News » RSI awarded Grand Flamingo Garage/Lanai Addition, Miami Beach

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package from foundations through post-tensioned deck for a garage and amenities lanai addition to the Flamingo South Beach complex in Miami.

The original structure dates back to 1920, and was Miami Beach’s first grand hotel.  As such, it has seen visits from many dignitaries, celebrities, and even Rosie the Elephant.

RSI looks forward to working closely with GT McDonald to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » Aerial View and Video of Sweetbird Roof Pour

Please go here to view a video of the Sweetbird roof pour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0becHT44Dc.

RSI is providing a turnkey concrete package, from foundations through roof deck, for the Sweetbird South retail building in Miami.

The completed Sweetbird South building will serve as a gateway for the Miami Design District and is architectural firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter’s first design project in the US.

RSI is working closely GT McDonald, the general contractor for the project, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Tops Out Kolter Hotel

RSI recently topped out the Hyatt Hotel in St. Petersburg, developed by the Kolter Group. The turnkey-concrete portion of the project is structurally complete, and we are currently finishing slab on grade and miscellaneous items. The secondary items will be finished in March.

The finished hotel will be 174 rooms and 12 stories high, with 17,000 square feet of retail space.

RSI worked closely with the general contractor for the project, Kast Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » RSI Visits World of Concrete – Las Vegas

To keep informed about the latest innovations in concrete construction and technology, RSI recently sent a team to the 2017 World of Concrete tradeshow in Las Vegas.

World of Concrete is a signature event for the concrete industry in Las Vegas each year. The 2017 figures haven’t been released yet, but the 2016 show featured more than 1,532 companies exhibiting across more than 743,889 net square feet of space, with 60,110 registered professionals attending.

Please contact us to learn more about how we can use what we learned to help you with on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of your project.

News » RSI Completes GLF Constructions Headquarters

RSI provided a turnkey concrete package for GLF Construction’s new headquarters, including extensive architectural concrete finishes throughout. GLF Construction is a worldwide provider of construction and civil construction services, with a company history dating to 1905 in Italy. 

The intricacies of the architectural concrete design demanded the exacting attention to detail that RSI’s customers have come to expect.  Situated on the banks of the Miami River, RSI’s renowned teamwork overcame the logistical challenges presented by the building’s location.

The new building is just under 50,000 square feet, with approximately 2,200 cubic yards of concrete.  Elevated structural decks use a post-tension reinforcing system, and RSI provided masonry services as well. 

The architect is Oppenheim Architecture + Design in Miami, FL.  RSI coordinated closely with GLF and Oppenheim to provide on-time and on-budget completion of the concrete for the new building.

News » RSI awarded Sweetbird South Retail Building

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package, from foundations through roof deck, for the Sweetbird South retail building in Miami. RSI’s portion of the work on the new structure will last five months.

The building is a two-story mild-reinforced concrete slab/beam structure. 

While the building is smaller in terms of overall size, its unique geometry at the upper roof deck will be quite challenging as it has multifaceted slopes and various angles. 

“It’s definitely an RSI-type job,” said Julian Campy, RSI’s project manager.  “We love to take on challenging work and we are really looking forward to doing a great job for GT McDonald, a new client for RSI.”

The completed Sweetbird South building will serve as a gateway for the Miami Design District and is architectural firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter’s first design project in the US.

News » RSI Project Near Completion: Fairfield Inn, Clearwater Beach

RSI is nearing completion of its work on the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Clearwater Beach, a 6-story building with 102 rooms and a total area of 113,323 square feet.

RSI will continue to coordinate closely with the general contractor, Creative Contractors, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Begins Work on the Hyatt Hotel, St. Petersburg

RSI has completed all the foundation work for the Hyatt Hotel in St. Petersburg, a 174-room, 12-story structure, with 17,000 square feet of retail space.

Work is progressing well on the elevated structural decks, and RSI will continue to coordinate closely with the general contractor, Kast Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Begins Work on the Manor at Harbour Island

RSI has completed all the foundation work for the Manor at Harbour Island, a 21-story building with 340 units.

The elevated structural decks are coming along well; work on the 6th level has begun.

RSI will continue to coordinate closely with the general contractor, Moss & Associates, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Supports the Florida Impact Softball Team

The Florida Impact is a fast-pitch softball travel team, and in 2015, many of the girls from the team won a national championship in the 16-year-old division.

RSI recently was a major sponsor of a fundraiser for the team, a clay shoot, held at the FishHawk Sporting Clays facility in Tampa Bay. The day was fun and profitable, raising almost $10,000 for the team.

News » RSI Tops Out Bliss Condominium Project

RSI recently topped out the 18-story Bliss condominium project in St. Petersburg and is now working on the lower garage portion of the building.

RSI has been working closely with the general contractor, Voeller Construction, and expects its turnkey concrete services for the project to be completed on-time and within-budget by early August.

News » RSI Awarded Manor at Harbour Island

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package for the Manor at Harbour Island, a 21-story building with 340 units.

The building will have a Parisian look with mansard roofs and arched windows. RSI’s work on the project includes a skywalk that links the building to a nearby parking garage.

RSI started work on the project in March, and anticipates the concrete portion of the project taking about 10 months. RSI will work closely with the general contractor, Moss & Associates, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » RSI awarded Hyatt Hotel project

RSI has been awarded the Hyatt Hotel in St. Petersburg and will be providing a turnkey concrete package for the 174-room, 12-story structure, with 17,000 square feet of retail space.

The Kolter Group is developing the hotel as part of a $200 million retail-condo project, located just a few blocks from the waterfront between Central Avenue and First Avenue N and First and Second Streets. This will be only the 3rd Hyatt Hotel in the Tampa Bay area.

