American Society of Concrete Contractors

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:29:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Glossy Floors

First Place: Decorative Resinous Coatings, Under 5,000 SF

The owners of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino wanted a unique floor, and Glossy Floors delivered. Featuring 6,300 vinyl 45 rpm records secured in place with epoxy, the +2,800-square-foot floor was two years in the making.

Glossy Floors’ biggest challenge involved placing the records in a random pattern, as the clients didn’t want anything symmetrical. Two very challenging ramps also caused some hand wringing as the crew had to devise a way to keep the epoxy from flowing to the bottom. Applying multiple thin layers of epoxy did the trick.

Another challenge involved transitioning from the record-covered section to the metallic epoxy steps. The task seemed impossible but the installers prevailed.

SeaQuest

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:25:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
SeaQuest, Decorative Concrete of Virginia

First Place: Decorative Resinous Coatings, Over 5,000 SF
First Place: Project Video

SeaQuest, the only aquarium in Lynchburg, VA, is situated in an almost 40-year-old mall. Consequently, different tenants have leased the space over the years and floor coverings have run the gamut.

Decorative Concrete of Virginia removed the old floor coverings, patched imperfections, and cut and patched trenches.

SeaQuest consists of eight or nine different themed areas featuring 12 different colors of metallic epoxies, all poured wet-on-wet, a method which produces no hard seams between colors.

Motion Picture Association of America

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:18:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Motion Picture Association of America, Hyde Concrete

First Place: Countertops/Furniture/Firepits

In an industry well-known for make-believe, it seemed only fitting for the Motion Picture Association of America to want concrete sinks that looked like wood. In particular, architects working for MPAA wanted two multiple-wave sinks for a high-profile reception space in its new offices.

Hyde Concrete produced several mockups to prove its capabilities. The texture was the easy part, but it took multiple rounds to get the color just right. After nailing the look, Hyde concentrated on fabricating this challenging, multi-dimensional shape.

First, the team torched walnut and ran a wire wheel on both sides to achieve the desired texture. Next, they assembled boards to make a master plug. On this, they cast rubber to make a sheet for molding the “face” they needed.

To achieve the wave, Hyde fabricated wooden templates of the edge profile, then cut the sink shapes out of foam with a hot wire cutter. Next, they built the sink frames with the shaped foam and melamine. Finally, they cut and skinned the frames to create the mold used for casting. Once the molding was complete, they sprayed a light brown GFRC and applied stain.

Playa District

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:12:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Playa District, Trademark Concrete Systems

First Place: Multiple Applications, Over 5,000 SF

The Playa District provides a creative place for the tech community in Playa Vista to gather, relax and share ideas. The site redevelopment includes custom concrete elements such as fire features, seating areas, barbecues and planter walls. A six-building complex surrounds the site.

The redevelopment team used a custom-blended color hardener on various vertical concrete elements to help match existing precast concrete pavers which also helped minimize cost.

The most difficult portion of the project involved the S-shaped serpentine planter wall. Stretching over 200 lineal feet, it starts at six inches and tops out at five feet above grade. The intricate formwork included a 1-by-1-inch light niche blocked out three inches from the top. The wall was placed and finished in one day.

Heritage Square Park Splash Pad

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:55:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Heritage Square Park Splash Pad, Sundek of Austin

First Place: Cementitious Overlays, Under 5,000 SF

Originally, the Heritage Square Park splash pad design consisted of several gear sizes, each requiring its own custom stencil. The Sundek team worked closely with the architect on a redesign that used only two sizes. This change not only reduced the stencil cost but also the labor associated with the intricate design.

The next challenge involved the vibrant colors chosen for the job. Sundek was good on the greens and oranges but the bright yellow tested its abilities. In the end, the team came up with the perfect shade that complemented the other custom colors. The project turned out better than what the client envisioned.

Seton High School Cafeteria

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:48:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Seton High School Cafeteria, Hardig Industrial

First Place: Cementitious Overlays, Over 5,000 SF

Instead of removing and replacing the cement terrazzo floor at the Seton High School cafeteria, Hardig Industrial installed a polished concrete overlay. The original specification called for a decorative stain but the team explored integral color and revised the scope. Custom pigments were made, custom forms were cut with a water-jet, and the layout was poured in a three-color process.

Custom pigments were a test product. Subsequently, the installers had to adjust for different flow rates. They also had to pour two colors on the same day. This required forms to be pulled partially through the install to meet the tight construction schedule.

Roseville Downtown Bridge

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:39:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Roseville Downtown Bridge, T.B. Penick & Sons

First Place: Concrete Artistry, Over 5,000 SF

The Roseville Downtown Bridge, a 30-foot wide pedestrian bridge featuring a glass-seeded band, connects the town square to a park. At one end, a grand staircase leads to a new civic plaza. Throughout its length, the bridge celebrates the creek below with its water flow image. The meandering band, separated with metal strips epoxied into saw cuts, guides visitors across the span.

