Up, up and away!

Words: Jeff SpeckPump lightweight concrete 54 stories, straight-up, successfully!

Well, that's exactly what Ozinga Chicago, the concrete provider for a 54-story project on Lake Street in Chicago, did. The company used Riverlite® expanded clay lightweight aggregate from Trinity Lightweight and they were pleased. According to Scott Kelly, Ozinga's Assistant Manager of Quality Control, "Everything has gone pretty smoothly and according to specification."

The lightweight concrete used in this project was a Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) using a high-range water-reducing admixture and three other chemical admixtures as well as Class C fly ash. Additionally, steel fiber was added at a rate of 35 pounds per cubic yard. The mix design provided concrete that was fluid enough at the pump discharge to spread without vibration.

Have a look at how this Chicago project went together and see how Trinity Lightweight and Ozinga Chicago worked together to make it a success. When you need to pump structural lightweight concrete to great heights to meet strength and fire resistance requirements, I hope you will think of Trinity Lightweight.
The Science of a Straight Line: Why Masonry’s Smallest Decisions Make the Biggest Differences
September 2026

There is a unique phenomenon in construction: the human eye can spot an out-of-plumb wall from 50 yards away across a crowded job site. We might not always be able to explain the exact mathematical deviation without a laser level, but our brains instantly

The Utah Masonry Council's Masonry Education Day
September 2026

The 2026 Masonry Education Day at Interstate Brick in West Jordan is bringing together members of Utah’s architecture, engineering, and construction community for a day focused on education, technical understanding, and workforce development. The event r

MCAA Upstate New York: Regaining Market Share Through Education
September 2026

The Upstate New York chapter of the MCAA was established in 2014 by a dedicated group of both union and non-union masonry contractors, producers, and suppliers who shared concerns about the declining use of masonry. T

GEN NXT: Luis Sontay
September 2026

For this month, the MCAA got to sit down with aspiring mason Luis Sontay. From taking an interest in masonry as a kid to placing 1st in a postsecondary competition, Luis’ dedication and passion for the trade is clear. Luis describes his early passion fo