RSI is slated to start work on April 25th, with a project duration of approximately 7 months. RSI will work closely with the general contractor for the project, Kast Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » RSI Tops Out Guesthouse Hotel

RSI provided all the concrete work for the 10-story post-tensioned structural deck system for the hotel and adjacent parking garage on South Gulfview Boulevard on Clearwater Beach.

The hotel is just under 400,000 total square feet, with about 350,000 structural, post-tensioned decks.

RSI worked closely with the general contractor for the project, Wichman Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the work.

News » RSI Awarded Fairfield Inn on Clearwater Beach

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package for the new Fairfield Inn and Suites on Clearwater Beach. 

The new hotel will be a 6-story building with a 102 rooms and a total area of 113,323 square feet. Located on the corner of Poinsettia Avenue and Bay Esplanade, the new hotel will offer easy access to Clearwater Beach.

RSI started the project in February and expects the concrete for the construction to be complete in approximately 6 months.

RSI will work closely with the general contractor, Creative Contractors, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the work.

News » RSI Guesthouse Hotel Project Update

RSI is providing all the concrete work for the 10-story post-tensioned structural deck system for the hotel and adjacent parking garage on South Gulfview Boulevard on Clearwater Beach. Currently, levels 1-7 are complete, with the project top-out anticipated by the end of March, perhaps sooner. 

The finished hotel will be just under 400,000 total square feet, with about 350,000 structural, post-tensioned decks, and will take 8 months to complete.

RSI is working closely with the general contractor for the project, Wichman Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the work.

News » RSI Awarded Jade & Bridge Buildings

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package for the Jade & Bridge Buildings in the Dacra Paradise Plaza project in Miami, including all foundation work through top-out.

Paradise Plaza is part of the larger Miami Design District multimillion-dollar redevelopment, and the finished buildings will include numerous exotic and visually interesting architectural facades. The expansion includes a boutique hotel and will significantly increase the District’s retail, commercial, and art exhibition space.

The duration of RSI-South Florida’s work is approximately 8 months, and RSI looks forward to working closely with the general contractor, Coastal Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » Project Update: RSI Breaks Ground on Dacra Paradise Plaza

RSI has begun work on the massive Paradise Plaza project in the Miami Design District. The project will significantly increase the District’s retail, commercial, and art exhibition space when finished.

RSI is providing a turnkey concrete package for the project, including all foundation work through top-out.

The duration of RSI-South Florida’s work is approximately 8 months, and RSI looks forward to working closely with the general contractor, Coastal Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Tops Out Edgewater Beach Resort

RSI completed the roof pour and top-out for the Edgewater Beach Resort on Treasure Island.

As indicated in the photos, RSI’s work will continue on the amenities level of the project. Moss & Associates, the general contractor, chose to complete the tower portion of the project first and to have RSI fall back to complete the amenities deck on the second level. That allowed subsequent work such as stucco, painting, interior finishes, etc., to take place on the tower.

The overall building size when finished will be approximately 180,000 square feet, with about 150,000 square feet of structural, post-tensioned desks.

RSI will conclude the concrete portion of the project by the end of the year and looks forward to continuing to work closely with Moss & Associates to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » RSI Awarded Dacra Paradise Plaza Project in Miami

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package for the Paradise Plaza project, including all foundation work through top-out.

The project includes an underground parking garage with a hydrostatic slab and cast-in-place walls for the entire perimeter of the garage.

Paradise Plaza is part of the larger Miami Design District multimillion-dollar redevelopment, and the finished buildings will include numerous exotic and visually interesting architectural facades. The expansion includes a boutique hotel and will significantly increase the District’s retail, commercial, and art exhibition space.

The duration of RSI-South Florida’s work is approximately 8 months, and RSI looks forward to working closely with the general contractor, Coastal Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Tops Out Infinity on Longboat Key

“In spite of numerous engineering challenges, the building progressed nicely,” said Miguel Tellez, RSI’s President.  “We’ve really enjoyed working with Tandem Construction on this project.”

Jeff Lynn, RSI’s Project Manager, added “Tandem is a real team-player and things would not have gone as smoothly without everyone pulling together.”

RSI provided a turnkey package for the new 5-story post-tensioned concrete structure and coordinated closely with Tandem Construction, based in Sarasota, to ensure on time and within budget completion.

News » RSI providing turnkey concrete for new Miami Beach Surfstyle project

RSI will be providing a turnkey concrete package, including Class A finish exposed concrete, for the new 43,200 square-foot Surfstyle parking garage and retail space at 1155 Collins Avenue, just 1 block west of Miami Beach in the heart of South Beach.

The new building includes a valet only parking garage that will use stackable car lifts to maximize vehicle occupancy, bringing many much-needed spaces to the area and replacing the prior ground-level parking lot.

RSI will work closely with general contractor Cuesta Construction, which is also heading the nearby historic Tides Hotel expansion, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » RSI Awarded Salvador Condominiums Project

RSI will be providing cast-in-place concrete services for the new Salvador condominiums project in downtown St. Petersburg, including the foundations, vertical work, and two post-tensioned structural decks totaling just under 50,000 square feet. The work is slated to take 20 weeks.

To meet the owner’s aggressive budget, Kellogg & Kimsey and RSI divided the building into its two structural components, the cast-in-place portion and the hollow-core portion.

“The budgeting and negotiation process was a total team effort between Kellogg & Kimsey and RSI,” said Steve Whitley, CEO.  “Although we’ve performed well on past hollow-core jobs, it worked well for us to end up with a portion of work that is in our sweet spot.  I think it’s a real win-win for the Owner, K&K, and RSI and we’re looking forward to a great job together.”

