction technologies that effectively contribute to their bottom-lines as well as their image of being good corporate citizens in their communities.

Interestly, due to the inherent advantages that stay-in-place forms with a concrete core offer, ICF technology has found itself well-positioned as the Sustainable Movement continues to gain momentum across the nation.  Not surprisingly, these advantages are essentially the same as are found in residential construction, except that the importance of certain aspects are of greater significance when dealing with the larger scales of volume, size and environmental scrutiny found in the Commercial, Industrial and Multi-family markets.  As discussed on the Concrete Homes page of this site, here is a Summary of Advantages offered by Insulating Concrete Forms:

Summary of Advantages 

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Commercial ICF Project Gallery

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Building Links

• American Concrete Institute
• American Institute of Architects
• Commercial ICF Brochure (NRMCA)
• Concrete Buildings (PCA)
  • PCA Focus On Floors
  • PCA Green Buildings page
  • Structural Concrete Design Resources
  • Professional Development Series
    • Design of Reinforced Concrete Floor Systems.pdf
    • Post-Tensioning for Two-Way Flat Plate Construction.pdf
• Concrete Foundations (CFA)
• Concrete Thinker Website (PCA)
• Construction Specifications Institute
• Insulated Concrete Forms Association (ICFA)
• Post Tensioned Concrete (PTI)
• Roman Concrete Construction Website
• Structural Engineers Association of California
• Tilt Up Concrete (TCA)

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