To understand the transformative power of concrete block, consider 2820 Polk Avenue in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.
There you’ll see the rising towers of Le Parc, a $13.6 million, 31,073-square-foot multifamily development that reinvents the art of the possible in masonry design. The Urban Land Institute says the eight-story, five-tower development “… optimizes masonry materials, assemblies, and environmental systems to reduce costs and construction times, increase unit density and enhance living quality.”
It also negates a lingering myth: Concrete block means drab, uninteresting architecture.
Style through Simplicity
“We love that the building bones are also the outer skin. When the mason lays down the block, that block is the finishing material on both sides,” explains project architect Dominique Houriet. Fellow architect and project partner Christian Dimeling are developers, general contractors and owners of the 32-unit in-fill development, projected for substantial completion this fall.
“Artificial cladding does not bury these structures,” adds Dimeling. “Exposed beams and walls are part of a sculpted, cohesive look. CMU (concrete masonry unit) construction facilitates the aesthetic.”
Each block is enhanced with a three-score system on the 16-inch side and two-score on the side. The running bond CMU block and precise stacking present a modern, engineered appearance.
9 Other Ways
If aesthetic appeal was the development pair’s sole goal behind selecting concrete block, that might be enough. In Le Parc’s case, It’s just the start:
• Affordability. “Le Parc construction costs are very competitive. “By vertically integrating our design, build and development, we’ve given ourselves a chance to come in under budget and ahead of schedule” reports Dimeling. “Most developers and builders would expect an all concrete building to cost $350 to $400 per square foot in this market. Maybe more. With block, we're seeing a way to do this well under $300.”
• Speed. The masonry team gradually ramped up block laying speed in the first weeks. And now? “We literally break for lunch and return a short time later and four feet of wall is finished on one of the towers. It’s pretty amazing,” Houriet says.
• Subcontractors. Exposed reinforced CMU is efficient because it consolidates multiple trades into one. Each course of block represents the finished product and significantly reduces the amount of subcontractors we need to coordinate and numbers of materials we need to purchase or get inspected. The mason is the framer, drywaller, insulator, waterproofer, siding / stucco installer in one.” Dimeling reports.
• Insurance. The soaring cost of property insurance is significantly reduced with non-combustible materials, including concrete block, all-steel framing and a sprinkler system.
• Sourcing. “The LeParc 3 Score precision blocks were custom made by a local manufacturer,” explains Dimeling. “ In total, LeParc will use ~40,000 precision blocks.” Material transit costs were minimized.
• Acoustics. The top tenant complaint – noise – is all-but eliminated at Le Parc. Not only does concrete density suppress sound transmission, but Houriet’s design eliminates shared walls.
• HVAC. Concrete mass and San Diego’s fabled climate eliminates the need for ducts and rooftop condensers. “Part of the reason this building works is because of the low mechanical requirement,” notes Dimeling. “Concrete walls absorb daytime heat and release it at night. It’s a passive system at work.”
• Simplicity. Houriet’s design works hard to squeeze out all duplication, relying instead on block simplicity and elegance. “It’s a basic material that looks extremely sophisticated,” Houriet observes. “I try to use concrete as much as possible.
• Design. “The possibilities of block construction are practically limitless,” the architect asserts. “Shot blasting, pigments, exposing the aggregate, adjusting block size and pattern creation are all ways to add architectural interest and uniqueness.”
In the search for more cost effective and enduring ways to build, it’s good to know concrete block is a continuing source of structural innovation and architectural style.
Learn more about the design and resilience advantages of building with concrete.