Inspired by Salvador Dali and designed by Mesh Architecture, the 74 Salvador residences will feature artful and innovative living in St. Pete’s first green-certified condominium tower. Home sizes will range from 964 – 2,795 square feet with numerous luxuries both inside and out, including an expansive 11,000 square foot third-floor amenity deck.

RSI will work closely with general contractor Kellogg & Kimsey to ensure on-time and within budget completion.

News » RSI Awarded Bliss Condominium Project

RSI is providing turn-key concrete services for the new Bliss condominium building in St Petersburg, including the 5-story parking garage and the 13-story post-tensioned residential portion of the structure.

The new Bliss units will include expansive 270-degree city and water views, ground-level retail space, a resort-style lap pool, a landscaped courtyard, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

RSI will work closely with the contractor, Voeller Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the project.

News » RSI awarded Clearwater Beach Guesthouse Hotel

RSI is providing all the concrete work for the 10-story post-tensioned structural deck system for the hotel and adjacent parking garage. The finished hotel will be just under 400,000 total square feet, with about 350,000 structural, post-tensioned decks, and will take 8 months to complete.

The new 10-story, 155 room hotel tower will be built on the south end of Clearwater beach on what is now a parking lot for the Holiday Inn at 521 S Gulfview Boulevard. The Caribbean-style hotel will be similar in appearance to the nearby Pier House 60 Marina Hotel, which shares the same owner.

RSI will work closely with the general contractor for the project, Wichman Construction, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the concrete portion of the work.

News » RSI awarded Edgewater Beach Resort on Treasure Island

RSI will provide all the concrete work for the 6-story post-tensioned structural deck system for the new Edgewater Beach Resort on Treasure Island.

The overall building size will be approximately 180,000 square feet, with about 150,000 square feet of structural, post-tensioned desks.

The Edgewater will offer 77 upscale suites with an outdoor swimming pool and an on-site restaurant at the location previously occupied by the old Buccaneer Motel, just north of the Thunderbird Resort on Gulf Boulevard.

The concrete work will take 6 months to complete, and RSI will work closely with Moss & Associates, the general contractor of the project, to ensure on-time and within-budget completion.

News » One Palm Sarasota Tops Out

Sarasota city officials and the One Palm project team recently celebrated the topping out of the One Palm apartments and Aloft hotel at the corner of Palm and Ringling in Sarasota.

The contractor provided a catered lunch and held a raffle/giveaway to thank all the subcontractors and tradesmen for their long hours and hard work. Singled out for his dedication to pushing the project along was RSI’s Francisco Gomez, Project Superintendent.  The celebration took place in early December, so the raising of the traditional “topping out tree” fit right in.

RSI constructed 260,000 square feet of post-tensioned deck for the new building portion of the project.  RSI poured 60,000 square feet of concrete on metal deck at the adjacent existing parking garage, which is being transformed into residential units. When finished in the fall of 2015 there will be 139 Aloft units and 141 One Palm apartments.

RSI is working closely with Kellogg and Kimsey, the general contractor, to ensure on-time and on-budget completion of the concrete portion of the project.

News » RSI Providing Turnkey Concrete for Infinity on Longboat Key

RSI has been awarded a contract for the Infinity Condominium on Longboat Key and will be providing turnkey concrete work for all the building concrete.

The 5-story post-tensioned concrete structure will contain 11 beachfront condominiums that will sell for $2,975,000 to $4,950,000. The luxury complex will include a swimming pool, sun terrace with outdoor entertainment area, private clubhouse, fitness center, and tennis court.

RSI’s work will begin in March and will take 6 months to complete.

RSI will coordinate closely with Tandem Construction, based in Sarasota, to ensure on-time and within budget completion.

News » St. Leo University’s New Academic Building Tops Out

On October 31st, Creative Contractors and the entire project team celebrated the topping out of the new academic building at St. Leo University.  Creative provided a great lunch for the workers as a show of appreciation for all the hard work and effort put forth on what has been a fast-paced and smooth-running project.

Before lunch, the final “top” beam - adorned with the traditional pine tree and American flag - was flown into place and set. A unique twist was added to this tradition as students, faculty and workers were allowed to sign the beam and add encouraging messages.

A big shout-out and thank you to Creative Contractors!  It was a great day for the workers, the project team, the owners and everyone involved.

News » RSI Providing Turnkey Concrete Services for New GLF Headquarters

RSI is providing a turnkey concrete package for the new headquarters for GLF Construction, including extensive architectural concrete finishes throughout. GLF Construction is a worldwide provider of construction and civil construction services, with a company history dating to 1905 in Italy.

The headquarters will be just under 50,000 square feet, with approximately 2,200 cubic yards of concrete.  Elevated structural decks will use the post-tension reinforcing system, and RSI will be providing masonry services as well. Construction is slated to begin in December, with an overall scheduled duration for the project just shy of 30 weeks. 

While a relatively small structure, the intricacies of the architectural concrete design will demand the exacting attention to detail that RSI’s customers have come to expect.  Situated on the banks of the Miami River, the project will present logistical challenges that will only be overcome through the type of teamwork RSI is known for. 

“We’re really excited about this new project,” said Steve Whitley, RSI’s President. “With its unique design and architectural concrete finishes, it’ll surely be a marquee building along the river when we get done with it.”

The architect is Oppenheim Architecture + Design in Miami, FL. RSI is coordinating closely with GLF and Oppenheim to provide on-time and on-budget completion of the new building.

News » RSI Working on Miami Metromover Project

RSI will be providing the commercial concrete work for the renovations for the Brickell City Centre 8th Street Metromover Station in Miami. The $4.6 million renovation will enlarge the station and upgrade access to the passenger platform from the ground with a new elevator. The project includes a new escalator, new stairs on the north side of the station, a new third level that will lead to City Centre’s hotel, a new canopy that will cover the station, and security improvements. 

