A dramatic take of a skilled skateboarder at Los Angeles’ Venice Beach Skate Park earned top honor and a $10,000 prize in the Global Cement and Concrete Association Concrete in Life Photo of the Year 2024/25 program. “My image is a tribute to the way concrete, when embraced by creativity and passion, fosters connection, dreams, and boundless potential not just…
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A five-level architectural precast array just outside downtown Austin, Texas earned Buildings: Best Façade Only Parking Structure recognition in the 2025 PCI Design Awards. San Antonio architect Gomez Vazquez International and Austin engineer MJ Structures challenged teams at the Gate Precast operation in Hillsboro, Texas to craft 69 panels affording the 7001 Burnet Road parking structure an exterior motif reinterpreting…
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Architectural precast presents unique challenges that set it apart from standard production. Unlike cookie-cutter projects where plant crews reuse forms for repeating design elements or large-scale production, every architectural precast order is different and presents a near-constant learning curve. In a recent Spokane Public Schools contract, Spilker Precast proved how critical attention to detail can be in executing architectural…
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Canadian artisan David Umemoto has teamed with Cemvision, Stockholm-based developer of portland cement alternative binders, on a demonstration of low carbon concrete interpreted in a sculpture whose eight pieces representing building blocks toward a sustainable future. While better construction materials are critical, Cemvision officials contend, a broader movement among designers, suppliers and regulators is needed to transform the present production…
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The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Southern Idaho Section has awarded the Whistle Pig Tank development Project of the Year in the less than $10 million category. The 2.65-million-gallon concrete tank provides vital water supply to South Ada County, Idaho residents and businesses, and is fully buried within a steep hillside to harmonize with its surroundings. Developed in collaboration with…
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The American Society of Civil Engineers salutes the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement with Gold honors in the 2024 Outstanding Civil Engineering Awards (OCEA) program. The largest, most complex bridge project in Los Angeles history, the $588 million crossing replaces an iconic double-steel-arch structure, one seen in many movies and TV series, with a span featuring 10 pairs of sculptural arches.…
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The Giant Magellan Telescope and Rockford, Ill.-based Ingersoll Machine Tools Inc., part of the Italian Camozzi Group, announced the start of manufacturing and assembly of the largest telescope mount built in the United States. The 22-meter-diameter concrete pier was engineered to protect the telescope during seismic events in the Chilean Atacama Desert. The 39-meter-tall precision moving structure was developed in…
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As the concrete landscape of Nashville evolves, Hall Custom Concrete emerges as the market’s newest specialist in residential flatwork and decorative vertical elements. Bringing a wealth of experience from a concrete franchise to the vibrant Music City, the contractor promises expert craftsmanship, unparalleled management, and swift project turnaround times—setting a new standard for custom concrete services in Nashville and surrounding…
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Newport Beach, Calif.-based Belwood Investments is set to close on an oceanfront Malibu property, near Los Angeles, designed by legendary Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Of 24844 Malibu Road, original owner Richard Sachs, an art collector and financier, said: “This is like a Picasso, a cubist painting, very important and very rare.” With four bedrooms and five baths, the architectural cast-in-place…
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Fiore Stone Fountains, Las Vegas producer of meticulously handcrafted cast stone fountains, has unveiled its newest work, the LG156-F Courtyard Fleur De LIS. Standing stoutly at 62 inches high and 45 inches wide, the fountain is designed to command attention and add a touch of grandeur to any outdoor environment. The Courtyard Fleur De LIS is available in the enchanting…
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