Site Logo

Life of an Architect

  • Podcast
  • about me
  • Questions / Contact
  • F. A. Q.
  • Do you want to be an Architect?
  • Architecture Books+
You are here: Home / Materials and Products / What am I working on?

What am I working on?

October 26, 2010 by Bob Borson 21 Comments

Currently, I am working on a residential project – a really large modern residential project. It’s unique compared to our other projects because it is basically commercial construction – cast in place concrete, steel superstructure, and composite floors (steel decking and concrete).

Did I mention it’s 4 stories and on a lot that is 50′ wide and 225′ long? There aren’t a lot of residential sites in Dallas that have those dimensions – oh yeah, it also is hemmed in on 3 sides and slopes down from the street about 10′. Getting water off this property is difficult – can you say “bathtub”? There are dozens of architectural firms who wanted this job and rightly so – it’s a fantastic commission and the site is physically a challenge which makes for an exciting project. I have already been on this job for almost a year and we have about another year of construction left so I’ll put up some isolated progress photos from time to time.

Today, I thought I’d show some of the concrete form work and illustrate some of the concrete texture patterns we are trying to achieve.

.

Rebar Tunnel

Hard to believe but this is a tunnel that connects the lower levels at the front and rear of the site. There is an underground parking garage and we have 12′ high of cast-in-place concrete wall for the entire perimeter of the house. The picture above was taken about 3 weeks ago.

.

Form-work Tunnel

Fast forward 2 weeks and the form-work is just about completed. Part of the design includes a wood grain pattern on the concrete so as the site slopes down, the wood grain will become exposed as the site falls away. This is the same tunnel as earlier.

.

Form-work Detail

.

Heavy Duty Form-work

I have to admit, this is the first residential job where we needed this level of bracing – crazy looking isn’t it?

.

Installing wood for pattern

So here is a picture of the wood boards being installed on the inside of the form-work. This is the surface that the concrete will be cast against. When the form-work is taken down, these boards will leave behind the pattern that we are looking to develop.

.

wood boards - detail

This picture is taken at the transition between the portion of the basement wall that becomes exposed as you move towards the rear of the site.

.

Concrete Pour - Pumper Truck

If I remember correctly, there were 20 concrete mixers spaced to make deliveries 15 minutes apart – that’s 5 hours of constant concrete trucks coming and leaving the site. The contractor did a good job of orchestrating all the moving parts on this day and we didn’t have any complications or missteps.

.

Concrete Texture

This is a picture from approximately 2 weeks ago after the form-work had been removed. I am standing on the outside of the building – on the right is the retaining wall for the site and on the left is the basement wall running around the perimeter of the building. You can see the intent of the wood pattern on the concrete – that despite concrete having a reputation for being gray and cold, the wood grain and pattern of the boards goes a long way of softening the final look.

.

Concrete Texture - detail

A close-up look of a portion of the wall – I think it looks pretty good and I think once this material gets married with the remaining materials (dark zinc metal siding and stucco), I think it will come together really nicely.

.

.

even better stuff from Life of an Architect

Your Behavior Matters
Being an Architect Is Hell - Painting and Contact Paper
Ads from 1939
My Mom's Lemon Chess Pie
End of Architecture School Semester: COVID-19 Edition
Ep 074: Architectural Memories that Matter
Changes You Don't See Coming
Tornado Shelters and Safe Rooms
The designation between House and Home
The Purpose of Social Media (for architects)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Materials and Products, My Work Tagged With: concrete, Construction Process, Materials, modern house, Sale Street

Search Life of an Architect

Trending on Life of an Architect

Architectural Graphics 101 - Symbols
Architectural Graphics 101 - Window Schedules
Ep 117: Graphic Matters
Architectural Graphics 101: Finish Schedules
Architectural Graphics 101 - Title Blocks
Architectural Graphics 101 - Wall Types
Architectural Graphics 101: Cover Sheet
Architectural Graphics 101 - Line Weight
Graphic Standards for Architectural Cabinetry
Board-Formed Concrete

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyAndroidiHeartRadioby EmailTuneInRSS

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Apparel for Architects

T-Shirts for Architects - Bob Borson

Support for Advice or Guidance

Thanks!
Other Amount:
Project Reference or Support for Questions Answered:

My “Serious” Disclaimer

The complimentary advice provided on ‘Life of an Architect’ is based on an abbreviated examination of the minimal facts given, not the typical extensive (and sometimes exhaustive) analysis I conduct when working with my clients. Therefore, anything you read on this site is not a substitute for actually working with me. Following my casual advice is at your own peril … if you want my undivided attention, I would recommend hiring me. Cheers.

Pages

  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Architecture Books+
  • about me
  • Questions?
  • F. A. Q.
  • Do you want to be an Architect?
  • Podcast

Life of an Architect | Bob Borson

  • View lifeofanarchitect’s profile on Facebook
  • View bobborson’s profile on Twitter
  • View bobborson’s profile on Instagram
  • View bborson’s profile on LinkedIn

Archives of Awesomeness

Copyright © 2023 Life of an Architect

 

Loading Comments...