RSI will work closely with Americaribe-Moriarty Joint Venture for on-time and on-budget completion of the commercial concrete for the project.

News » New Gainesville Student Housing Project

RSI is providing a turnkey concrete package for Next Level, two new student apartment buildings in Gainesville, FL.  The commercial concrete work includes foundations, columns, beams, an extensive amount of cast-in-place walls and 15” structural “podium” decks.  The project has aggressive schedule demands: RSI has 16 weeks to complete both structural decks.

The new buildings will contain 170 apartments with 600 bedrooms to house University of Florida students. Student housing has come a long way: Amenities will include a podium-level swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, and study lounges. The fully furnished apartments will contain stainless appliances, quartz countertops, European cabinetry, flat-screen televisions, and closet organizers.

The project is designed by Hochhauser Blatter Architects of Santa Barbara, CA and the general contractor is Beal Derkenne Construction of Des Moines, IA. RSI is coordinating closely with them to ensure on-time and within-in budget completion of the new apartments.

News » New St. Leo University Building

RSI is providing a turnkey concrete package for the new 48,000 square foot academic building at St. Leo University in St. Leo, FL. The commercial concrete work for the structural steel building includes foundations, shear walls, and concrete on metal decks and will be complete by year’s end.

The new $14 million building replaces the 8,000-square-foot Crawford Hall and will be finished for the start of fall semester 2015.

The four-story building will include 16 classrooms and 24 faculty offices and will incorporate eco friendly design features. The exterior Spanish Mission style of the new structure will complement surrounding buildings and will be visible immediately when entering the campus.

The architect is Gould Evans of Tampa, FL, and the general contractor is Creative Contractors, Inc., of Clearwater, FL.  RSI is working closely with them to ensure on-time and within-budget completion of the new building.

News » RSI Opens Miami Office

Responding to client needs, RSI is pleased to announce the opening of our Miami office.

The new office is located at 777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500, Miami, FL 33131. Our telephone number is (305) 721-2713.  Our fax number is (305) 721-2701.

RSI has completed numerous projects over the years in South Florida.  Most recently we completed all the structural and architectural-finish concrete for the prestigious Perez Art Museum Miami. We’re currently working on the 321 Ocean Drive condominiums on Miami Beach and we anticipate a June start on a custom residence that features architectural-finish concrete throughout.

Not only will the new office allow us to provide greater and more responsive service to our existing South Florida clients, but it also signals a renewed commitment to be a steady player in this vibrant market.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your commercial concrete needs.

News » RSI Helps Raise Scholarship Money

RSI recently helped sponsor a golf tournament to benefit the University of Tampa Scholarship Program and Athletic Department.

An annual event for the last 26 years, the Beck Scramble raised $135,000: $30,000 more than last year! In addition to the golf tournament, the sold-out event also included a raffle to raise money for students.

Players enjoyed a fun-filled day of golf on two adjacent courses at Innisbrook Golf Resort, competing for various prizes on the North and South Courses at the resort. The resort offered special room rates for the weekend, as well as course discounts.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » RSI to Provide Top-to-Bottom Turnkey Concrete for One Palm

The One Palm 10-story mixed-use building is the first new downtown Sarasota hotel since 2007.  RSI will provide 260,000 square feet of post-tensioned deck for the 139-room hotel and 141-unit luxury apartment complex.

Immediately adjacent to the building will be a parking garage, where RSI will add approximately 60,000 square feet of concrete on metal decks. RSI will coordinate closely with the general contractor for the project, Kellogg & Kimsey, to provide within-budget and on-time completion of the turnkey commercial concrete in 30 weeks.

Designed by Hoyt Architects, the amenities of the new structure will include a private courtyard accessed through the hotel lobby and a first-class amenities deck for residents and their guests. Apartment residents will enjoy a secure private drop off and entry along Palm Avenue, with a lobby that includes a cybercafé and meeting room for residents.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » RSI Awarded Foundation Work on New Moffitt Building

RSI was recently awarded the foundation concrete work for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center’s new 200,000 square-foot, $74.2 million outpatient facility.  RSI is working with Skanska, the general contractor, and we are already well on our way to completing another on-time and on-budget project.

The new 8-story building will be about a mile from Moffitt’s main facility and will house 4 new surgery suites and imaging facilities, research facilities, and blood draw and testing facilities. The new space will also include administrative offices and dining areas.  In conjunction with the main building, a new parking garage is being built on site as well.

Moffitt is Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. A 30-acre donation from the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County provided the land for the non-profit project.

The new building is scheduled to open in February 2015.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » PAMM is now open!

“RSI built the most complicated concrete frame I’ve ever seen. Not only was it complicated structurally but it had to look great. RSI delivered a fantastic result. We are glad they were on our team.”- John Leete president of John Moriarty of Florida.

The new Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) opened in December 2013 with 200,000 square feet of programmable space for the display of works of art, educational activities, relaxation and dining. At nearly three times the size of the former Miami Art Museum, PAMM is a modern and contemporary art museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting 20th and 21st century international art. The new building houses approximately 1,800 objects, nearly 500 of which were acquired in 2013 to celebrate the increased display space. Much of the museum’s current collection has been donated, with 110 works coming from Jorge M. Pérez.

Construction began in November 2010 on the new museum, with RSI handling the architectural concrete for the structure. As highlighted in the video below, taken by Museum Director Thom Collins, the pouring of the concrete was especially important in this project because seamless architectural concrete lines were integral to Herzog & De Meuron’s architectural design.

http://youtu.be/xa2bQltap3g

The museum’s exterior includes polished and bush-hammered concrete walls and a trellis system, and the interior includes galleries with exposed architectural concrete walls and columns.  Throughout the museum, the design called for wide-open spaces, minimizing the need for columns or other supports, and RSI accomplished this using a Cobiax structural system.

