Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) | Los Angeles, California

Geology Challenges Are No Match For EFCO’s Engineering

 Los Angeles, California

Unique Discovery During LACMA Expansion

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) expansion project in Los Angeles, CA, includes the construction of a new state-of-the-art museum designed to house the county’s vast and diverse art collection. The new building, which sits adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits, replaces four aging buildings and is slated to be completed in 2024. During the construction of the new facility, the discovery of numerous ice-age-era fossils in the tar pits beneath the building caused delays as special attention was paid to the preservation and protection of the relics. To learn more about the paleontological findings at LACMA, visit the website at LACMA.org.

Single-Sided Wall Truss for Battered Walls

Largo Concrete Inc., known for its expertise in complex, high-profile concrete structures, was selected to construct the museum’s cast-in-place concrete, the first elements of which were the below-grade perimeter walls to form the ‘tubs’ of the foundation. EFCO’s Single-Sided Wall Truss® (SSWT) system was used to form the 24 (7.3 m) high walls battered from 4 (120 mm) thickness at the base to 2 (600 mm) thick at the top. The height and batter of the walls, along with multiple interferences from isolator pedestals, posed several challenges. However, using EFCO’s preassembled system of E-BEAM® and Single-Sided Wall Truss frames, Largo achieved a 4-day cycle time for 1,950 SF (181 m2) of formwork. Largo placed 517 LF (158 m) of 19-6″ (5.9 m) battered, one-sided walls in 8 pours. Alternatively, this could have been accomplished with an estimated 15 shoots/placements of shotcrete, a significantly greater time and labor investment compared to the cast-in-place solution Largo chose. In some instances where isolator pedestals interfered with SSWT frame locations, EFCO SUPER STUDS® could support a span over 12 (3.6m) between frames.

Innovative Engineering for a Modern Museum

Due to its location adjacent to the tar pits as well as the area’s constant threat of earthquakes, this large two-story building spanning over Wilshire Boulevard with 16 (4.9 m) floor-to-ceiling heights sits on numerous isolator pedestals. These pedestals measuring 10 x 10 (3.0 m x 3.0 m) were formed tieless using EFCO’s PLATE GIRDER® system, avoiding interference with boundary elements and mass-concrete cooling elements. Between the pedestals and the building are two 10 (3.0 m) diameter steel disks that allow the building to move multiple feet in any direction during an earthquake. The design incorporates post-tensioned box girder decks that span large distances without support columns or walls, so structurally, it’s closer to a bridge than a building.

EFCO’s REDI-RADIUS for Upturned Beams

The building’s distinctive ‘amoeba’ shape was ideal for using EFCO’s REDI-RADIUS® formwork. The architectural requirements of the design required a monolithically placed deck and 5’ (1500 mm) tall radiused upturned beams around the perimeter of each deck. To place the beam monolithically, Largo Concrete Inc. had to suspend the inside wall panels above the deck without kickers. EFCO’s REDI-RADIUS forms, known for their heavy-duty construction and ability to change radius easily, were key in supporting the concrete placement while meeting the complex geometries. The versatility of REDI-RADIUS allowed Largo to reduce excessive labor and material costs while delivering a high-quality and tight-tolerance architectural finish.

The team at EFCO is second to none. A fast-moving complicated project changes by the hour no matter how much pre planning you put in and the EFCO team always rose to the occasion and has been there with us through the late nights and early mornings, working through solutions and issues as they pop up. This resulted in pours always making schedule. It has been a pleasure working with EFCO over the years and I look forward to many more.

-Kris Brattain, Largo Concrete, Inc.

Why Largo Chose EFCO

Largo Concrete Inc. chose EFCO for the LACMA expansion project due to their advanced formwork solutions that met the project’s unique engineering and architectural demands. EFCO’s systems, including the PLATE GIRDER for foundational support and the Single-Sided Wall Truss for constructing the battered walls, enabled Largo to achieve rapid cycle times and precise formwork alignment. EFCO’s REDI-RADIUS was particularly beneficial for efficiently installing radiused upturned beams, ensuring high-quality finishes and structural integrity while minimizing labor needs. The combination of Innovation, Quality, and Super Service made EFCO the preferred choice for tackling the architectural complexities of the LACMA expansion. It led Largo Concrete to realize the lowest in-place concrete cost.