Masonry Magazine June 2006 Page. 28
Hardscaping
Jordan Creek Mall Landscaping, Forrest & Associate Inc.
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26 Masonry
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June 2006
"The architect was a stickle for color, so to meet the expectations of the architect, as far as color blend, we had to make it as natural as possible," Richard (Dick) Felice, president and CEO of Forrest & Associate Inc.
He also faced more traditional hardscaping dilemmas, such as moving large rocks - in this case, weighing 30,000 lbs. with cranes into exact locations.
"When the crane dropped those pieces into place, they had to fit like a puzzle. You had to have a precise fit. You had to make sure each piece was set to perfection," Bounds explained, noting that the massive rocks had to be placed on the specific spots where bodies were found after the accident. "When you put stone on the face of a building, you're allowed certain tolerances. There were no tolerances allowed on this job. You couldn't say, "Tll just move it a little this way."
Bounds and his hardscaping peers have found that unlike typical masonry jobs, in which they strive to set as much brick or stone as possible in a short amount of time, hardscaping requires a different mindset.
Rob Barnes agrees whole-heartedly with this statement. "You have to be patient. With these projects, you're not production oriented," Rob Barnes said. "The guys have to not have the mentality of production. You focus is on quality. There's no production with this type of work."
A well-experienced, five to six-person crew worked four months on the Allen Civic Plaza project, spending a lot of time working the edges of the stone. Barnes said the segmented quarry block seat wall stone had to be cut with a chainsaw and butted together.
For Felice's Jordan Creek Mall landscaping project, the challenge was making sure the stones' colors blended naturally to give the impression that water had worn and aged the stones over time.
"The architect was a stickler for color, so to meet the expectations of the architect, as far as color blend, we had to make it as natural as possible," Felice said. "When we built it, the pond wasn't even in existence yet."
Although it took time for the masons to get a handle on blending colors and placing the mostly uncut stones in a logical arrangement, once they grasped it the project moved quickly, he said.
Getting the stone he wanted from the quarry also proved tricky. "You're really at the mercy of the quarry as to what you're going to get," Felice said. "You tell them the size and color, and hope they get close."
Earning Accolades
AFTER SEEING the mason contractors' impressive projects, it's easy to understand why they won MCAA International Excellence in Masonry Awards for their hardscaping work.
"I was elated," Buddie Barnes said after receiving the award in March for the Allen Civic Plaza project. "I thought the project was unusual, and the outcome of this project was out-
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