RSI worked closely with the general contractor, John A. Moriarty & Associates, to ensure on-time completion of the concrete for the project.

To view a live cam of the museum, go here: http://www.pamm.org/about.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » Progress on Miami Beach Condos

RSI continues to make good progress on the commercial concrete for what will be a beautiful structure on the beach.  We are now on the 8th floor of the east tower and the 3rd floor of the west tower of the 321 Ocean Drive condominium project in Miami Beach, Florida.
RSI’s work includes all the concrete construction from foundations through the post-tensioned roof deck.  The project has roughly 140,000 gross square feet of space, of which about 105,000 square feet is post-tensioned concrete deck.  RSI started the project in late November, with the turnkey commercial concrete work scheduled for on-time completion.

The primary challenges of the project have been an extremely small site and the fact that it is wedged between two occupied mid-rise condominiums.  Coastal Construction has been providing superior construction management and has been great at facilitating the flow of the work. 

“The teamwork between Coastal and RSI has been great,” said Steve Whitley, RSI’s President.  “Without everyone working together within such a tight jobsite, it would be nearly impossible to get things done.  Teamwork and tight coordination have been a real key to making this project work.”

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » RSI Completes Finale at Sand Key Project

“You did it again.  Back in October, you committed to me that you would have the roof slab poured by 1/6/14.  You poured it on 1/4/14.  Good job! Miguel & your crews are great assets to your company.  Thank you for your professionalism, honesty, quality & hard work.” Gary R. Richter, Senior Project Manager, Creative Contractors, Inc.

In October, we reported that we’d been awarded the Finale at Sand Key project in Clearwater. Located on the last vacant spot on Sand Key Beach, the new building will be a beautiful, seven-story, 23-unit structure.  The new project is a welcomed asset to the beach, replacing the long-abandoned Cabana Club restaurant.

With 46 parking spaces below the six floors of condos, parking will be plentiful when the building opens later this year. Other amenities in the luxury building will include a swimming pool and cabana-style fire pit, as well as private elevator lobbies and storage.

RSI recently finished pouring the concrete for the commercial project, completing the concrete structures on the property according to the specs provided by the architect. We created a 7-story cast-in-place structure with post-tensioned decks using 5000 pounds-per-square-inch concrete and provided all materials, equipment, and labor to build the job.

We worked closely with Creative Contractors, the general contractors for the project, completing our commercial concrete work for the new condo structure safely and on time.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » RSI Celebrates 3rd Year Anniversary of New Dali Museum

“...we were worried about using architectural concrete for the design of the new Dali Museum. RSI did an extraordinary job and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. We are all very proud of the way the museum turned out, thanks in large part to RSI.”—Yann Weymouth AIA Director of design Florida HOK

The new Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg opened on January 11, 2011, providing an architecturally unique building to house the renowned artist’s work. The vision for the new museum was to create a building that reflected Dali’s style both inside and out, and RSI played an integral role in accomplishing that vision by handling the concrete work for the project, a $30 million, 66,400-square-foot structure.

Internationally renowned architect Yann Weymouth with HOK’s Tampa office designed the new museum in collaboration with the Tampa office of Walter P. Moore as structural engineer. Weymouth’s design included the use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) – the first building in Florida to use cast-in-place SCC as an exposed architectural concrete finish.  SCC is a typical concrete mix doused with admixtures to make the mix highly flowable. 

A few elements of the Dali Museum’s construction made SCC the best choice for the project. For one, the museum design included unique openings in the walls and heavy rebar congestion; SCC can easily flow under and around openings in formwork and through intricate rebar. The architect also wanted a smooth finish and sharp corners with no chamfers; SCC’s lack of bug holes and smooth texture after the forms have been removed leaves a pristine architectural finish. To accommodate these challenges, RSI worked very closely with the design team to ensure their vision, and the end result was beautiful, smooth and seamless walls.

The building was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. It has 18-inch thick concrete walls, was built with 10,000 yards of concrete, and includes 1,000 tons of reinforcing steel. Building strengths were measured at more than 7,500 psi.

A major focal point of the new Dali Museum is a 56-foot-high spiral concrete staircase that starts in the building’s first floor lobby, carries visitors to the third-floor atrium, and winds upward into a taper toward the top of the building’s glass atrium. The base of the staircase has a 22-foot diameter. The wall of the spiral is 1 foot thick and the staircase is 5 feet deep. After the staircase reaches the third floor where the stairs end, the wall tapers to 8 inches wide.

RSI’s efforts paid off by having the opportunity to be part of the construction of a landmark building, which was awarded the Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction Project of the Year 2011.

“A lot of teamwork went into this building,” says RSI president Steve Whitely. “When we got this job we picked an A-Team, from the concrete supplier to the formwork supplier to the reinforcing supplier. Along with the structural engineer, general contractor and architect, we were all involved in planning. It was an interesting job and everyone was involved in making the project a success.”

News » RSI Team Supports Beck Shootout Fundraiser

In October a team from RSI competed in a fundraiser shootout to raise money for Metropolitan Ministries. The Beck Group sponsors the shootout yearly at FishHawk Sporting Clays forty-five minutes from downtown Tampa in Lithia, FL. The site has the perfect deep-woods atmosphere to create an ideal setting for the event. RSI also assisted in sponsoring the fundraiser.

Metropolitan Ministries provided lunch, and then the 97 shooters covered the two courses at the site.  The RSI team enjoyed the opportunity to have fun while helping such a worthwhile cause, especially since they managed to avoid the dubious honor of winning the last place prize (which went to the members of the Beck Architecture team).

