Walls & Hardscapes

The main lobby of the newest building at Amazon.com’s headquarters campus in central Seattle is one for the books.

Cutting-edge decorative concrete takes center stage at the newest resort complexes in Las Vegas

A great example of hillside sculpting done right is a job that California-based Tom Ralston Concrete recently completed in Saratoga, Calif.

About four decades ago, the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C., was the site of one of the most talked-about political scandals in American history. Today, the luxurious Watergate Hotel, which sits in the complex, houses executives and politicians as well as everyday travelers looking to immerse themselves in American history.

If you apply vertical concrete, carve concrete walls or create cast pieces, sooner or later you may have to face a painful truth: Traditional metal lath can be troublesome. It’s heavy, can be difficult to shape and is incredibly sharp when cut. SpiderLath, a new fiberglass mesh from a company of the same name, addresses those problems.

Imagine this: You own an estate in the California hills overlooking Monterey Bay. You are a lover of art and natural beauty. You want a swimming pool complex with a large concrete deck and pool house. You want it to accentuate the surrounding landscape and incorporate the feel of the bay, but you’re not sure how you want to achieve that. Who do you call?

For high-end homebuilders, the inclusion of a private wine cellar in the blueprints is not exactly a groundbreaking idea. But while most cellars consist of pretty straightforward temperature control and wine-racking systems, Nathan Giffin, owner of Creative Rock Forming and the creative powerhouse behind a recent wine cellar project in Naperville, Ill., has rather a different idea of what a private wine cellar can be.

In 2007, the city of Westminster, Colo., a suburb located northwest of Denver, began initial planning for a new park that would sit on 9 1/2 acres of open land across from its city hall. City planners sought to build an inviting community gathering spot where children could play and families could stroll, take in art and view live performances. For inspiration, Westminster, Colo., city planners looked to their sister city, Westminster, England, a central borough of London.

When Brian Graham opened Hard Rock Developments Inc. in Calgary in 2000, he wanted the concrete tool and supply shop to be different from your standard concrete store. “My Dad was a concrete contractor, so when I was growing up, I went with him to concrete supply stores pretty often,” he says. “They always had a similar kind of look and feel — dusty, cluttered, not really appealing to anyone, including a concrete contractor.”

Shotcrete is not a physical product. It cannot be touched or held in your hand. Shotcrete is a process or verb. It is the action of placing concrete to achieve high strengths and low permeability.

This house, built in San Mateo County, Calif., by Cheng Design, has the fingerprints of acclaimed precast-piece designer Fu-Tung Cheng all over it.

Take an older home on the beach in need of radical change. Add a designer and a concrete contractor, both of whom are comfortable thinking outside the box. Give them carte blanche and as much time as they need. Allow their creative juices to simmer. What do you get? A dramatic award-winning remodel project that screams individuality.