| The 1999 Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association Excellence Awards were given out at a banquet May 13, and once again local contractors, engineers and architects wowed the judges by their innovative and stylish uses of concrete in building projects.
Grand prize went to the much-heralded Benaroya Hall, which required some tricky design to stabilize it on top of a metro tunnel and to isolate it from outside street noise. You'll find information on Benaroya Hall and the other projects in our profile of the WACA winners.
The DJC also conducted its annual Industry survey to find out the latest in the concrete industry.
You'll also find stories on special uses of concrete on projects like Harbor Steps and the SeaTac Airport.
Two stories look at some innovations in the industry, one on the use of new software to better utilize tilt-up projects, and another on a quick-fix paving technique called ultra-thin whitetopping.
Thanks for checking out the DJC's special section on concrete and the WACA awards.
- Ben Minnick, Section Editor
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C O N T E N T S
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Concrete provides a firm foundation for Harbor Steps
A look at the innovative ways concrete is being used in the construction of one of the more high-profile downtown developments - Harbor Steps.
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Fast-track panels keep planes flying at Sea-Tac
Faced with some significant projects to major runways, the Port of Seattle needed a means of getting a great deal of paving improvements without significantly impacting plane traffic. The solution: an innovative fast-track construction program.
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Special software increases tilt-up productivity
The magic of CAD continues. With the advent of tools for specific construction methods, contractors are turning into designers, right before your very eyes.
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Ultra-thin whitetopping: A quick pavement fix
Got a street that is cracking up? Ultra-thin whitetopping is the Prozac of road repair.
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Pre-cast cells for jail: One man's ceiling is another man's floor
The jail cells at the soon to be finished Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla, Ore., began life as 488 precast concrete modules fabricated by Bethlehem Construction in Cashmere, Chelan County. Producing about four a week, the company took nearly a year and a half to cast and ship the modules along with 797 ancillary slabs, planks, walls, beams and columns.
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Silica dust: A deadly possibility for construction workers
Dust stirred up from concrete work could put workers at risk of the deadly lung disease silicosis.
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Salmon listing requires new stormwater management strategy
With the recent listing of Puget Sound Chinook and the uncertainty of what the new ground rules will be, one thing is for certain - things will change and the use of impervious surfaces and the current methods to manage stormwater appear to be themselves endangered.
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1999 Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association Excellence in Construction A
Eleven construction projects received recognition at the 1999 Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association Excellence in Construction Awards banquet held May 13 at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel.
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1999 DJC Concrete Industry survey
Find out what some of the area's concrete companies have to say about their business, the success they've had in the past year, and what issues they see emerging in the coming year.
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![[1999 Building with Concrete and WACA Awards]](concrete.jpg)