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Glenn Gilbert (right) of Outsource Const. receives a
Project of the Year Award from Doug Herbert.
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Earlier this year we completed a commercial project for Glenn Gilbert of Outsource Construction. The project consists of two buildings that will house trendy restaurants and retail stores near the popular area of Howell Mill Rd. at I-75.
The project was so unique and interesting that we entered it into the Project of the Year competition held by the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA). For this competition, the best concrete contractors throughout North America submit their most challenging projects to vie for the prestigious award.
The entries are viewed and voted on at the World of Concrete convention in Las Vegas. More than 60,000 attendees from around the world attended this year’s convention.
And the Award Goes to…
We are pleased to announce that our project won the Project of the Year Award in the Commercial/Multi-Family category. This is our sixth year in a row to win a Project of the Year Award from the CFA.
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The focal point of the restaurant/shopping area is this highly technical
architectural concrete wall, which was constructed by
Herbert Const. Co. and winner of a national Project of the Year Award.
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For Glenn Gilbert of Outsource Construction, the project spanned nearly two years from inception to its current state. Glenn is building out the interior of Building 1 for a restaurant and professional offices. He is also beginning the shell of Building 2 now that the tenant profile has been firmed up.
Glenn has enjoyed seeing this project come to life and has been very satisfied with the outcome. Recently, we were able to speak with Glenn about his progress and marvel at the finishing touches being made since we completed the concrete work.
We presented Glenn with an award plaque as a way to say thank you for including us in this complex endeavor. We also imprinted a cake with an image of the concrete wall that we constructed as a fun way to celebrate the Award.
This project was smaller in nature than almost all of our other projects that we have submitted for the Project of the Year Award. However, what it lacked in size it more than made up for in its complexity.
Architectural Concrete Walls
The first building required highly technical work to create an architectural concrete wall that would serve as the focal point for the whole project. What made this wall so special was that a large 12’-2 1/2” radius opening was created in the 18’-6” tall concrete wall. Patrons will walk through that concrete arch to enter the restaurant on the ground floor.
The architect and owner were very specific regarding the look they wanted to achieve for the architectural concrete wall. So, we decided that a different forming technique with specialized materials would achieve the aesthetic look.
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We used a special forming system to attain the
architectural concrete finish on the wall.
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We chose an MDO plywood forming system to construct the wall. The large form for each section was built on the ground and tilted up into place using our boom truck. The form tie hole pattern was selected to provide a clean and uniform appearance. Also, to achieve the smooth finish requested by the architect and builder, a 4500 psi small aggregate concrete mix was used.
Our wall crews are accustomed to using our aluminum wall forms on a daily basis, so the plywood forming segment of this project required the assistance of Barry Herbert, CEO, who has extensive experience using this particular forming system. In addition, Mike Herbert, our Vice President of Construction, was called upon to supervise this unique project.
Tight Site Conditions
The second building that we constructed involved concrete footings and walls that would create a terrace level foundation. This building was squeezed into a very tight location, which required shoring of the existing soil to allow for a safe working area for our guys.
The main level floor is concrete on metal decking, supported by steel I-beams. To accomplish this, 168’ of continuous angle iron was cast in place in the top of the 12’-0” tall wall. Eighteen beam plates were embedded in the face of the wall, and 80 anchor bolts were placed in the top of the wall for steel columns.
In addition to the structural steel considerations, a metal door frame and three window openings were placed in the wall.
The concrete walls had rebar reinforcing horizontally and vertically, on both faces. Vertical contraction joints in the wall with water stop added to the complexity of the project.
A Special Concrete Contractor
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To celebrate the award, we gave Glenn Gilbert a cake that
had an edible image of the project applied to the top of it.
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When we spoke with Glenn Gilbert regarding the completion of this project he explained that he has never had to work with a poured wall contractor before. He stated, “I needed a special company, someone who had the knowledge to complete this type of concrete work to the specifications that were set. I was referred to you guys and I was impressed with your ability to accommodate our plans.”
There are very few concrete contractors in Metro Atlanta that can construct architectural concrete walls that match the design qualities that architects require.
“I consulted with Herbert Construction through several variations of this project. Once the development was released for construction, I knew that they were the ideal concrete contractor for this project,” Glenn said.
During our recent walk-through of the buildings, it was really nice to see how the architect, Andrew Robertson of ASD/SKY, designed them to fit in so well with the community in which they were built. Unique features include open Amphitheatre seating, stacked rock benches and exposed brick work inside the restaurant. We are proud to be a part of this project.
Thank you, Glenn, for involving us in this project. We hope to work with you on many more projects.