Those who’d rather rely on luck rather than their shooting skills could purchase raffle tickets to support Metropolitan Ministries. The raffle provided prizes such as baskets full of gift cards, goodies, or sports memorabilia, and the grand prize included a donation by FishHawk Sporting Clays: 50 Clays plus a year membership. 

The shootout raised $23,000 for the homeless and poor families of Metropolitan Ministries, and RSI is looking forward to participating again next year.

News » Prestigious New Epicurean Hotel: RSI Concrete Complete

RSI recently wrapped up our concrete work at the prestigious new Epicurean Hotel in Tampa, Florida.

Our work comprised all the commercial concrete work for the new hotel, including 110,000 square feet of post-tensioned deck. On this project, RSI was responsible for the design and engineering of the post-tensioned decks.  With great teamwork from the client and their design and engineering firms, RSI was able to provide a low-cost and structurally sound system that perfectly met the needs of the client and owner.

The Epicurean is located across from the iconic Bern’s Steakhouse and features a demonstration kitchen that’s the home to the Bern Laxer School of Food and Wine. The hotel will join Marriott’s Autograph Collection, an ensemble of independent luxury hotels. The interior design was handled by Chicago-based Gettys Hospitality Design & Development, who used their extensive industry experience to maximize space while enriching guest experience.

Scheduled to open in the fall of 2013, the Epicurean Hotel will have 137 guest rooms and is currently taking reservations via their website, epicureanhotel.com.  The hotel’s features include a restaurant and wine bar, a retail wine shop, a bakery, full-service spa, health club, swimming pool with cabanas, a second floor open-air special events area, rooftop lounge, and flexible function space.

As with all our projects, RSI delivered what general contractors count on from us: quality commercial concrete work, done safely and on time. We worked closely with Beck, the general contractor, to ensure that they were able to perform as their client expected, enhancing their already excellent reputation for reliability and high quality.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » New Miami Beach Condo Project

RSI commercial concrete is providing a turnkey concrete package for 321 Ocean Drive condominium complex on Miami Beach, Florida.  The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board has sanctioned the complete ($24 million) renovation of the 1926 Simone Hotel in the chic South of Fifth neighborhood to create a luxurious low-rise building.

Acclaimed Mexican architect Enrique Norton is designing the 30-unit pair of towers with both ocean-facing and street-facing buildings, and world-renowned designer Enzo Enea is crafting an exquisitely landscaped urban oasis for the Garden at 321.

RSI’s commercial subcontractor work will include all the concrete construction from foundations through the post-tensioned roof deck.  The project has roughly 140,000 gross square feet of space, of which about 105,000 square feet is post-tensioned concrete deck.  RSI is slated to start the project in late November, with the turnkey commercial concrete work completing in approximately 6 months.

RSI is looking forward to working with the general contractor to provide quality concrete safely, on time, and within budget, thereby helping to facilitate the flow of the work schedule of this complex construction project.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » RSI awarded Finale Condo

News » New Westminster Shores Project Complete

Reinforced Structures, Inc. (RSI) commercial concrete subcontractors in the Tampa Bay area recently provided all the commercial concrete work for the newly completely Westminster Shores, an adult living facility just steps from the shores of Tampa Bay in St. Petesburg’s Bahama Shores neighborhood. This commercial construction project is a five-story building and is the newest addition to the 26-acre campus.

RSI provided full-service, high-quality turnkey concrete work for the Westminster Shores project,  from pile caps and grade beams through the post-tensioned roof slab.  The building consists of almost 90,000 square feet of space and includes approximately 70,000 square feet of post-tensioned deck.  RSI topped-out the concrete structure by pouring the roof slabs and completed the project with concrete cast-in-place stairs and the slab-on-grade.

RSI completed this commercial concrete project on time, within budget, and safely, making the project efficient and easy for the general contractor.  We accomplished this with a relentless commitment to planning. By updating our three-week look-ahead schedule each week, RSI planned our work to ensure complete coordination with our GC’s needs. By working as part of the general contractor’s team, we were able to provide high-quality commercial concrete that met the specifications of the project and stayed within the project budget.

For RSI, this is the rule, not the exception: It’s how we do business as commercial concrete subcontractors. We provide quality concrete safely, on time, and on budget. General contractors can rest assured that we will deliver quality concrete that fulfills their clients’ needs and expectations. Our .73 mod rating is one of the lowest in the commercial concrete industry and is a testament to RSI’s commitment to safety, another factor that contributes to our excellent reputation in the Tampa Bay area as providers of commercial concrete.

Please contact us to learn more about how you can expect performance from RSI and how we can meet your needs.

News » A Canopy structure at the Airside F Addition and Renovation project

The Airside “F” terminal of Tampa International Airport is being expanded with an additional 30,000 square feet and includes the renovation of 40,000 square feet of existing space. The project is to be completed by August 2013.

RSI is providing concrete work for the interior renovation work as well as the signature canopy structure.

News » Current Work: Post-tensioned deck with 85,900 square feet.

More information about this building will go here.

News » RSI is slated to pour elevated deck of four star hotel in South Tampa

Slated to open in the fall of 2013, the Epicurean Hotel will be comprised of 137 guest rooms. The hotel’s features include a restaurant and wine bar, a retail wine shop, a bakery, full service spa, health club, swimming pool with cabanas, a second floor open-air special events area, rooftop lounge and flexible function space.

The hotel, located directly across the street from the iconic Bern’s Steak House, will also feature a demonstration kitchen that will be home to the Bern Laxer School of Food and Wine.

RSI is providing all concrete work for the project, which includes 110,000 square feet of post-tensioned deck.

