Associations

A successful initiative to transform the Port of Everett (Washington) into a top cement distribution facility in less than a year has earned Greenberry Industrial the 2007 Distinguished Project Award from the Northwest Construction Consumer Council.

The venture was honored in the NWCCC's “Private Projects Over $10 million” category.

In late 2006, the Port of Everett approved a contract to change the focus at the port from handling alumina ore to cement, which called for major changes to the site's dome storage structure, including pouring new interior concrete walls, installing pneumatic systems, building a new truck loading facility, rebuilding conveyers, transfer towers and rail car loading systems – plus removing appurtenances from the top of the dome.

Judges said they were favorably inclined toward the project because of its unique scope of work and tight construction schedule. The judges also were impressed with the safety procedures implemented during the project. A small jobsite of only 44,000 square feet, limited access to the dome facility through just one 14-foot by 12-foot door and an eight-month schedule presented several scheduling and safety challenges for Greenberry to overcome during construction.

R-Value Concrete Structures LLC has been awarded the Exemplary Project award from the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association for its “foundational participation” in the Onekama Hybrid Home.

The home features Build Block ICF walls from footings to trusses, stained concrete floors, and incorporates Lite-Deck floors with radiant heat/snow melt for the garage, porch and a unique second-story deck, all installed by R-Value. Many challenges had to be overcome during construction including very narrow window spacing, the second story concrete deck, and high winds throughout the building process.

According to Jake Vierzen of R-Value: "I am excited to see ICFs being recognized as an excellent complement to renewable energy technologies, and very pleased to work as part of Team Hybrid on this and other innovative homes. The Team concept incorporates many of the trades, starting with the architect, in order to deliver the absolute highest performance home possible.”

In addition to the highly efficient building, the Onekama Hybrid Home discreetly incorporates both a wind generator and solar hot water. It is expected to earn the highest rating possible under the new LEED for Homes program.

The Portland Cement Association has appointed Lawrence C. Novak as manager of buildings and special structures. He and his staff will consult with engineers, architects and contractors to directly promote the use of concrete and cement for buildings, stadiums, environmental and other structures throughout the United States.

Novak brings to PCA more than 20 years of experience as a structural engineer on some of the world’s most prominent buildings. Most recently as an associate partner with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, he served as the senior project engineer responsible for the structural design of the Burj Dubai Tower, the world’s tallest building.

A Port St. Lucie, Florida home built with insulating concrete forms will be sold for $10 as part of a fundraiser for the YMCA of the Treasure Coast, which serves Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The winner of the raffle, for which tickets are $10, will take possession of the home.

The home, which is being built on Escobar Lane in Port St. Lucie, is being donated by Homecrete Homes, and is valued at $349,800. It will feature thick, insulated concrete walls and a closed-soffit roof system aimed at making the house more energy-efficient, said Bob Cenk, vice president of Stuart-based Homecrete Homes.

Workers have finished putting plywood on the home's roof and plan to put up interior walls this week, Cenk said. The home is expected to be finished March 1. It will have four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a two-car garage.

The drawing will be March 20.

The collaborating firms of Roessler Design Group and Weidlinger Associates received an Excellence Award from the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) for their retrofit design of the Orange Coast College’s Watson Hall.

The four-story reinforced concrete building, built in the 1960s, had been abandoned for several years prior to this renovation. As with most concrete buildings of its era, the structure did not meet California’s modern day earthquake requirement.

The structural engineers incorporated steel-braced frames to enhance the seismic performance of this signature campus building.

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.

Industry professionals from throughout the U.S. recently attended a workshop in Arlington, Texas to learn more about the rapidly expanding area of full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement and soil-cement pavements. The attendees included contractors, equipment and material suppliers, and professional regional cement and pavement promoters.

The program provided an opportunity for discussion on expanding the market for FDR and soil-cement pavements, as well as their construction, short presentations from local promoters on “What Works” in their area, interactive training of a recently developed pavement thickness design program, and a field trip to observe an innovative cement slurry process.

The two-day workshop was sponsored by the Portland Cement Association with the cooperation of the Cement Council of Texas.

HCI Construction, a subsidiary of Ho-Chunk Inc., has received a 2007 Excellence in Concrete Award for its work in the state of Iowa. Hosted by the Iowa Ready Mix Concrete Association, the awards were announced last month in Ames, Iowa.

The Excellence in Concrete Awards recognize outstanding projects from throughout the state of Iowa in several categories. Entries are judged on criteria including architectural design, project complexity and individuality, engineering challenges, difficulty of construction, workmanship and use of ready mix concrete.

HCI was named in the Commercial Above-Grade Building category for its construction of the Alliance Concrete Ready Mix Plant in Sergeant Bluff, which opened in June.

Builder confidence within the home building market remained steady at 19 in December – its third straight month at that level, which is the lowest reading since the National Association of Home Builders began recording confidence figures in January 1985.

A reading of 50 indicates average confidence.

“Today’s report shows that builders’ views of housing market conditions haven’t changed in the past several months, and there clearly are signs of stabilization in the HMI,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders. “At this point, many builders are bracing themselves for the winter months when home buying traditionally slows, scaling down their inventories and repositioning themselves for the time when market conditions can support an upswing in building activity – most likely by the second half of 2008.”

The index gauging current sales conditions for single-family homes improved by a single point to 19, and the index gauging sales expectations for the next six months rose two points to 26. Meanwhile, the index gauging traffic of prospective buyers declined three points to 14.

Regionally, the HMI results were mixed in December. The Midwest and South each posted two-point gains in their HMI readings, to 15 and 21, respectively. The West held even at 18, and the Northeast, which experienced wetter weather conditions than normal in the survey period, posted a seven-point decline to 19. All regions were down on a year-over-year basis.

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that housing construction fell in November and that single-family activity dropped to the lowest level in more than 16 years. Construction of new homes and apartments dropped by 3.7 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.187 million units.

Construction of single-family homes fell by 5.5 percent to an annual rate of 829,000 units, the lowest level since April 1991, while multi-family construction was up 4.4 percent to an annual rate of 332,000 units.

Applications for building permits fell for a sixth straight month, dropping by 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.15 million units, the slowest pace for building permits since June 1993. The overall construction decline left home building 24.2 percent below the level of activity a year ago.

The Portland Cement Association and the Cement Association of Canada are accepting nominations for the 2008 Promotion Progress Awards.

The awards honor the achievements of PCA members in advancing cement and concrete in construction markets plus involvement in standards development, education and public affairs.

The deadline for nominations has been extended to January 31, 2008. Promotions in 2006 and 2007 are eligible.