Concrete is the literal foundation of much of our local architecture in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, and Delta Construction Co. is proud to have constructed a lot of it! We specialize in concrete construction, but to many the mystery of concrete can be hard to crack, so we figured we’d lay some of the basics out for you:
What is concrete made of?
Concrete, or concrete-like aggregates, have been used in building and construction since ancient times. Originally, concrete consisted of clay, lime, gypsum and chalk. Today’s concrete is a composite of fine and coarse aggregates (sand and rocks) bonded by cement. It must be free of organic compounds to avoid chemical reactions that would otherwise impair its solidity and strength, but it is made of naturally-occurring materials.
Cement is a paste that bonds the aggregate materials together and hardens over time. Concrete is kept damp over the hardening process to make sure that, as the cement shrinks around these particles, the entire slab hardens evenly.
What makes concrete stronger or weaker?
The strength of concrete, called Tensile Strength, is the resistance of the material to breaking when exposed to tension. In other words, concrete is stronger or weaker depending on how “crushable” it is. The lower the water content in the initial pour, the stronger the concrete, as it will be more compact.
Concrete can now be prestressed to avoid breakage later on, which is especially helpful when using concrete as a building material. This technique involves the combination of the high-tensile-strength steal and the compressive strength of concrete.
Why is concrete a great addition to a sustainable building plan?
Concrete is considered a sustainable building material for a number of reasons:
1) It’s durable: In the case of concrete, with strength comes longevity. Concrete building does not catch fire, rust or rot, so it outlasts most all other building materials.
2) It retains heat: Concrete is an energy-efficient building material thanks to its high thermal mass.
3) It can be recycled: Delta Sand & Gravel and associated companies recycle approximately 50,000 tons of demolition concrete last year.
4) It creates little waste: Concrete can be mixed to meet the exact specifications of a construction project, eliminating nearly all waste product.
Check out more great concrete sustainability facts at ConcreteNetwork.com.
What are some of Delta Construction Co.’s concrete projects in Lane County?
Pleasant Hill High School
Concrete Work:
- Concrete Courtyard
- Covered Breezeway Footing & Sidewalks
- Concrete Site Walls & Stairs
- Cast in Place Curbs & Generator Pad
Clear Water Boat Ramp
Concrete Work:
- Cast-in-place Boat Ramp with textured V-Groove Finish
LCC Center for Learning
Concrete Work:
- Concrete Site Walls & Seat Walls with Skate Stops
- Reinforced Concrete Sidewalks, Ramps, Stairs, and Courtyards
- Radius Paver Bands and Colored Sidewalks at Main Entry
University of Oregon Erb Memorial Union
Concrete Work:
- Reinforced Concrete Sidewalks – Sand Finish (colored) and Broom Finished
- Concrete Site Walls, Seat Walls, and Storm Water Planters
- Heavy Vehicular Concrete Paving with Saw Cut Joints
- Concrete Mow Strips/Bands, Curb & Gutter, and C-Curb
Do you want to know more?
If you have any questions about concrete, aggregate materials or Delta Construction Company, please feel free to reach out to us. We’re always happy to help enlighten you with rock solid information.
Are you interested in joining our concrete team? We have open positions for entry-level, mid-level and lead Utility Construction Workers. Check them out and apply today!
Delta Sand and Gravel is proud to be partnering with Yoncalla Early Works and Yoncalla Elementary School to construct an outdoor playscape for kids younger than third grade in Douglas County, Oregon.
What is Early Works?
Early Works is a 10-year Children’s Institute initiative launched in 2010 to improve the development of young children in Oregon and to support their health and education, as well as their families. Currently, there are two Early Works sites: the original site at Earl Boyles school in Southeast Portland, and the second site at Yoncalla Elementary in Douglas County, Oregon.
The Children’s Institute and the Roseburg–based Ford Family Foundation joined forces with the Yoncalla School District to launch the rural Early Works site at Yoncalla Elementary in 2012. Yoncalla Elementary now serves 20 of its roughly 140 students with the Early Works Program.
Early Works schools focus on three key aspects of development:
- Implementing high quality education from birth;
- Supporting family engagement in their children’s learning; and
- Connecting health with schools.
Children within the program range in age level from less than one year old to the third grade. For more information about Early Works, visit their website.
What does the Yoncalla playscape provide for children in Douglas County?
Of Early Works’ goals for the program, social and emotional development, as well as engagement, attendance and STEM learning are all primary focuses in the construction plan for this new play space. With an art area, woodworking station, chalk wall, water pump and creek bed, musical play area, building zone and more, this site is rich with opportunities for young children to develop skills such as sharing, hand-eye coordination, creative thought processing and practicing physical activity.
What were Delta’s project responsibilities?
Delta is working on this project at a significantly reduced rate to give back to a community that many of its employees are a part of, and to support the great work that Yoncalla School District is doing to create successful learning environments for its students in the face of significant funding challenges.
Delta is performing the following duties for the new play space:
Delta Sand & Gravel:
- Supply of gravels, beach sand and topsoil (loam)
- Trucking of materials to the jobsite
Delta Construction Co.:
- Labor
- Equipment
- Excavation
- Underground drainage
- Gravel, sand and topsoil placement
- Concrete forming
- Project management support
We also coordinated the hiring of additional project contractors and subcontractors, and the donation of materials and labor from these companies to help construct this fun educational space at the lowest cost to Yoncalla School District.
Additional Donations
Thank you to our fellow contributors to this project:
Rexius Commercial Landscape Division is contributing a partial donation to the Yoncalla Playscape Project, suppling and installing play chips, topsoil, sod, plants, and other landscaping components.
Island Fence is installing fencing around the project.
Herc Rentals in Coburg is renting equipment to the Project under partial donation.
Knife River Eugene is supplied and delivered concrete under partial donation to the project along with Delta Concrete.
Working with Delta Sand & Gravel
Delta Sand & Gravel and Delta Construction Co. are always looking for ways to create and cultivate resources for our community. Our construction and aggregate material production employees are very important to us, and we are excited to be able to support Douglas County, where many of them live and raise their families. If you have any questions for Delta about a donation or partial donation, our aggregate production, aggregate hauling or construction services, feel free to contact us. We offer free quotes and our central location between Springfield and Eugene make pickup simple for you.