News » RSI chosen by OnCenter® Software for World of Concrete Convention

RSI president, Steve Whitely, contributes the success of the projects the company undertakes to teamwork. The careful planning of the projects involves suppliers of concrete, formwork, and reinforcing as well as the structural engineer, general contractor, and architect. All aspects of the projects are weighed to ensure the best possible solution is utilized to guarantee the success of
the concrete construction. RSI uses On-Screen Takeoff® (OST) from On Center Software in their pre- planning phase to generate various scenarios for the general contractor to come up with the optimum choices. OST allows RSI to handle change orders expeditiously. Such on time delivery makes RSI the ultimate partner for any general contractor.

View PDF

News » Complex Structure with Architectural Concrete requires Experienced Framework Supplier

A dramatic location on Biscayne Bay has been provided by the City of Miami, the voters of Miami-Dade County have approved $100 million in bond funding, and private donors have already committed more than $60 million in additional support for the building and institutional endowment. The new PAMM will transform Museum Park into a central destination on Miami’s cultural map, promote progressive arts education, build community cohesiveness, and contribute substantially to downtown revitalization.
In January 2011 work began on a cutting-edge building with generous spaces to showcase its art holdings and attract more top caliber exhibitions. The new facility also includes a state-of-the-art educational complex that will be a resource for the entire community. In December 2011, Jorge M. Pérez, longtime trustee and leading collector of Latin American art, made a landmark leadership gift of $35 million to support the campaign for the new museum which will open in fall of 2013 as the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County.

Building Design

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the new Pérez Art Museum of Miami will offer 200,000 square feet of programmable space, including 120,000 square feet of interior space, more than three times that of the Museum’s current facility.  It will also include approximately 80,000 square feet of exterior program space for the display of works of art, educational activities, relaxation and dining. This expansion will provide room for larger and more varied displays of the Museum’s collection and special exhibitions.
Herzog & de Meuron’s design for the new Pérez Art Museum of Miami is highly responsive to the city’s climate and the needs of a young, rising art museum. The three-story building will sit upon an elevated platform and below a canopy, both of which will extend far beyond the Museum’s walls, creating a shaded veranda and plazas. Working with local and international landscape designers and horticulturists, the architects will use this space to “bring the park into the museum” in new and innovative ways.

News » On The Bubble - RSI’s use of voided slabs for the Miami Art Museum

Voided slabs can save money on a project but there are other important reasons to consider using them.

Voided slabs eliminate concrete where it isn’t needed and the subsequent weight reduction makes longer spans possible—up to 55 feet between columns without beams. As a result, some long-span structural steel floors can be converted to voided-slab floors.

The reduced weight of the floor slab using voided slabs allows a reduction in concrete and steel in floors, columns, and footings, saving money and reducing the total building weight, allowing lighter foundations.

Some voided-slab systems can reduce construction time, especially precast systems or those placed on flat-plate forming systems.

Flat-plate construction eliminates beams and drops, resulting in reduced floor-to-floor heights.

Projects specifying reduced floor vibration can benefit from voided-slab systems over metal deck floors.

Voided slabs are beneficial in seismic design, since the reduced dead weight of floors results in lower seismic forces applied to structures.

Voided slabs can take advantage of post-tensioned reinforcement benefits to provide a thin slab with greater span.

Voided slabs increase sustainability by saving materials and all materials are recyclable.

Read the whole article here ’”

News » The Art of Concrete by Rebecca Wasieleski

The building
The new Dali Museum sits on Tampa Bay, in downtown St. Petersburg, just a few blocks from the simple concrete structure that currently houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali art outside the surrealist painter’s homeland of Spain. The Dali Foundation and city of St. Petersburg saw great potential for the museum, which is the most visited museum in Florida. They wanted not just a structure to house the Dali collection, but a structure that would be a draw for visitors itself.
The 60,000-square-foot building was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. It has 18-inch-thick concrete walls, was built with 10,000 yards of concrete and includes 1,000 tons of reinforcing steel. Building strengths were measured at more than 7,500 psi. To help combat the ocean’s salt air and its corrosive effect on reinforcing steel, a water inhibitor admixture was specified in the mix and the rebar is set back in the wall 2.5 inches, double the traditional distance between the outside of the wall and the rebar. Bentonite water stops were included at all joints.
The new Dali Museum, the first example of an exposed architectural cast-in-place SCC building in Florida, features large hurricane-rated glass structures growing off the front of the museum, giving visitors a dose of natural light and a view of Tampa Bay.
Reinforced Structures Inc. began its work on the Dali Museum two years before it was officially named concrete subcontractor on the project. The company was approached by the general contractor on the job, The Beck Group, to work through estimates on precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, structural steel buildings and variations of those building techniques combined. It was during the preconstruction planning that the design team decided on self-consolidating concrete, or self-compacting concrete, for the construction of the building.
Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is a typical concrete mix doused with superplasticizer admixtures to make the mix highly flowable while maintaining proper aggregate segregation. A few elements of the Dali Museum’s construction made SCC the best choice for the project. For one, the museum design included unique openings in the walls and heavy rebar congestion; SCC can easily flow under and around openings in formwork and through intricate rebar. The architect also wanted a smooth finish and sharp corners with no chamfers; SCC’s lack of bug holes and smooth texture after the forms have been removed leaves a pristine architectural finish.

