San Diego Projects Win Decorative Concrete Council Awards

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and Apex commercial building won Decorative Concrete Council awards at the American Society of Concrete Contractors annual conference.

Apex won two second place awards for Vertical/Facades over 5,000sf and the Architectural Cast-in-Place award for structures over 5,000sf. The Rady Shell also won the second place award for Cast-in-Place Special Finishes for structures over 5,000sf.

Rady Shell:

The 10,000 seat Rady Shell theater took second place in the Special Finishes category for the 900ft of serpentine walls designed to mimic the waves of San Diego Bay lapping ashore next to the jobsite. The entrance to the theater features two grand helical staircases mimicking the shape of the acoustic stage cover which swells into view as the stairs are ascended. Serpentine architectural concrete walls retain the inclining grade of the grass covered audience area while guiding guests to their seats and focusing their attention on the stage. The ebb and flow of the walls capture the serenity of the ocean and seamlessly blends the natural wonder of the bay with exquisite architecture. The 900 lineal feet of walls were cast with Lehigh white cement to match the color of the fabric stage cover. Placing architectural white concrete with the San Diego Bay on both sides of the project and the unique weather in this environment required unusual requirements for the Largo team.?

The challenging layout and formwork for the radius curves and changing elevations of the architectural walls was engineered in-house. Detailers integrated coordinates from the Building Information Model (BIM) with our advanced total station surveying equipment to deliver these precision elements. Teams worked to devise a mix design that was workable and that would maintain the desired color for decades despite constant exposure to the harsh environment. Largo also helped incorporate the pilasters supporting the lighting/speaker towers into the architectural walls by creating ‘waves’ at these locations which amplified the undulation.

Another challenging feature of the walls were the 5-inch tall light cap which cantilevered 3?-inches on both sides of the walls for their entire length. The recess from the light cap measured 1?-inches deep and tall and runs along the face of the top of the wall to hide electrical components and a string of LED lights. Construction teams could only begin forming the light cap concrete after the main walls were placed.?

Click here to learn more on Rady Shell.

Apex:

Perched along the Sorrento Valley, the Apex project won second place in the Architectural Concrete Structures and the Vertical/Facades categories. The two most striking architectural concrete features are 46-foot-high cantilevering walls at each end of the building and the 22’ cantilevered apex roof at the corner. The architectural walls begin at level two and extend to the roof deck. These elements were poured in four lifts and the shoring, which extended to the bottom basement level, remained in place for 56 days after topping out. The formwork at the apex of the roof deck was especially challenging as the element tapered in both directions. To achieve the desired look our craftsmen were able to use a compound miter cut at this location while maintaining the same seam pattern. Together these three elements define the building. The two end walls solidify the structure in space by firmly enclosing it on both ends while the poignant roof deck draws patrons focus outward to inspired views of the valley.?

Other concrete fa?ade elements include architectural concrete site walls, two floors of exposed slab edges and cantilevered perimeter soffits ranging in length from 5’5” to 10’5”. Largo worked with Atlas Construction Supply to secure custom wall formwork and shoring which was then modified for the job specific tie hole and plywood seam pattern. Nearly every sheet of plywood was custom cut to match the pattern which was smaller than the typical 4x8’ sheet. High sheen plywood was used to create a high gloss finish on the concrete walls, columns, and soffits, contributing to the concrete character. Plywood seams in all elements including the slab edges also had to match creating a consistent flow throughout the building. Maintaining color consistency was a challenge as columns and beams had to be poured separately from the walls but had to match. The rate of each pour also had to be carefully monitored to keep high temperatures from creating discoloration.?

Click here to learn more on Apex.