Site Concrete, Curbs & Sidewalks
CSI Division 32, Exterior Improvements
Concrete work outside a building's footprint, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, site paving, and exterior stairs, distinct from structural building concrete, typically built to a civil site plan's grading and drainage design rather than a structural engineer's specifications.
Why it matters
Site concrete's slope and elevations are what actually make a site's stormwater drainage plan work in the field, a sidewalk or curb poured even slightly off the design grade can redirect water toward a building entrance instead of away from it, undermining the drainage design regardless of how well the design itself was engineered.
On a real project
A concrete crew sets curb and gutter forms using elevations shot directly from the civil engineer's grading plan, confirming each section's slope actually drains toward the designed catch basin rather than assuming a level curb line is close enough.
Who this matters most to
A Concrete Worker forms and places site concrete. A Civil Engineer designs the grading the concrete has to match.
Where this goes wrong
A crew pours a section of sidewalk slightly out of the elevations shown on the grading plan, assuming a small deviation won't matter. The section ends up holding a shallow puddle of water after every rain instead of draining, and it has to be saw-cut and repoured once the standing water becomes a slip hazard complaint.