RSI was involved with more preconstruction planning on the scheduling and sequencing of the building’s construction. They worked nearly a dozen mock-ups before construction began to get the forming system and mix right for the project.
Whitely says since starting his company in 2003, he has made a point for his turn-key concrete contracting business to not only offer all things concrete, but also supply pre-construction and value engineering services to its customers. It keeps customers requesting RSI’s services, the way The Beck Group reached out to them on the Dali project. “When a client hires us, we help them budget and put their projects together,” Whitely says. “Once we get our foot in the door, GCs don’t want to work with anyone else. Other subcontractors forget that we are in the service industry.”
The construction process
RSI was officially named subcontractor on the Dali Museum project in December 2008. After the deep foundation was installed, RSI took to work on the building in April 2009, completing the majority of the concrete work by November of that year.
The complexity of the project required careful planning of the forming system. RSI used crane-set steel forms and HDO plywood. The forming system was specifically engineered to hold full liquid head pressure of the SCC, about 21,000 pounds per square foot for each 26- by 14-foot panel. Each panel required 16 taper ties.
Working with an SCC mix demands tremendous pre-planning and quality assurance measures. An SCC mix is made up of a complicated recipe so great attention must be paid to ensure the mix is the same from batch to batch, and its flowability decreases the longer it sits so timing is important. To combat these challenges, RSI chose Florida Rock, A Vulcan Company, as the concrete producer on the job. Florida Rock has DOT-approved concrete plants in close proximity to the construction site to help avoid traffic issues. The ready mix supplier had counters on its drums, the drivers went through training for working with SCC and the same trucks were used on the Dali Museum pours every day. RSI also had quality control representatives from Florida Rock and Grace Construction Products, manufacturer of the SCC admixtures, on the job. The slump flow (SCC’s version of a slump test) was closely monitored for mix consistency from day to day. “We weren’t afraid to send batches back when we didn’t get the quality we wanted, but that didn’t happen often,” says Brooke Madson, Tampa area manager for RSI.
RSI vice president and head field superintendant, Miguel Tellez, closely managed the project’s 70 wall pour operations to maintain consistency in the field. Because each wall form was different, the crews started each day by reviewing the formwork.
“We poured the same amount of SCC every day,” Tellez explains. “And we had three crews on the job at all times - forming, tear down and forming up. And we kept the same workers on each crew every day so we had the same people forming, the same group pouring and the same people on reinforcing.”
Its first foray into SCC didn’t go without surprises for RSI. “There was a lot to learn in those early pours,” Whitely recalls, especially when it came to the extreme hydration temperatures SCC can reach. “We would take the forms off and the concrete would be smoking - you couldn’t touch the concrete it was so hot.”
The temperature issue forced RSI to make a few adjustments. For one, RSI crews encountered something called sugaring. “SCC can reach 180 degree temperatures during the curing process. This was so hot, it was pulling sugars out of the plywood and turning the concrete red. That forced us to change our plywood manufacturer,” Madson explains.
The extreme temperatures would have melted the form liners RSI would have typically used, leading the company to use an extruded polyresin for blockouts, reveals and Salvador Dali’s signature on the outside of the building.

Another challenge was the inclusion of reveals between formwork to make the building look like one continuous wall. “We built this building from the outside in - walls first then inside beams and decks - to avoid seeing where deck pours would have bulkheaded into walls,” Madson explains. Where exterior beams tied into the exterior walls, areas of 8-foot rebar splices were left. Where the rest of the deck was connected to the walls, ERICO’s LENTON Couplers were specified.

A staircase to nowhere
A major focal point of the new Dali Museum is a 56-foot-high spiral concrete staircase that starts in the building’s first floor lobby, carries visitors to the third-floor atrium, and winds upward into a taper toward the top of the building’s glass atrium. The base of the staircase has a 22 foot diameter. The wall of the spiral is 1 foot thick and the staircase is five feet deep. After the staircase reaches the third floor where the stairs end, the wall tapers to 8 inches wide.
“The staircase was originally planned for steel construction because the architect was under the impression that it couldn’t be done in concrete,” Whitely explains. “We bid it, got it, but didn’t know how we would build it at that time.”
This feature of the building took immense planning, logistics and labor to complete. RSI interviewed three formwork companies for the staircase construction. They chose Peri because they had radius forms already available, avoiding a completely custom system and saving dollars in the budget.
The engineering company on the Dali Museum project wrote the initial concept design for the spiral staircase and the sequencing plan for loading and unloading. Peri went through the engineer’s plan and detailed the construction of the shoring.
“A big concern with the spiral was the settlement and twist of the concrete, so we had to plan on 8 inches of settlement and 11/2 inches of twist,” Madson explains. “After each pour and after each stripping sequence, we had to resurvey the staircase and adjust for anything that was out of plumb or design. In addition, we had to make sure the staircase followed general building code standards for rise and twist.”
The construction of the staircase was a tedious process. “We poured a section of the spiral wall, then went back and poured that section of the stairs,” Tellez explains. “So every day we had to take down the shoring and reshore.”
The concrete work on the new Dali Museum was completed in late 2009, with the staircase work finishing up in Spring 2010. The inside of the building is still under construction and on track to meet the deadline for the January 2011 grand opening of the new museum.
“We took on a pretty ambitious schedule with this project, but with everyone’s help and detailed planning we finished a week ahead of time,” Madson says. “We hope that after seeing this project and the success we achieved, people won’t think of us as a small contractor but a concrete company that can take on anything that’s thrown our way.”
Project at a Glance
Concrete Subcontractor: Reinforced Structures, Inc.
General Contractor: The Beck Group
Architect: HOK Architects
Structural Engineer: Walter P. Moore
Producer: Florida Rock, A Vulcan Material Company
Key products and equipment:
Timberline Estimating; Adobe Acrobat Pro for shop drawings; Mac computers; iPhones; PLS lasers; Penetron waterproofing admixture; Grace SCC admixtures in the ready mixed concrete and Marb-A-Like form release agent; ERICO’s LENTON Couplers; Peri formwork for staircase; Shore/Form Systems, Inc. for building forms; HDO plywood.