Mud Men
How do you pour and shape the 94 million pounds of liquid stone that go into making Evo? On this job the "Prince of the Pour" is Lynn Call, who shows us tricks of the trade including vibrating poles and double-bladed riders that skim over the finished decks like mini Zambonis. Working a step ahead of the concrete crew Arciero Brothers are the form carpenters from Sanmar Construction, whose job it is to build the deck and wall forms that support and shape thousands of pounds of wet concrete. The crew includes veteran foreman Steve Siglar, who has to battle deadlines, delays and ironworkers; his supervisor, Doug Will, a hardworking boss whose two modes seem to be fuming and fretting; 45 year old Robin Esquiro, in charge of wall forms, who is working for the first time with his son, 22 year old apprentice Robbie. All of Evo's structural elements will be constructed of reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete is the material of choice for a residential high-rise. It's far more malleable than structural steel beams, offering better sound proofing and thinner floors.
Interesting Facts
- Cement and concrete are not the same. Cement is the powder, concrete is the mix. Concrete weighs 150 lbs. per cubic foot (or 4050 lbs. per cubic yard).
- Most of the surviving ancient Roman structures, from the Coliseum to Hadrian's Wall, were constructed using concrete.
- Occupants of concrete towers are less able to perceive building motion than occupants of comparable tall buildings with non-concrete structure.
- Concrete, produced at an estimated rate of 7 billion cubic yards per year, is the second most widely consumed substance on Earth, after water.
Introduced in this Episode
Steve Siglar
Foreman
SanMar Construction
Before a floor can be poured, it has to be built. That job goes to another subcontractor, SanMar Construction. Their crew is lead by veteran form carpenter Steve Siglar.
?Bubba? Esquiro
Apprentice
SanMar Construction
Robbie "Bubba" Esquiro starts this job as a 22-year-old. His father and veteran form carpenter, Robin Esquiro, got him on the job as an apprentice.
Doug Will
Supervisor
SanMar Construction
As supervisor of SanMar Construction's form carpenters, Will works to ensure that the crew stays on schedule despite many obstacles.
