One of the things that can be frustrating on a job site is having subcontractors waiting around to work. Delays waste time and money, and can impact project morale.
We made sure that didn’t happen during our concrete deck cycle operation on the Cal Poly Pomona Student Housing project. The work is critical to the schedule and success of the project.
Careful planning by Field Superintendent Jessie Castro, Senior Project Engineer Adam Mack and Project Superintendent Andy Larsen ensured the cycle stayed on track. Each cycle, which is the process of prepping and placing a deck, usually takes three weeks.
“Without a vertical placement of columns and walls, our horizontal cycle is affected and it trickles down to the other trades starting their work,” Field Engineer Jessie Castro said.
Communication happen throughout the day, starting with the reinforcing contractor joining our morning foreman and lead-man meeting. This is when foremen talk to each other about progress and coordinate crane time.
“With multiple trades involved, constant communication is required to avoid workers waiting on work or work waiting on workers,” Jessie said. “The project team is effectively using the weekly work plan meeting. It’s our formal sit-down where each trade commits to the group what they will be accomplishing in the next week and eliminates any possible impacts to our schedule.”
Placing concrete decks is a team effort. At Cal Poly Pomona, we used a cycle that repeated every three weeks per segment. Each cycle started by lowering tables and jumping onto the next level. After the deck was sheathed and the perimeter handrail installed for safety, the deck was released to multiple trades to pre-install sleeves, block-outs and electrical, followed by reinforcing steel. After stud rail rebar and post-tension cables were set prior to placement, each deck went through an inspection to ensure quality work.
After a quality inspection we placed the deck before sunrise. As the deck cured, we started setting columns and shear walls that were placed in the afternoon.
This project includes multiple structures, including a student residence hall, a supporting mechanical central plant and a stand-alone, single-story dining commons. We eliminated potential for confusion through top-notch coordination.
“Having a plan, working the plan and communication are the key factors to having this project run as successfully and efficiently as possible,” Jessie said.