One of the project’s main challenges was the temperature. During the day, it tipped 100 degrees F and at night dropped to 50-60 degrees, causing the bridge to shrink 1 ½ to 2 inches.

Since the producer didn’t supply ice or chilled water, T.B. Penick had to rely on shrinkage-reducing admixtures and set retarders. The crew cut the stainless-steel strips at every joint to prevent the shrinkage from causing damage.

The Culver Steps

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:38:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
The Culver Steps, Shaw & Sons

First Place: Architectural Cast-in-Place Concrete, Over 5,000 SF

A near-acre-sized public plaza features “The Grand Staircase” that cascades down the side of a building, forming landscaped terraces and seating. Also called the Culver Steps, it connects to a four-story, mixed-use building occupied by Amazon. The entire plaza sits over a new, two-level, underground parking garage.

A full-scale mockup helped Shaw & Sons build the complex faceted steps while maintaining the refined surface finish, cement with a light acid wash. CAD drawings helped with the form fabrication. The steps have no square walls; every form is on the diagonal.

Shaw & Sons also installed 13,763 cubic feet of EPS foam under the steps and paved 11,043 square feet of surrounding sidewalks. In addition, instead of using the specified Ipe wood, the company used a fine-wood, plank-finished concrete.

Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:26:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery, Trademark Concrete Systems

First Place: Vertical/Facades, Under 5,000 SF

The 6,800-square-foot Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery functions as a fine art and automotive gallery. When driving by, the facility’s 12-foot-tall “fin wall” spells out “Mullin” or “Gallery” depending on the viewer’s direction of travel. Sixty-seven metal blades make up the wall, which can only be read from a distance.

Trademark Concrete Systems set the fin plate shims at the same elevation with varying heights. The crews had to grout under each fin, which architecturally were “white.” Consequently, the project architect wanted the same “bright white” color to blend from the fins to the surrounding cast-in-place concrete.

The budget wouldn’t allow for white cement so Trademark used Scofield White Ash color hardener. The coloring produced striking results, coupled with a lighting system that illuminates the art installation at night.

Edelman

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:12:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Edelman, Hyde Concrete

First Place: Stained, Over 5,000 SF

Twenty-five stencils, ranging from 2-inches to 34 feet in diameter became the focal point of the Edelman offices in Washington, D.C. The design reflected the famous D.C. Washington Circle, Columbus Circle and Dupont Circle. The flooring specification was a grind and seal, incorporating three different stencil designs.

The simplest design involved staining 10-12 small stencils, 2-5 inches in diameter, throughout a 600-square-foot area. The second, more intricate set, consisted of one large stencil, 25-to-34 feet in diameter, and divided into 60+ vinyl sheets which had to line up perfectly. The third design, which looked like hexagonal tiles, covered a 350-square-foot area.

The Hyde Concrete team spent as much time applying, staining and removing stencils as they did grinding the 12,000 square feet of mastic-covered concrete.

Tzu Chi Education Center

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:02:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Tzu Chi Education Center, Bomanite Malaysia Sdn Bhd

First Place: Vertical/Facades, Over 5,000 SF

The Tzu Chi Education Center in Penang, Malaysia, is the result of a global foundation whose mission includes building schools for the less fortunate. Bomanite Malaysia worked with the general contractor to install exposed aggregate on the five-story buildings’ facades.

The Tzu Chi Foundation requires a mix of white, gray and green 10-15 mm pebbles on all its buildings worldwide. At close range, the pebbles almost protrude from the surface and you can see very little cement grouting. They are thoroughly washed and skillfully installed to form fine decorative architectural details on a nearly maintenance-free exterior.

The pebbles were mixed by machine and manually hoisted bucket by bucket to the different levels. The Bomanite crew literally moved and lifted tons of materials for this job.

Ocean Street Beach Access

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 18:44:00 GMT

2020 DCC Awards Winner
Ocean Street Beach Access, T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc.

First Place: Multiple Applications, Under 5,000 SF

Located between two residential properties in Carlsbad, the Ocean Street beach access leads visitors to the beach below and was part of the city’s overhaul of properties degraded over time by the coastal environment. The project’s main challenge was limited access due to narrow streets.

The project entailed redesigning the stairway to include seating nodes, overlook platforms, and native California plants. The T.B. Penick crew integrally colored the concrete used for the stairs, and broadcast a blend of seashells, crushed colored glass, and crushed marble aggregate at the landings.

Hal Brown Park

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 18:33:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Hal Brown Park, T.B. Penick & Sons

First Place: Cast-in-Place Special Finishes, Under 5,000 SF

Across from a hospital, Hal Brown Park’s new 36-foot-diameter labyrinth promotes contemplation and restorative healing for park-goers. Designed by Rachel Rodi, the labyrinth comprises integrally colored concrete with a medium-etch finish embedded with mosaic materials, including flat-cut pebbles, colored porcelain, and Mexican Smalti tiles.

Rodi and her team made the 60-piece mosaic in her studio. At the park, the first challenge involved forming a perfect circle. The design was symmetrical so everything had to line up perfectly.

