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Hill Oversees First-of-its-Kind Tank Pour at Miami’s Frost Museum

We are truly excited by the feat that was accomplished on December 14 at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Florida.   The Gulf Stream Tank structure is not only the first of its kind and the centerpiece of our city’s newest iconic landmark, but also one of the most complex projects currently being undertaken in the United States.

Aside from creating a feature for which there is no existing precedent, the monolith in which it will be housed is one of the most ambitious cast-in-place concrete structures ever conceived, designed and/or constructed.  This complex pour was a significant achievement in architecture/engineering design and construction and everyone involved in this process can be proud!  Complicated by its conical shape, inclination and suspension, as well as a 30-foot diameter oculus at the bottom of the basin, nothing about this placement effort was easy.   The crews worked non-stop for over 24 hours to place over 1,200 cubic yards (120 trucks) of concrete, making up more than 9,000 square feet of tank surface area.  Once completed, the tank will be prepared to support over 4 million pounds of sea water and… SHARKS!  To get to this point, over six months of preparation work took place.  In addition to the erection of monumental amounts of shoring and formwork, impressive in and of itself, the laborious groundwork included the installation of over 370 tons of epoxy coated steel reinforcement intertwined by a web of 57 pipes containing over 700 high strength post tensioning cables that generate over 14,000 tons of compression force into the concrete to prevent cracking once poured.  Ensuring that every step of the process is carried out and executed according to plan was of critical importance to assure the final product upholds the highest standard of quality and serves its intended purpose for many years to come…”

Click here to view a time laps video of the pour.

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