Having the right people by your side is one of the most important aspects when working on a new project. It requires help from partners who can work hand-in-hand to turn plans into a reality. That’s why, when BCS Concrete Structures were called on to help create a new housing project in Austin, we knew exactly who to turn to. Here’s how BCS and Doka worked together to create Plaza Saltillo.
We were tasked, with our partner and developer, Lincoln Ventures, with creating a multi-use building for the Austin area. The assignment was to build an impressive 31-story housing project for the students who attended the University of Austin, only a few minutes away. The luxury loft-style apartments would take up 4 whole blocks and would also feature 241 apartments and have enough rooms for 796 beds. When done, the Plaza Saltillo would be close in height to the Texas Capitol Building and UT Tower.
To get this right, BCS needed a partner who would make the building process go smoothly and reach the deadlines that were set in place. That means that we needed someone who could bring down any extra costs on materials by limiting equipment purchases, getting rid of extra equipment placed on the site, and offering quick stripping and cycle times. And last, they had to be a partner that we could trust and have confidence in. That’s why we knew we had to ask Doka, a partner we’ve worked with for many years.
Doka quickly rose to the occasion and exceeded all of our expectations by providing the formwork equipment that we needed. Not only that, but they also used their effective systems to make the process go quickly. We first worked with Doka on the parking garage, using their 10k system. While the garage used their 10k system with high-leg load capacity and H20 beams, in the residential area of the project, we used their Superdek system, a simple handset drop slab head process, on the 8-inch flat deck. Doka utilized their 8 x 8 FT grid spacing, making the placement process easy to work around in such a busy workspace. We were impressed with our partner’s system, which made the site safer and allowed workers to quickly strip the system from the ground without the help of scissor lifts or ladders for up to 11 feet. Not only that but the crew of was able to frame the same amount of square footage without the extra equipment.
After that, they employed the top 50 for the sheer walls. The system is versatile and cost-efficient, using plywood H20 beams and whalers. The result was walls that required very little remedial patchwork, as they had a great finish, with minimal bug holes, and was very smooth to the touch. Our BCS crew was more than satisfied with the systems used with Doka, which made the rest of the building process simple for them. They found it was safer, more intuitive, and saved a lot of time, overall.
The work that Doka had brought to the table was effective and made for another successful project once again, showing how they were the perfect partner for us and the rest of the BCS crew. We’re so happy that we could work with Doka and build something special for the people of Austin. If you want to see more of the concrete work that BCS Construction Structures has done, you can read through our other projects to see how we can best help you on your next project.