GREEN WATER BLOCK 185 - AUSTIN, TEXAS
About Block 185 Project
The Block 185 Project in downtown Austin, Texas is a staggering 590 ft tall, 37 story tower designed to look like a sail along Lady Bird Lake. It was announced in 2020 that Google will be the sole tenant, occupying the entire 793,883 total rentable square feet of office space. The project represents the largest vertical high rise project for General Contractor, DPR Construction, as well as their largest self-performed concrete project to date. The project also represents a first for CCP Shotcrete – installing an architectural shotcrete finish layer over a diaphragm wall retention system. Overall substantial completion is expected in Summer 2022.
Shotcrete Construction
The Green Water Block 185 project consists of 6 levels of below grade parking, making up about half the 1,411 stall parking structure. To prevent water intrusion from Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake, a 70 ft deep diaphragm (slurry) wall was installed as a permanent retention system – a first for Austin, Texas. The process significantly accelerated the project schedule, resulting in an estimated completion date of May 2022 – months ahead of schedule. As a bi-product of diaphragm wall construction, the exposed, interior wall face is left rough, cavernous and generally unsightly for tenants, residents and visitors. The Diaphragm Wall construction (excavating) process along with on-site soil properties are several factors that determine the condition of the exposed wall facing.
CCP Shotcrete was called upon to place an architectural layer over the all 6 levels of below grade parking. Scope included pumping, placement, finishing, curing and cleaning of all work related to these areas. Substantial pre-construction planning was required to coordinate efforts with DPR and the Owner. A shotcrete mock-up resulted in the decision to apply a sponge float finish to all wall facings. A concrete mix was developed alongside the ready mix vendor and subsequently tested by CCP for several months prior to work on Block 185. A full week was dedicated to mobilizing equipment, tools and preparing for on-site logistics prior to the start of shotcrete.
A day’s production started by protecting existing floors, ceiling and adjacent surfaces from overspray and planed-off concrete. A system of mobile equipment to systematically move tools and personnel down the wall throughout the course of a day led to increased shotcrete productivity. After shotcrete placement and finishing, clean-up of the area began, protective measures for the next day was installed, and the cycle repeated. Our team consists of on site project management, American Concrete Institute certified shotcrete nozzlemen, skilled cutters, finishers and concrete pumping craftsmen.
Block 185 Project Team
- Owner: Trammell Crow
- General Contractor: DPR Construction
- Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
- Tenant: Google
“You’ll always be proud to look back, knowing you helped build the Block 185 building” – announced to all trade partners by DPR safety officer at weekly meeting.
