The testing facility functions as the base of operations for materials testing across Granite’s Coastal California Region. As part of the Green Business certification, the facility satisfied targets for energy efficiency, water conservation, procurement, and materials management.
GARCO Testing Laboratories offers material design and quality testing services. The GARCO team works with a simple goal: maximise opportunities to provide superior products with exceptional service while keeping people safe and being good stewards of the environment.
The GARCO team has extensive asphalt paving expertise, including the use of specialised designs to satisfy specific, unique project requirements. GARCO personnel pursue industry certifications like the Caltrans Joint Training & Certification Program (JTCP), which include individual areas of specialisation, requiring in-person classes and laboratory training and written/practical examination sessions.
The GARCO team prioritises responsible material management and proper disposal of all waste streams, even in the laboratory. For example, the asphalt and aggregate samples they collect for testing are delivered back to a material production facility or asphalt plant. Each year, a single laboratory can divert 9-10 tons of waste from landfills.
Asphalt mix designs drive sustainable material use in commercial construction. Mix standards set targets for the percentage of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in a mix. Material specifications are changing across the industry to allow for higher RAP contents. GARCO recently obtained approval for 30% RAP-content mix design and hoped to achieve even higher thresholds in future mixes. The company is also exploring the use of recycled plastics to displace liquid asphalt binder, which has the potential to reduce the use of petroleum products and find new beneficial uses for certain types of plastic.
