A nearly century-old development of concrete homes in Pennsylvania looks to have a date with the wrecking ball, although it is possible one may be saved as a historic preservation measure.

Concrete City, which sits on 39 acres straddling Hanover Township and the city of Nanticoke, has been deeded to the city of Nanticoke for $10 by a nonprofit organization known as the Regional Equipment Center, which is disbanding.

The 20 duplexes, which were built in 1911 by the coal division of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, were among the first homes in America built entirely with poured concrete. The railroad rented them for $8 a month.

Concrete City closed in 1924 after one of the subsequent owners refused to put in a sewer system to replace concrete outhouses.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission designated Concrete City a historic site and erected a marker in 1998. Concrete City was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Municipal officials said they would like to keep one of the homes standing for the historical value, but do not foresee preserving more than that – as they have become graffiti-adorned, bullet-ridden eyesores.

The Skokie, Illinois-based consulting firm CTLGroup has announced the results of new research indicating that the solar reflectance of concrete is highly effective in limiting the heat-island effect that is common in urban building.

A heat island is a local area of elevated temperature in a region of cooler temperatures. Heat islands occur where there is a preponderance of dark exterior building materials and pavements, along with a lack of vegetation, typically in urban areas. The research was sponsored by the Portland Cement Association and conducted by CTLGroup.

The project involved the testing of 45 sets of concrete samples. All 45 sets, regardless of mix, met the required criteria for LEED certification.

The mixes were created using a number of different components, including recovered materials such as fly ash or slag cement. The solar reflectance of the cement proved to have more effect on the solar reflectance of the concrete than any other constituent material, researchers said.

CTLGroup said this is the first time the solar reflectance of concrete has been examined in relation to LEED points and is the most comprehensive study of the solar reflectance of concrete to date.

Fire officials said concrete construction limited the damage of a luxury condominium building in Jersey City, New Jersey on Monday.

The fire in the building, which is still under construction, caused evacuations and disrupted light rail service.

Flames could be seen across the Hudson River in Manhattan. The fire quickly accelerated, feeding on lumber being used to frame interior areas of the upper floors.

The building's steel and concrete construction helped limit most of the damage to the two upper floors, fire officials said, and the building itself was in no danger of collapse. Occupancy is slated for the summer of 2009.

Henry Cisneros, executive chairman of CityView and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be honored with the 2007 “Housing Person of the Year” Award at the National Housing Conference's (NHC) 35th annual Gala at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2007. Cisneros is being recognized for his outstanding achievement as one of the nation's leading affordable housing advocates, especially in his role as executive chairman at CityView, a national housing investor that creates housing opportunities for America's working families through the financing of homes.