Hot in the City today; we stopped by the site to approve slab templates and caught contractor Kevin Birmingham and his partner’s son, Ken Malpas three floors off the deck working exterior details. There, Ken, as promised 
Archive for the ‘Team’ Category
Malpas and Birmingham
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007That paint! That paint! That paint!
Sunday, June 3rd, 2007Crystal Springs Painting crew Luis Romero and Silvano Gonzales (in order, seen below) worked overtime Saturday helping keep us on schedule and taking advantage of fewer other trades underfoot while they put paint on everything that’s not floor, stone or metal or glass. Shown also are some early looks at how the paint selections will work together. Even though I titled the one image “Amalfi Red,” Luis says that’s not actually Amalfi Red. Rather, it’s the three coats of undercoating, preparing the wall so that the Amalfi Red–which is a clear base paint, and therefore difficult to cover whatever’s underneath and causing non-professional painters to pull their hair out–can hopefully achieve full coverage with just three coats.
Stucco
Sunday, June 3rd, 2007The architects have covered almost all the exterior of the building in an artful combination of API panels and glass. There’s also strategically placed steel propping the whole thing up. Then there’s places where none of those could go. That’s where the stucco (courtesy of Burlingame Plastering & Stucco) comes in. One of their crew overlooks mixing below (R). We love Tadao Ando’s concrete. The architects frowned at us and informed that such was not in our budget. Maybe next time. So we have stucco masquerading as concrete. GOMENNASAI (sorry) Ando-san. The image below shows fourth floor street-facing deck festooned with the first rough application of our budget-saving stucco. That black i-beam overhead will one day sport outdoor propane heaters.
Master Bath Tile
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007De Alba Brothers Tile sent their A-team to tackle the stone tile. Seen here Manuel prepares the foundation for the floor tile. Looking better already.
De Alba Brothers Tile Inc.
74 S Linden Ave
South San Francisco, CA, 94080
Phone: (650)589-2316
Framing
Sunday, January 21st, 2007Following the early November completion of the API panel installation, efforts centered around framing, rough plumbing and wiring. For temporary waterproofing during the early winter rains, builders Malpas & Birmingham strategically attached blue tarps along the exterior. These created an other-worldly space-blue glow in some parts of the building. Here’s a couple shots showcasing the on-going framing and a few of the professionals doing the work.
Site Security
Monday, September 11th, 2006It’s been brought to our attention that project coverage has failed to recognize a key part of the team: site security. We present to you easily the most enthusiastic members of the 55 Sheridan detail, Claire and Bonnie (demonstrating her “walk softly and carry a big stick” security practice). Enjoy.
From Paper Tiger to the Real Deal
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006Whiz kid structural engineer David Strandberg stopped by this week to have a look at his work. As you can see he enjoyed a few solitary moments being one with his creation [and perhaps mentally rechecking some of his calculations ] before noticing we had our eyes on him. We think the world of him, but still, we made him go up first .