The T.B. Penick crew’s challenge was aligning all the pieces before the concrete was set. Besides the concrete setting up quickly, the weight of the cut mosaic pieces caused the scrim to stretch. Consequently pieces fell off, which required installers to repair them on the spot.

Railroad Trestle Bridge

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 18:20:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Railroad Trestle Bridge, Disney Frontierland expansion, Largo Concrete

Cast-in-Place Special Finishes, Over 5,000 SF

The concrete trestle railroad bridge, part of Disneyland’s Frontierland expansion, crosses part of the Rivers of America. Challenges revolved around columns, hammerheads, and a concrete mix design that would produce an aged wooden railroad bridge.

Largo used a hand-carved foam positive to produce detailed form liners for the columns. They attached four columns to each of the 12 hammerheads, and used water-soaked rough-sawn lumber to accentuate the texture.

Limited space did not to allow for a vibrator so self-consolidating concrete was selected to yield the best finished product. Both the hammerheads and the columns were made with the same mix design that fulfilled both decorative and structural purposes. Typically these types of decorative concrete elements are post-installed as a façade covering a structural column.

The Decorative Concrete Institute Floor

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 18:14:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
The Decorative Concrete Institute Floor, Bob and Lee Ann Harris

First Place: Polished Concrete & Overlays, Under 5,000 SF

As part of a Decorative Concrete Institute polished concrete class, Bob and Lee Ann Harris, and students, replicated floors found in Venice, Italy. In particular, they mimicked the +450-year-old floors in the Basilica De Salute, a place the couple had visited often.

Part of the challenge was condensing a 100-foot-or-so-wide design into a space that could accommodate a 25-foot diameter. Three components comprised the design: an inner circle, a radiating middle, and an outer medallion.

Only two tools were used to score the design: a shop vac to control airborne dust, and a 4-inch hand grinder. The Harrises estimate the basilica reproduction consisted of around 13,000+ individual cuts.

South Christian High School

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:42:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
South Christian High School, Burgess Concrete Construction

First Place: Polished Concrete & Overlays, Over 5,000 SF

The new South Christian High School knew it wanted polished concrete floors for low maintenance and sustainability. Burgess Concrete Construction worked with Grand Rapids Gravel to create a consistent mix for the 45,000-square-foot project, using concrete not only for the floors, but also for steps, a staircase, seats, and walls.

Burgess received poured steps, then hand-ground each one before installing. The team also placed and polished around a steel inlay. The inlay serves as an anchor point at one of the building’s entrances.

Weslaski: Legacy at the Lake

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:38:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Weslaski: Legacy at the Lake, Alchemy Concrete

Cast-In-Place Stamped, Under 5,000 SF

Alchemy Concrete created “Legacy at the Lake” for the Weslaski lakeside retreat to establish a visual/physical sense of place. Slate-textured, stamped concrete with contrasting borders welcomes visitors at the property’s entry. This same design extends to the motor court and beyond. An embossed Weslaski medallion accents the home’s entrance, while a meandering, slate-textured walkway leads to the waterfront.

Many layers of specialty concrete were combined to create the Legacy “canvas.” These include gateway columns, a stepping-stone collection, and a rear gathering area with inlaid dragonfly table and stools. In-concrete lighting brightens the entry drive, motor court, and connecting walkways.

Canobie Lake Park – Castaway Island

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:34:00 GMT

2020 DCC Award Winner
Canobie Lake Park – Castaway Island, Harrington Bomanite

Cast-In-Place Stamped / Over 5,000 SF

Harrington Bomanite has been involved with renovations at New England’s Canobie Lake Park for the past 30 years. Its most recent endeavor, the Tidal River project, added 45,000 square feet to the 100-year-old Castaway Island. The overall renovation included multiple stamped concrete patterns, and color hardener and colored release agents on the decking, plaza, restrooms, and water areas.

The most challenging aspect involved achieving a drainage system that satisfied environmental concerns while maintaining aesthetics. In the end, 12-inch-wide serpentine drains flanked an 8-foot-wide “meandering brook” made from stamped concrete and colored with an aqua blue color hardener. The installation not only challenged the team’s placing, coloring and stamping expertise, but also its forming abilities.

Brattleboro Bridge

rzuellig — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:28:00 GMT

Superior Gunite, Jersey City, NJ

2020

Using shotcrete to complete the eight web fins on the I-91 Brattleboro Bridge piers solved the project’s unforeseen snag. The installers had been placing sculpted-rock form panels on the piers. However they couldn’t place the forms at the arched and inverted sections near the top.

Working and carving overhead at 120 feet presented a big challenge. The only access was pumping upward from below the bridge. Shotcrete allowed the installers to place the concrete on the fins, as well as seamlessly match the already-placed precast panels..

Using shotcrete, the contractor not only avoided delays, but also gained time on the schedule. Superior Gunite completed the shotcrete segment in only nine days. The owner said the sculpted shotcrete looked better than the precast panels.